Diphu

Diphu (Pron:ˈdɪfu:) is the headquarter of Karbi Anglong district in the state of Assam in India. This small town is a popular tourist hill station for people of nearby cities.

Etymology

The word ''Diphu'' came from Dimasa language, meaning ''White Water'' (''Di'' for ''Water'', and ''Phu'' for ''White''). Historically, it is said that the stream in Diphu carries large amounts of sediment during the rainy season, giving it a whitish colour, hence its name.

Geography

Diphu is located at . It has an average elevation of 186 metres (610 feet). It is about 270 km by road and 213 km by railways from Guwahati. The town is located on a beautiful hill.

Demographics

India census, Diphu had a population of 63,654. Based on population, it is classified as a class-II city (between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants). Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Diphu has an average literacy rate of 90%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. The male literacy rate is 94% and female literacy rate is 86%. In Diphu, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. The major indigenous communities living in Diphu are Karbi, Dimasa Kachari, Garo Kachari and Rengma Naga.

Language

Karbi is the most spoken language at 25,045 speakers, followed by Bangali at 13,400 and Assamese at 8,007, Hindi is spoken by 5,277 people, Bodo at 1,909 and Nepali at 2,712.

Culture

The town is home to many indigenous communities and other communities from rest of the country. Dimasas, Karbis, Rengma, Tiwa Kachari, Bodo Kachari, Garo Kachari and Rabha being the major tribes of the district. The town exhibits peaceful and harmonious coexistence among them. It houses temples, churches, mosques and gurudwaras. The town celebrates all the major festivals together with much fun-fare. Rongker, Bushu-Dima, Wangala, Bihu, Sikpui-Ruoi, Christmas, Durga Puja, Diwali, Baikho and other festivals are celebrated with fervour and joy.

Tourism

Places of interest

; Arboretum cum Craft & Cultural Centre : It is a newly built garden on the outskirts of the market. It houses a garden, children's park and an open stage auditorium.
; Recreation Park cum Medicinal Garden: Situated on the Diphu-Manja road it is a very beautiful garden set up by the forest department. The park has much natural scenery, valuable trees and herbs which attracts many people.
; Taralangso: It is located in the heart of Diphu. The headquarters of "Karbi Cultural Society", which is an established democratic cultural organisation, is permanently set here. The Karbi Youth Festival is celebrated in Taralangso every year from 15 to 19 February. During the festival the place becomes a cultural pilgrimage.
; Botanical Garden: About 7 km away from Diphu along the Lumding road, there is a botanical garden of Forest west division. The garden is rich in many valuable trees, herbs and orchids.
; Arboretum : It is an old Arboretum garden. Situated on Lumding road, near the town border.
; Statue of Rongpharpi Rongbe: In the middle of the town there is a great statue of Rongpharpi Rongbe and her comrades - a grand sculpture enlivened in the hand of its sculptor. It has immortalised a glorified page of Karbi history. Rongpharpi Rongbe was the first woman who rebelled against exploitation and oppression.
; District Museum
; Umwang

Public parks and gardens

* Arboretum cum Craft & Cultural Centre.
* Arboretum (old).
* Recreation cum Medicinal Park.
* Botanical Garden (Near ITI).
* Botanical Garden (Lumding road).
* Khorsing Ingti Children Park.
* Semson Sing Ingti Memorial Park.
* Gandhi Park.

Media

;Local Newspapers
* Drongo Express (English daily)
* Hill Observer (English daily)
* Pherangke (Karbi daily)
* The Arleng Daily (Karbi daily)
* The Hills Emissary (English daily)
* The Hills Times (English daily)
* Thekar (Karbi daily)

;Radio
: Diphu house an All India Radio station.

;Television
: Diphu house a relay centre for Doordarshan. There is also a CATV, KAT, operating in the town. Currently, KAT is only local channel in the town.

Education institutions

Universities

*Assam University, Diphu Campus
*IGNOU study centre

Medical Colleges

* Diphu Medical College and Hospital

Colleges

*B.Ed. College
*Commerce College
*Diphu Girl's College
* Diphu Government College
* Diphu Law College
*Renu Terangpi Memorial College

Technical and vocational institutes

* Basic Training Centre.
* Diphu Polytechnic, Diphu.
* Hindi Teacher Training Centre.
* Industrial Training Institute (ITI).
* Vocational Training and Research Centre (VTRC).

Schools

Health infrastructure

Hospital

* Diphu Medical College and Hospital
* Veterinary Hospital (2 Nos.)
* Diphu Civil Hospital (Defunct) - ongoing conversion to Cancer Centre.
* Diphu Christian Hospital (New).

Transportation

Road

National Highway 329A connect the town to outside place. Diphu is well connected to most districts and important towns of Assam by Government and private buses. Shared Car also ply between nearby town and places. Auto rickshaw is the main mode of transport within the town.

Rail

The town is served by Diphu railway station of Northeast Frontier Railway zone which lies on Lumding–Dibrugarh section. Many crucial trains connect the town like Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express, Brahmaputra Mail, Kamrup Express, Jan Shatabdi Express, Chandigarh Express, Nagaland Express etc.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport in Karbi Anglong. The multipurpose Karbi Anglong Sports Association (KASA) Stadium is home to Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC, a professional football club based in Diphu. It competes in the top division Assam State Premier League. Currently, there is one Stadium at KASA Sports Complex and another under construction at Chutianala, Diphu.

Politics

Diphu town is under Diphu (Vidhan Sabha constituency). This constituency form a part of Autonomous District (Lok Sabha constituency).

Notable people

* Horen Sing Bey: Present- M.P.
* Biren Sing Engti: Former-M.P.
* Jayanta Rongpi: Former-M.P.
* Late Semsonsing Ingti
*:Founder of undemarcated Karbi Anglong district (The then Mikir Hills).

See also

*Diphu Pass

References

{{Authority control

Cities and towns in Karbi Anglong district