Cachar is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It was a part of the Southern Dimasa Kachari Kingdom (Hidimba Kingdom). It makes up the Barak Valley alongside Hailakandi and Karimganj. These three districts were also previously part of the Greater Sylhet region before the Partition of India.
Etymology
The name "Cachar" has derived from the Dimasa word Kachari. The district headquarters are located at Silchar. The name Cachar traces its origin to the Kachari kingdom. There are one city and two small towns in Cachar district namely Silchar, Lakhipur and Sonai.
Geography
Cachar district occupies an area of 3,786 square kilometres (1,462 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to South Georgia. The Barak is the main river of the district and apart from that there are numerous small rivers which flow through Dima Hasao district, from Manipur. The district is mostly made up of plains, but there are a number of hills spread across the district. Cachar receives an average annual rainfall of more than 3,000 mm. The climate is Tropical wet with hot and wet summers and cool winters.
Economy
The district headquarters, Silchar, is one of the most important business centres of Assam.
In 2006 the Indian government named Cachar one of the country's 250 most backward districts out of a total of 640. It is one of the eleven districts in Assam currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Divisions
The district has two sub-divisions: Silchar and Lakhipur. There are seven Assembly constituencies in this district, viz. Silchar, Sonai, Dholai, Udharbond, Lakhipur, Barkhola and Katigorah. Dholai is designated for scheduled castes. The seven constituencies make up the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Cachar district has a population of 1,736,319, roughly equal to the nation of The Gambia or the US state of Nebraska. This gives it a ranking of 278th in India out of a total of 640. The district has a population density of 459 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,190/sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 20.17%. Cachar has a sex ratio of 958 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 80.36%.
Bengali and English are the official languages of the district. Majority of the people primarily speak Sylheti. Other minority languages spoken in the district include [[Bhojpuri language, Hindi,Urdu, Meitei Manipuri, Dimasa Kachari, Bishnupuriya Manipuri and Rongmei-Naga. There are also few Hmar, Kuki, Khasi and nepali people who form microscopic minority.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation is mostly Tropical evergreen and there are large tracts of Rainforests in the northern and southern parts of the district, which are home to Tiger, Asian elephants, hoolock gibbon, Gaur etc.The forests of Cachar were once rich in wildlife but now vanishing due to human onslaught. Rare species found are Hoolock gibbon, Phayre's leaf monkey, Pig-tailed macaque, Stump-tailed macaque, Masked Finfoot, White-winged Wood Duck etc., have been recorded. The Asian elephant is already extinct. The southern part was also recommended as 'Dhaleswari' wildlife sanctuary. Borail Wildlife Sanctuary is the only wildlife sanctuary of the district as well as Barak valley region. It was initiated by noted naturalist Dr. Anwaruddin Choudhury in early 1980s. This sanctuary was ultimately notified in 2004.
Education
The district of Cachar has a number of well-known educational institutes in North East India. Silchar, the district headquarters, is a major learning hub of Assam. The district has a central university, the Assam University, which is situated at Dorgakuna, 18 km from Silchar. It also has NIT Silchar, one of the 30 NITs in India. The Silchar Medical College and Hospital is the only medical college of southern Assam. To ensure a steady flow of skilled workers in different trades for the industry Silchar Polytechnic, Meherpur and ITI, Srikona is there.
College
The district also includes a number of degree colleges such as:
Cachar College
Gurucharan College
Radhamadhav College
Ramanuj Gupta Memorial Junior College
Janata College, Kabuganj
Madhab Chandra Das College, Sonai
Women's College
Aryan Junior College
School
Prominent schools in the district include:
Saint Capitanio School
Adhar Chand Higher Secondary School,
Cachar High School,
Don Bosco School,
D.N.N.K. Girls' Higher Secondary School,
Government Boys & Girls Schools,
Oriental High School.
Holy Cross School,
Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pailapool and
Kendriya Vidyalayas,
Maharishi Vidya Mandir,
Muktashree High School,
Narsing Higher Secondary School,
Pranabananda Holy Child School
Pranabananda Vidya Mandir
Pranabananda Vidya Mandir (Malini Bill).
Silchar Collegiate School,
Sonai Jubati Singha Manipuri High School,
South Point School
Oxford School
Netaji Memorial Institute
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cachar_district
