<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Indian cities for details -->
Guwahati (), formerly known as Gauhati, is the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport is the 10th busiest in India, and the busiest in the Assam and North-East of the country. A major riverine port city along with hills, and one of the fastest growing cities in India, Guwahati is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra. The city is known as the "gateway to North East India".
The ancient cities of Pragjyotishpura and Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa.
Many ancient Hindu temples like the Kamakhya Temple, Ugratara Temple, Basistha Temple, Doul Govinda Temple, Umananda Temple, Navagraha Temple, Sukreswar Temple, Rudreswar Temple, Manikarneswar Devalaya, Aswaklanta Temple, Dirgheshwari Temple, Lankeshwar Temple, Bhubaneswari Temple, Shree Ganesh Mandir, Shree Panchayatana Temple, Noonmati, and the like, are situated in the city, giving it the title of "The City of Temples". The noted Madan Kamdev is situated from Guwahati.
Guwahati lies between the banks of the Brahmaputra River and the foothills of the Shillong plateau, with LGB International Airport to the west and the town of Narengi to the east. The North Guwahati area, to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, is being gradually incorporated into the city limits. The Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the city's local government, administers an area of .
Etymology
Guwahati derives its name from the Assamese word "Guwa" () derived from the Sanskrit word Guvāka (Devanagari: गुवाक), meaning areca nut and its plant and "Hati" () meaning rows, the rows of areca nut trees.
History
Legends
Naraka, also known as Narakāsura, and Bhaumāsura was an asura king, the legendary progenitor of all three dynasties of Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa, and the founding ruler of the legendary Bhauma dynasty of Pragjyotisha. Though the myths about Naraka are first mentioned in the Mahabharata, later texts embellish them. According to later post-Vedic texts such as the Brahma Purana and Vishnu Purana, he was the son of Bhudevi, fathered by the Varaha incarnation of Vishnu. He is claimed as one who established Pragjyotisha. The pious Naraka became evil due to his association with an asura named Banasura of Śoṇitapura, and hence the suffix 'asura' (demon) was added to his name.
He was slain by Krishna and Satyabhama, who was the incarnate of Bhudevi.
The 10th/11th-century Kalika Purana embellishes the myths further and he is claimed to have come from Mithila and said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha after overthrowing the last of the Kirata kings, Ghatakasura, of the Danava dynasty. It was foretold that he would be destroyed by a later incarnation of Vishnu. His mother, the earth, sought the boon from Vishnu that her son should have a long life, and that he should be all-powerful. Vishnu granted these boons.
The legends of Naraka is important in the history of Assam, particularly Kamarupa; since Narakasura is cited as the progenitor of all three dynasties that ruled Kamarupa in historical times. A hill, to the south of Guwahati is named after him. He is also associated with the Hindu belief of the shakti goddess and place of worship Kamakhya.
Narakāsura's son Bhagadatta—of Mahabharata fame—succeeded him. As per the legends constructed in the Yogini Tantra, the tank Dighalipukhuri located in the heart of the city was dug by King Bhagadatta of Kamrup on the occasion of the wedding of his daughter Bhanumati with Duryodhan.
The 10th—12th century Kalika Purana mentions that Kamrup was inhabited by strong, cruel Kirata people.
Ancient history
Located within Guwahati is the Shakti temple of Goddess Kamakhya in Nilachal hill (an important seat of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism), the ancient and unique astrological temple Navagraha in Chitrachal Hill, and archaeological remains in Basistha and other archaeological locations of mythological importance.
left|thumb|A view of [[Kamakhya Temple]]
The Ambari excavations trace the period of the city of Guwahati between the 2nd century BCE and the 1st century CE, in the Shunga-Kushana period of Indian history. Descriptions by Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) reveal that during the reign of the Varman king Bhaskaravarman (7th century CE), the city stretched for about 30 li (). Archaeological evidence by excavations in Ambari, and excavated brick walls and houses discovered during construction of the present Cotton College's auditorium suggest the city was of economic and strategic importance until the 9th–11th century CE.
Medieval history
Koch King Parikshit had his capital at Pragjyotishpur near the Aswatirtha during the conflicts with Mughals. It came under Mughal occupation between (1633–59, 1662–69, 1679–81), their vestige was completely removed after the Battle of Itakhuli.
Guwahati was the headquarters of the Borphukan, Ahom governor of Lower Assam till 1824.The Borphukan's residence was in the present Fancy Bazaar area and his council-hall, called Dopdar, was about 300 yards (270 m) to the west of the Bharalu stream.The Majindar Baruah, the personal secretary of the Borphukan, had his residence in the present-day deputy commissioner's residence. During the reign of the kingdom of Ahom, Guwahati was fortified strongly and connected with the country with a number of roads. The Dighalipukhuri was used as a boatyard during this period. During the time of splendor, since the reign of Gadadhar Singha, the Ahom rulers paid their attention to building several temples in various religious sites at Guwahati.
Colonial history
On the cession of Assam to the British in 1826, it was made the seat of the British administration of Assam, and so continued until 1874, when the headquarters were removed to Shillong in the Khasi hills.
Modern history
The Gauhati High Court (formerly known as the High Court of Assam) was promulgated on 1 March 1948 by the then Governor General of India, Lord Mountbatten, in accordance with the Government of India Act 1935. It became effective on 5 April 1948 and was initially established for the Province of Assam. R.F. Lodge was the inaugural Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court, taking office on 5 April 1948.
The Saraighat Bridge, notable for its role in connecting Northeast India with the rest of the country, was constructed between 1959 and 1962 by the Hindustan Construction Company at a cost of approximately 106 million at the time. It was completed in September 1962, and the first engine crossed it on 23 September 1962.
In 1972, due to separation of Meghalaya from Assam, the capital of Assam was moved to Dispur, a neighbourhood in Guwahati from the erstwhile capital of Shillong.
Geography
left|thumb|The smallest inhabited riverine island in the world, Peacock Island, on the Brahmaputra river
The Brahmaputra river flows to the north of the metropolis. The city is bordered on the south by the foothills of the Shillong plateau and to the east by the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary. The Bharalu River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, flows right through the heart of the city. To the south-west of the city lies Dipor Bil, a permanent freshwater lake with no prominent inflows apart from monsoon run-off from the hills to the south of the lake. The lake drains into the Brahmaputra, to the north, and acts as a natural stormwater reservoir for the city. There are also multiple hills within the city limits.
Urban morphology
thumb|Guwahati's urban morphology|alt=
Guwahati's 'urban form' radiates from a central core with growth corridors radiating and extending towards the south, east, and west. In the past few decades, southern Guwahati areas such as Ganeshguri, Beltola, Hatigaon, Six Mile, and Panjabari began forming a southern sub-center surrounding the capital complex at Dispur. The core area consists of the old city with Pan Bazaar, Paltan Bazaar, Fancy Bazaar and Uzan Bazaar, with each area facilitating unique urban activities.
Among the city corridors, the most important is the corridor formed along the Guwahati-Shillong (GS) Road towards the south (almost from the city-center). The GS Road corridor is an important commercial area with retail, wholesale and commercial offices developed along the main road; it is also a densely built residential area in the inner parts. The capital complex of Assam at Dispur is situated in this corridor. This corridor has facilitated the growth of a southern city sub-center at Ganeshguri, along with other residential areas to the south developed during the past few decades.
Climate
Guwahati has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa), falling just short of a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw).
Highest recorded temperature: on 24 April 2014
Lowest recorded temperature: on 30 January 1964
| source 2 = NOAA (sun 1971–1990, precipitation days
| source =
Guwahati has been ranked 36th best "National Clean Air City" under (Category 2 3-10L Population cities) in India.
Infrastructure
right|thumb|City view from Sarania Hill
The city has a comparatively high quality of life. A 2006 survey ranked Guwahati 17th among all the large and medium-sized Indian cities. The city provides competitive residential and working environments with beautiful landscapes, pleasant climate, modern shopping areas, modern apartments, and bungalows, and considerably developed social infrastructure. A centrally funded four-lane, ambitious East-West Corridor will pass through Guwahati and connect all the state capitals of Northeast India. Completion of the project will boost the vital upliftment of the whole region. Dispur houses the Secretariat of Assam Government, the Assam Assembly House, the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) Regional Office, the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd (NEDFi) House and the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).
Guwahati Municipal Corporation is the local body responsible for governing, developing and managing the city. It is divided into 60 municipal wards. Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is an agency responsible for planning and development of the greater Guwahati Metropolitan Area and for revising the Guwahati Master Plan and Building Bylaws to cover an area of by 2025.
Guwahati consists of four assembly constituencies: Jalukbari, Dispur, Gauhati East and Gauhati West, all of which are part of the constituency of Lok Sabha,Gauhati.
According to financial data published on the CityFinance Portal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation reported total revenue receipts of ₹272 crore (US$33 million) and total expenditure of ₹237 crore (US$28 million) in 2022–23. Tax revenue accounted for about 42.6% of the total revenue, while the corporation received ₹88 crore in grants during the financial year.
Police
Guwahati is the headquarters of Assam Police.
The city is under the Police Commissionerate of Guwahati headed by the Commissioner of Police, Guwahati. It is divided into three districts: East Police District, Central Police District, and West Police District, each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police. Each police district consists of officers, not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police, functioning as executive magistrates within a said metropolitan area.
Judiciary
thumb|The [[Gauhati High Court]]
Guwahati is the principal seat of the Gauhati High Court. It acts as the High Court of Assam and also of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh with their outlying benches of Kohima, Aizawl and Itanagar, respectively. Gauhati High Court came in effect from 5 April 1948. It initially had its sittings at Shillong but was shifted to Gauhati from 14 August 1948.
Guwahati also houses the Court of the District and Sessions Judge, Kamrup established in 1920. It is a lower court of the district judiciary having territorial jurisdiction over the greater Guwahati area only.
Problems
Increase in population
In recent years, Guwahati has experienced rapid population growth due to migration for education and employment opportunities. This population increase has led to undesirable expansion of the city and has resulted in various collateral problems, such as the rise in the number of slums. It is projected that the population of Guwahati will reach 1.5 million by 2035, up from an estimated 1.1 million in 2020.
Inflation
One of the economic problems that the citizens of Guwahati have to put up with is the hike in prices of many essentials, chiefly vegetables, poultry, and fish. The prices of these commodities keep escalating at an inordinate rate, so that consumers find it difficult to buy these items. Vegetables are transported into Assam from West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra and Meghalaya and the truckers en route have to pay substantial fees as tax at various check posts. It is one of the causes of rise in prices of vegetables in the markets of Guwahati. The prices of locally available vegetables and fruits undergo large markup because of transportation expenses grounds, besides intra-State check posts taxes. In addition to these, the wholesale dealers, as well as the retail sellers, augment the prices of the commodities according to their own desires.
The price of poultry, mainly chicken, that reaches the city markets from places like Chaygaon and Barpeta have been soaring rapidly because of similar factors. There has been steep rise in the price of fish as well, the prominent varieties of which being Rohu ("Rou"), Catla ("Bahu"), Walking catfish ("Magur") and Monopterus ("Kuchia") among many others.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated inflation, causing food prices to rise.
Flooding
According to experts, urban flooding in Guwahati in the near future is expected to worsen to the point where residents of certain areas may be forced to relocate. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the alteration of drainage channels and wetlands due to rapid urbanization has exacerbated the problem of flooding.
Professor Abani Kumar Bhagawati of Gauhati University stated that since before there were sufficient wetlands to absorb rainwater and channels to carry excess water to the Brahmaputra, the city did not experience floods. However, human interference has disrupted the natural topography, leading to the current situation where "just half an hour of rain" can cause flooding in the city. Encroachment and concretization, which reduce open areas for natural water absorption, are the primary causes of floods according to Bhagawati.
Demographics
Population
Guwahati is one of the fastest-growing cities in India. It is estimated that Guwahati metro will house 2.8 million residents by 2025.
Literacy and sex ratio
The percentage of the child population (0-14) in Guwahati was 9.40% in 2011. The average literacy rate was stated to be 91.47% with male literacy at 94.24% and female literacy at 88.50%. The sex ratio was recorded to be 933 females per 1,000 males and child sex ratio to be 940 girls per 1,000 boys.