Maibang

Summary

Maibang (IPA: mai-bang [mai means rice and bang means much], defining a land of prosperity) is a town and a town area committee in Dima Hasao district in the Indian state of Assam. Maibang is also one of the three sub-divisions of Dima Hasao District. It was once the capital of the Dimasa Kachari Kingdom. There is a stone house of Dimasa king.

Maibang
Town
Maibang is located in Assam
Maibang
Maibang
Location in Assam, India
Coordinates: 25°17′43″N 093°08′22″E / 25.29528°N 93.13944°E / 25.29528; 93.13944
Country India
StateAssam
DistrictDima Hasao
Government
 • TypeMaibang Town Committee
Area
 • Total10 km2 (4 sq mi)
Elevation
355 m (1,165 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total6,236
 • Density620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Languages
 • Most commonBengali, Dimasa, Hindi, Assamese[1]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
788831
Telephone code+91
Vehicle registrationAS-08-X XXXX

History edit

Maibang was the capital of the erstwhile Dimasa kingdom, from the 16th to 18th century. The ruins of the kingdom can still be found on the eastern bank of Mahur, south of Maibang and other parts of Dima Hasao district. Among them the most popular is "Stone House" (In Dimasa it is called "Longthai ni Noh") situated on the bank of Mahur River on south Maibang.

Administration edit

Geography edit

Maibang town is situated in a hilly area at the bank of Mahur River. Its coordinates are 25°18′N 93°10′E / 25.3°N 93.17°E / 25.3; 93.17.[2] It has an average elevation of 355 metres (1164 feet).

The town area is about 10 square kilometres.

Demographics edit

As of 2022 the majority religion was Hinduism.

Religions in Maibang
Religion Percent
Hinduism
95.11%
Islam
3.58%
Sikhism
1.11%
Christianity
0.11%
Others
0.09%

Languages edit

Languages spoken in Maibang (2011) [1]

  Bengali (50.26%)
  Dimasa (27.56%)
  Hindi (8.95%)
  Assamese (3.94%)
  Others (9.29%)

Bengali is the most spoken language at 3,134 speakers, followed by Dimasa at 1,719, Hindi is spoken by 558 people and Assamese at 246. Dimasa is the dialect of the majority Dimasa tribe of the district. The dialect is yet to be recognized as a language. "Hill Hindi" or "Haflong Hindi" is used as the lingua franca. The languages of instruction in the schools and colleges are Assamese, Bengali and English up to HSLC level in the schools of the town.

Economy edit

Tourism edit

 
A monolith monument called "Stone house" at Maibang, also popularly known as "Longthaini Noh"

Tourist attractions in Maibang include:

  • Rajbari: ruins of city of the Kachari Kingdom, on the south side of Maibang.
  • Stone house: a monolithic ancient Indian temple from the 12th century with two roofs.
  • Maibang Waterfalls: Maibang has several water falls around the city.

Transport edit

Broad gauge railway connections are:

Train Name Train Number From To Arrival Departure
Guwahati Silchar Fast Passenger 55615 Guwahati Silchar 06:49 AM 06:51 AM
Guwahati Silchar Fast Passenger 55616 Silchar Guwahati 10:28 AM 10:30 AM

Metre gauge railway connections that stopped in November 2014:

Train Name Train Number From To Arrival Departure
Cachar Express 15691 Lumding Silchar 10:29 PM 10:39 PM
Cachar Express 15692 Silchar Lumding 04:09 04:19
Barak Valley Exp. 15693 Lumding Dharmanagar 06:48 06:58
Barak Valley Express 15694 Dharmanagar Lumding 18:49 18:59
Agartala Express 15695 Lumding Agartala 23:34 23:44
Agartal Express 15696 Agartala Lumding 07:46 07:56
Hill Queen Express 05697 Lumding Haflong 11:41 11:51
Hill Queen Express 05698 Haflong Lumding 15:10 15:20

Education edit

Maibang Degree College (established in 1988) is the only college in the civil sub-division of Dima Hasao district. The college offers both pass and honours course in the Arts and Science stream. The college is one of the provincial colleges of the Government of Assam and affiliated to Assam University, Silchar (a Central University of GOI). The subjects offered in the college are Assamese (MIL), Bengali (MIL, Elective & Honours), English (General, Alternative, Elective & Honors), History (Pass & Honours), Economics (Pass & Honours), Education (Pass & Honours), Political Science (Pass & Honours) and Sociology (Pass & Honours). There is also a study centre of Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University[3] in the college which offers a Bachelors' Preparatory Programme, BA (Both Pass & Honours) and an MA in Sociology. A good number of learners are admitted to different courses at this study centre.

All schools of Maibang are run either by the state government or by private organizations. English is the primary languages of instruction in most of the schools. However, the newly established private schools are opting for English medium. The schools are recognized to Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC). Ever Green High School is a notable school in the town.

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Population By Mother Tongue" (XLSX). censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  2. ^ Falling Rain Genomics - Maibang[dead link].
  3. ^ Website for Krishnakanta Handique State Open University[permanent dead link].