Dhubri

Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Board under the British regime. It is situated about west from Dispur, the state capital of Assam. The town is also an important commercial centre and had a busy river port particularly for jute. Dhubri is called the "Land of Rivers" as it is covered three sides by Brahmaputra and Gadadhar rivers. The word 'Dhuburi' comes from a legendary lady named Netai-Dhubuni. Legends say that Netai-Dhubuni was a laundress who used to wash clothes of the Gods and Goddesses in a small ghat in Dhubri. The story is connected with Behula-Lakhindar. Lakhinar was the son of Chand Sadagar and Behula was Lakhindar's spouse. The word Dhubri is believed to have originated from the word 'Dhubuni' (a lady who washes clothes). According to Bodo-Kacharis, the word is of Bodo origin and derived from Dubri, a kind of grass. The story of lady Netai-Dhubuni is widely accepted for the naming history of Dhubri. Adjacent to this Netai-Dhubuni ghat, there is the Gurdwara Sri Tegh Bahadur Sahib stands. This place is famous for the Sikh Gurdwara Gurdwara Damdama Sahib or Thara Sahib which was constructed in memory of visit of First Sikh Guru Nanak and later it was followed by visit of Ninth guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur and the Gurdwara is named as Gurdwara Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib. Hence, it has great importance for Sikh community. Until 1874, Dhubri was mostly a part of Koch Rajbongshi kings. In 1874, the British Government created a new province named Assam Valley Province and incorporated Goalpara district area comprising three civil subdivisions Dhubri, Goalpara and Kokrajhar with the new Assam Province. In 1879, the district headquarters was shifted from Goalpara to Dhubri city. The district of Dhubri is again subdivided in three districts namely Dhubri, Goalpara and Kokrajhar.