Chaygaon is a town in the Kamrup district of

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

; situated on the south bank of the

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, and ...

River A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

. It is 38 km from the major town of

Guwahati Guwahati () 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. Th ...

. The town is known for "Maa Chandika Devalaya", a Shakta pitha, where thousands of devotees visit during

Durga Puja Durga Puja (ISO 15919, ISO: , ), also known as Durgotsava or Shaaradotsava, is an annual festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which pays homage to the Hinduism, Hindu goddess Durga, and is also celebrated because of Durga's victo ...

. The Historical "Mer Ghar" of Chand Sadagar is situated in Champak Nagar, Chaygaon.Nanditha Krishna, ''Sacred Animals Of India'',2010 Chand Saudagar, a wealthy merchant of Champaka, on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra in the modern Kamrup district of Assam.

Etymology

The word Chaygaon is derived from two Kamrupi Assamese words ''soy (ছয়)'' (six) and ''gaon (গাঁও)'' (village) meaning six villages.

Anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as ''Chaygaon'' based on the

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

values of the Eastern Nagari script.

Culture

The people from different religions are residing here, with distinct Kamrupi culture. The devotee throng here to pay their homage to the ancient temple of 'Chandika'. The Mer Ghar of Chand Sadagar, the merchant of the ancient times, evidences the story of Behula and Lakhinder, his daughter in law and son.

History

The town was part of Kamapitha division of Ancient Kamrup. It was within capital region of ancient Kamrup kingdom. In pre-modern period it remained part of eastern

Kamrup region Kamrup is the modern region situated between two rivers, the Manas river, Manas and the Barnadi River, Barnadi in Western Assam, with the same territorial extent as the Colonial and post-Colonial "Undivided Kamrup district". It was the capita ...

. In nineteenth century, it became part of newly formed administrative undivided Kamrup district. In 2003, after bifurcation of old district, it is included in

Kamrup rural district Kamrup Rural district, or simply Kamrup district (Pron: ˈkæmˌrəp or ˈkæmˌru:p), is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India formed by dividing the old Kamrup district into two in the year 2003; other being Kamrup Metro ...

Places of interest

Chand Sadagar's Mer Ghar

It is a site with which a mythological story is attached to a merchant named Chanda Sadagar and his son Lakhindar and his daughter-in-law Beula. The legend says that Chanda Sadagar, who was a devotee of Lord Siva, once got a curse from 'Nag Devata' (the God of Snake) that he would have no descendants any further as his only son would be killed on the latter's wedding night. To prevent this, Lakhindar and his bride was confined in the "Mer Ghar" (a specially built sealed house for the newly wed couple to prevent entry of snakes ). However, despite every effort, Lakhindar was bitten to death by 'Nag Devata' . It was Beula 's relentless offerings and prayers that saved her husband's life later on. Ruins of 'Merghar' and replica of Siva idols are still found around this site.

Education

Chhaygaon College

The Chhaygaon College established in the year 1974 is the most important educational institution in the greater Chaygaon. The college is located at an easily accessible site beside the National Highway number 37 at a distance of about 40 km west of

Gauhati University Gauhati University also known as GU, is a collegiate public state university located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It was established on 26 January 1948 under the provisions of an Act enacted by the Assam Legislative Assembly and is the oldest un ...

and about 25 km from the Gauhati International Airport. It is a co-educational Institution providing instructions up to Three-Year Degree level in Arts and Commerce faculties and affiliated to Gauhati University.

Transport

Chaygaon is at National Highway 17; is connected to nearby cities and towns with buses and other modes of transportation. It has a Railway station at Dhobargaon and LGB International Airport is situated at a distance of 25 km.

References

{{Western Assam Cities and towns in Kamrup district