Patharighat, previously known as Patharughat, is a town and headquarter of eponymous revenue circle in

Darrang district Darrang () is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located at Mangaldoi. The district occupies an area of 1585 km2. Etymology The etymology of Darrang reflects its historical significance ...

. It is 35 km northeast of Baruah Souk area of north

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 ...

on northbank of

Brahmaputra River 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 language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...

. It is the site of memorial for the ''Patharughat massacre'' caused on 28 January 1894 by the

Indian Imperial Police The Indian Imperial Police, referred to variously as the Indian Police or, by 1905, the Imperial Police, was part of the Indian Police Services, the uniform system of police administration in British India, as established by Government of India Ac ...

during the ''Patharughat peasant uprising'', the day is commemorated as the ''Krishak Swahid Divas'' (Farmer Martyrs Day).

Battle of Patharughat and Patharughat massacre

The place is famous for the event of 1894 popularly known as ''Patharughatar Ran'' (Battle of Patharughat) during the ''Patharughat peasant uprising'' against the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. After the British annexation 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 ...

in 1826, surveys of the vast lands of the state began. On the basis of such surveys, colonial authorities began to impose land taxes, reportedly by 70-80 per cent, much to the resentment of the farmers, who previously paid taxes in-kind or provided service in lieu of cash. The colonial authorities began to view the peasant protests and gatherings as grounds for

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech or organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, establ ...

. On 28 January 1894 tempers flared as the authorities refused to listen to further grievances. A

lathi charge A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police, paramilitary or military in response to public disorder. In the Indian subcontinent, a long bamboo stick, called a '' lathi'' in Bengali, Hindi, ...

by the

occurred followed by an open firing which left 15 peasants killed and 37 wounded according to official Raj records or 140 killed according to unofficial sources. Patharighat is known as Assam's

Jallianwala Bagh Jallianwala Bagh () is a historic garden and memorial of national importance close to the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India, preserved in the memory of those wounded and killed in the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre that took place on t ...

. Since 2000, the army has been paying homage to the martyrs on 28 January every year, which is commemorated as the "Krishak Swahid Divas". Army has also set up martyrs' column in memory of those killed.

References

{{coord missing, Assam Villages in Darrang district History of Assam

Battle of Patharughat and Patharughat massacre

See also

References