Dharmanagar

Dharmanagar
ধর্মনগর
city
Dharmanagar
Dharmanagar

Location of Dharmanagar in Tripura

Coordinates: 24°22′42.7″N 92°10′41.9″E / 24.378528°N 92.178306°E / 24.378528; 92.178306Coordinates: 24°22′42.7″N 92°10′41.9″E / 24.378528°N 92.178306°E / 24.378528; 92.178306
Country  India
State Tripura
District North Tripura
Area
 • Total 7.77 km2 (3.00 sq mi)
Elevation 21 m (69 ft)
Population (2015)
 • Total 45,887
 • Rank Second largest town of Tripura after capital Agartala.
 • Density 5,906/km2 (15,300/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Bengali, Hindi, English.
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 799250
Telephone code 03822
Vehicle registration TR 05 XX YYYY
Website www.northtripura.gov.in

Dharmanagar (Bengali: ধর্মনগর Dhôrmônôgar) is a district town and a Municipal Council in the North East of India and the North Tripura district of the state of Tripura, India. Dharmanagar is a city with extreme natural beauty. The city also has its great history regarding the several emperors who ruled the city. Earlier in the ancient times the city had a large geographical area but along time it has been reduced drastically due to partition and other reasons. The city is located in the western hemisphere of the state of Tripura. The city of Dharmanagar is very famous for its historical monuments and palaces. The city has many such historic ruins which display the ancient old history of the city. Dharmanagar being a small town geographically the city is not so large and stretches up to 7.7 km2 in area.[1] As per the latest measured census the population of the town of Dharmanagar was around 40,595. The climate of the city has been very stable. The city has been close to the coastal area in the south and the mountain range in the north experiences heavy rainfall. The summers and winters both are mild in the city and not so extreme.The iconic kalibari is the heart of city.[2]

Former map of State of Tripura showing 4 districts, roadways & a railway network.

History

Majority of the known history of Dharmanagar is derived from the ancient Rajmala scripts, which is the ancient Royal chronicles of the Kings of Tripura written in the 14th century. Initially unrecorded, they was in circulation in the ancient Kokborok language, which is the language of the Tripura Kings before it was translated and edited into Bengali in the late 14th century by Pandit Likhan Ghosh and Pandit Partha Roy, who were respected scholars of the time.

The origin of the name 'Dharmanagar' cannot be accurately traced back in time. The Rajmala refers to at least four known ancient kings whose names include the word 'Dharma'. So it remains a matter of speculation as to which king had lent his name to the town. Various uncovered documents however, indicate that the existence of Dharmanagar goes back deep into time. The Rajmala further indicates that the name 'Faticuli' was used to mean Dharmanagar back in those ancient times.

Geography

The exact geographical boundaries of Dharmanagar in the ancient times, have not been clearly documented. However, a general idea about the size obtained from various sources indicate that one major position of Sylhet (now in Bangladesh) was included in Dharmanagar. Sources also indicate that Dharmanagar in those days was not as small as it is today. The size of Dharmanagar has been greatly diminished over the ages and what was once the mighty capital of Tripura has now been reduced to a district town of the state.

At present Dharmanagar is bound by Maulvi Bazar of Sylhet, Bangladesh in the North, Karimganj district of Assam in the East and Mizoram state in the South and Kailashahar subdivision of Unakoti district in the west.

Demographics

Kali Dighi

Others include Sikhs, Jains & Other religions (0.10%)

Religion in Dharmanagar[3]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
  
 76.60%
Islam
  
 18.40%
Christian
  
 1.00%
Buddhist
  
 2.00%
Others
  
 2.05%

The population of Dharmanagar, as estimated in late 2006, is around 32,912.[4] Males constitute around 51% of the population and females 49%.

Dharmanagar has an average literacy rate of 73.66%, higher than the national average of 65.38%: male literacy is 81.47% and female literacy is 65.41%.[5]

A total of 9% of the population are under 6 years of age. Whilst the majority speak Bengali, Dharmanagar is also home to Kokborok speaking tribes.

Furthermore, 76.60% percent of the population are Hindu, 2.0% are Buddhist, 18.40% are Muslim and 1.0% are Christian. . رابيﺁ

Year Population Change
1991 25,897 -
2001 30,790 +1.4%
2011 40,595 +2.8%

As seen in the table where the population 1991 to 2011 is displayed, Dharmanagar had a population of 25,897 in the year 1991 and it rose to 1.45 in 2001 which stood to 30,790 further more the population had increased more 2.4% in the year 2011 and it went to 40,595[1]

Climate

Dharmanagar is blessed with a peaceful climate most of the year. However, summer time can be excessively hot, dry, humid and interspersed with rains and thunderstorms. Winter generally starts towards the end of November and lasts until February, where the temperatures can reach very low conditions. The monsoon season in Dharmanagar starts in April during the Bengali month of Baishakh. During the monsoon season, Dharmanagar is inundated frequently due to excessive rainfall and flooding by the local rivers.

Climate data for Dharmanagar
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 30
(86)		 33
(91)		 38
(100)		 40
(104)		 38
(100)		 40
(104)		 37
(99)		 37
(99)		 37
(99)		 35
(95)		 32
(90)		 28
(82)		 40
(104)
Average high °C (°F) 23
(73)		 25
(77)		 30
(86)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 31
(88)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 30
(86)		 27
(81)		 24
(75)		 29
(84)
Average low °C (°F) 10
(50)		 12
(54)		 15
(59)		 20
(68)		 22
(72)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24
(75)		 21
(70)		 16
(61)		 11
(52)		 19
(66)
Record low °C (°F) 5
(41)		 6
(43)		 6
(43)		 11
(52)		 16
(61)		 18
(64)		 20
(68)		 21
(70)		 20
(68)		 15
(59)		 10
(50)		 5
(41)		 5
(41)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 11.4
(0.449)		 12.8
(0.504)		 57.7
(2.272)		 142.3
(5.602)		 248.0
(9.764)		 350.1
(13.783)		 353.6
(13.921)		 269.9
(10.626)		 166.2
(6.543)		 79.2
(3.118)		 19.4
(0.764)		 5.1
(0.201)		 1,717.7
(67.626)
Source: wunderground.com[6]

Transport

Dharmanagar railway station

The nearest airport to Dharmanagar is in Silchar and further airfield at Agartala. There is also a helipad for helicopter rides or for quick journeys to the capital Agartala, these are costly and are mainly reserved for the rich. Kailashahar Airport is the nearest airport to the city but it is a non-active and is an abundant airport. Recently the AAI surveyed the zone and it is in plan to restart.[7] The state government has also agreed to acquire 79 acres of land in Kailashahar, nearly 120 km from Agartala, as AAI has agreed to invest in upgrading an abandoned airport there.

Daily bus service runs from Dharmanagar to Shillong and Guwahati which goes through Nation Highway 44. Other bus services to nearby cities of Assam and Tripura from Dharmanagar ISBT are more frequent. Buses also connects to the Capital of the State. Connectivity via bus is one of the most important sorts of transportation from the city as airways lacks a bit from here.

The city is connected via train in a pretty well mannered. Train services opened after independence of the country. Daily multiple trains are available from Dharmanagar to Assam and Agartala. At present one express trains stop at Dharmanager, which is Up and Down Tripurasundari Express. As the service of train came to Tripura it was restricted only to Kumarghat the next station from Dharmanagar towards the capital of Tripura. But the capital was connected by rest of India through the lines of Dharmanagar on 2008 and Agartala became the second capital of Northeast India to be connected via railway network. Churaibari the last station of Tripura which is only 8 km from the city.

Education

There are eight higher secondary schools in Dharmanagar. Bir Bikram Institution (BBI), DMR Girls Higher Secondary School, DNV, Chandrapur, Padmapur, Nayapara, Rajbari, Golden Valley H.S (+2 Stage) School, Holy Cross, North Point School, and Siksha Bhavan Montessori School, last four are fully taught in English language. There's also a degree college which was called Dharmanagar Govt. Degree College(DGDC). It is the third highest ranked degree college in Tripura.Siksha Bhavan Montessori School is the Education Partner of TATA Interactive Systems and North Point School is the Education partner of MEXUS Education Pvt. Ltd. for providing Digital classes for the students. The school using the Digital Class System 'Class Edge' brand from the TATA Interactive Systems.

NGO's

Neighbouring Towns and Cities

Unakoti

West Tripura

South Tripura

Dhalai

Outer Tripura

Local Sights and Attractions

Durga Puja Festival

One of the best times to visit Dharmanagar is during the famous Durga Puja when the streets come alive and people from the entire town flock to the town centre to visit the many statues of goddess Durga scattered around the town. Durga Puja is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Bijoya Dashami.

The Durga pandals of Dharmanagar secured second place in the Maa Durga contest; after the Capital City of Tripura Agartala.

Kali Puja Festival

One of the main festivals is the Kali Puja which occurs between September and October and is where the children, adults and the elderly enjoy famously. Dharmanagar is also known for its bright lights during this Puja where the entire town is lit up beautifully.

All the people of Tripura knows that in term of MAA KALI PUJA, Dharmanagar is the best city for its big pandals & crowd.

Kali Bari DMN Scorpian [sic]? ad..

Dighi, Shops, Markets and Temples

The playgrounds (BBI & DNV), shopping mall (RANA PLAZA), Dharmanagar super market, shops and the famous pond or the "Dighi" in and around the town centre are the heart of this small town. The illuminated fountain at the middle of the "Dighi", local shops and Kalibari Temple around the Dighi at night makes a wonderful sight.

Haflong

Haflong is a famous and beautiful tea garden a short distance from Dharmanagar. Scenic beauty of this area attract people of Dharmanagar in the afternoon.

Unakoti

A short distance away is the ancient site of Unakoti, which literally means "one less a crore" in Bengali, hosts an ancient place of worship with huge rock-cut images and stone idols of Lord Shiva. It is the prime tourist spot of North Tripura District, and is located in the neighbouring town of Kailashahar Subdivision in the North-eastern Indian state of Tripura.

Politics

Dharmanagar assembly constituency is part of Tripura East (Lok Sabha constituency); the main political parties are CPI(M) and Congress(I).[9] The assembly constituency is now represented by Indian National Congress MLA.

Media & communications

Radio

Television

Newspapers

No daily newspaper published from Dharmanagar, except few weekly. Daily newspapers published from Agartala, Karimganj and Silchar reaches dail morning in this town. Besides above, national dailies like The Telegraph, Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, The Times of India, The Statesman, Hindustan Times etc. are also available.

Website

TRIPURA DIARY - website to promote the Culture, Travel and Lifestyle of Tripura.

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.