Lanka (town)

2022-06-21T16:13:42Z

2409:4065:D9F:D157:F55F:DAFA:BC52:9FA2:

{{About|the town in India|the mythical island|Lanka}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}

{{Infobox settlement
| name = Lanka
| native_name_lang = as
| other_name =
| nickname =
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = India Assam#India
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Assam, India
| coordinates = {{coord|25|55|N|92|57|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Assam]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts in India|District]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Hojai district|Hojai]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type =
| governing_body = Lanka Municipality Board
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_rank =
| area_total_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 52,435 (town) 398,921<ref>https://www.co.in/subdistrict/lanka-circle-nagaon-assam-2040</ref> (circle)
| population_as_of = 2022
| population_rank =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_footnotes =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official Languages
| demographics1_info1 = [[Assamese language|Assamese]]
| demographics1_title2 = Most spoken language
| demographics1_info2 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 782446
| area_code_type = Telephone code
| area_code = 03674
| registration_plate = AS 31
| website =
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:IN|IN-AS]]
| footnotes =
}}
'''Located in Hojai District of Assam, Lanka''' is a town and a [[town area committee]] with 11 wards. It serves as a trade and commerce hub for nearby areas such as ''Udali, Nokhuti, Laskar Pather, Karikhana, Kheroni, Dablong'', and ''Doiyong'' sides. It is connected to other cities/states such as [[Guwahati]] by NH27.

==Etymology==
The name Lanka was likely named after Lanka of Ramayana; famous Assamese poet [[Madhava Kandali]] was said to be an inhabitant of Lanka,<ref>{{harvcol|Thakuria|2015|p=164}} saka 1274 / 1352 A.D</ref> who wrote the Saptakanda Ramayana, under the patronage of [[Mahamanikya|Varāha-Rājā Mahamanikya]].

==Geography==
Lanka town of [[Hojai District]], [[Assam]] is located about 11 km from the district headquarters Sankar Dev Nagar.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Over 200 Fall Ill After Consuming "Prasad" At Religious Event In Assam|url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/over-200-fall-ill-after-consuming-prasad-at-religious-event-in-assams-hojai-district-2514578|access-date=2021-09-03|website=NDTV.com}}</ref> It is a rain-shadow region because of its unique location between the [[West Jaintia Hills district|West Jaintia Hills]] to the west and [[Mikir Hills]] to the east.

==Demographics==
As of the 2001 India [[census]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999|archive-date=2004-06-16|title= Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)|access-date=2008-11-01|publisher= Census Commission of India}}</ref> Lanka is a Municipal Board having 11 Wards, with a population of 36,805.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/towns/asm_towns.pdf |title=ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TOWNS AND THEIR POPULATION |url-status=dead |access-date=23 January 2016 |archive-date=15 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415134153/http://censusindia.gov.in/towns/asm_towns.pdf }}</ref> Males constitute 52% of the population and females constitute 48%. Lanka has an average literacy rate of 86.85%, higher than the national average of 72.19%: male literacy is 91.20%, and female literacy is 82.28%.

===Language===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Languages spoken in Lanka town (2011)<ref>https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16T/DDW-C16-TOWN-STMT-MDDS-1800.XLSX {{Bare URL spreadsheet|date=April 2022}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
|value1 = 81.64
|color1 = #006a4e
|label2 = [[Assamese language|Assamese]]
|value2 = 7.92
|color2 = red
|label3 = [[Hindi]]
|value3 = 6.54
|color3 = orange
|label4 = others
|value4 = 3.9
|color4 = purple}}
Lanka town has a population of 36,805 as of the 2011 census. [[Bengalis]] form the majority of the town's population, having Bengali speakers at 30,051 constituting the overwhelming majority, while Assamese speakers are 2,918 as the second-largest minority in the circle, Hindi is spoken by 2,408 people, while other languages constitute 3.9% of the population.<ref>https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16T/DDW-C16-TOWN-STMT-MDDS-1800.XLSX {{Bare URL spreadsheet|date=April 2022}}</ref>

==Connectivity==
Lanka town is connected by the erstwhile [[National Highway 54]] connecting nearby [[Dabaka]] (25 km) with [[Silchar]] (305 km). This highway is now numbered as NH-27, an east-west corridor connecting [[Porbander]] in [[Gujarat]] to [[Silchar]] in [[Assam]]. The highway is being developed as a four-lane highway by the [[National Highways Authority of India]].

Lanka is also served by a railway line which [[Guwahati]] - [[Lumding]] BG line connecting to all parts of [[Assam]] and also to [[Delhi]], Howrah, etc. The town is about 150 km by rail and 185 km. by road from [[Guwahati]].

==History==
The name ‘Dabak’ is a derivative of the Sanskrit word ‘Devark.’ In olden times, water was scarce, and then by the regional language Lang Kha means the same, hence the name of the place came into being.

During that time the place was barren land. During the British Invasions, water was brought by wagons and this place was also made the base camps. It was only after the [[1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake]] that the water level raised again.

Rangmahala, a place in the outskirts of Lanka had the King's Amusement palace or [[Rangmahal]]. After the rulers abandoned Lanka, Khasi-Jayantiya started to rule.

When King Viswasundar was the ruler of DABAK, Lanka was an independent state. An inscription of the 13th century discovered near Dabaka has the following lines about Lanka:

“ Kachhar rajyad jayantay lankanta rajyabanta
Yajnamenong daabeka mandali mathastha karyamasa.” The Lankeswari Temple is of historical significance for the place. It is very much linked to the heart and culture of Lanka.

In 1505, the first prophet of the Sikhs, [[Guru Nanak Dev]] had visited [[Kamrup region|Kamrup]], [[Assam]]. This fact is recorded in the documents concerning the numerous journeys undertaken by [[Guru Nanak]] in various stages of his life. It is said that he had [[Srimanta Shankardeva]], the founder of the Mahapuruxiya Dharma as the Guru traveled from [[Dhaka]] to [[Assam]].

After this journey by the first Guru, Ninth Guru or prophet of Sikhs [[Guru Tegh Bahadur]] also visited [[Assam]] in 1668. This was when the armies of [[Aurangzeb]] tried their best to cross the Brahmaputra river and enter the [[Assam]]. They were thoroughly routed by the [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom]] general [[Lachit Borphukan]]. Guru visited the place called [[Dhubri]]; a famous Sikh Gurudwara was constructed to commemorate his visit. Every year Sikhs from all over India and foreign lands visit this holy place. The grateful Ahom King invited Guruji to the Kamakhya shrine, where he was honored.

While some died and some came back to Punjab, a few stayed on and made Assam their home, raising families. Their descendants today —mainly concentrated in the [[Nagaon district]] — are Assamese for all practical purposes, and none speaks Punjabi, but continue to maintain their Sikh identity and observe most tenets and traditions of the religion.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{Cite thesis|last=Thakuria|first=Gitanjali|date=2015|title=Studies in the inscriptions of medieval assam|type=PhD|chapter=SURVEY OF THE INSCRIPTIONS AND THEIR TECHNICAL ASPECTS|publisher=Guwahati University|degree=PhD|hdl=10603/50862}}
* An essay on Lankeswari Than by Pramod Bora, Pushpanjali, `Lanka September 2011
* "WSN-Punjab News-Assamese Sikhs trace their Punjabi roots". Worldsikhnews.com. 18 March 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
* Puneet Singh Lamba (25 August 2003). "News and Analysis – The Sikhs of Assam". The Sikh Times. Retrieved 18 July 2010.

[[Category:Cities and towns in Hojai district]]

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Lanka (town)