Overview, history, attractions and key geographical information of Udalguri District, Assam
📍 Overview
Udalguri district, also known as Odalguri, is a district in the Bodoland Territorial Region of the state of Assam in Northeastern India. Udalguri town is the headquarters of the district.
The district is known for its rich cultural diversity, natural beauty and agricultural landscape. It is home to people belonging to several ethnic, linguistic and religious communities living together.
📖 Name & History
The name Udalguri denotes a place surrounding the Udal tree, where “Udal” means a tree and “Guri” means surrounding area.
Some authors are of the opinion that the name of the place became Udalguri as there was a hermitage of a sage named Uddalak Muni.
Another source mentions that the word has origins in the Boro language. From the Bodo words ordla and gundri, the name is believed to have evolved as Ordlagundri > Ordlagundi > Odalguri > Ugalguri. Bodo people still pronounce the name as Odalguri.
In Bodo language, ordla means wide and spacious, while gundri means powdered object.
Udalguri district was formed on 14 June 2004 as one of the four districts under the Bodoland Territorial Council. The district was carved out by bifurcating Darrang district. The territory of the present district was earlier the Udalguri sub-division of the undivided Darrang district.
The district is multi-ethnic and multi-religious in nature, with Hindu, Christian and Muslim communities living across the district. Late Jojaram Sharma, one of the prominent freedom fighters from Assam, also lived here.
🌿 Why Visit Udalguri?
Apart from the multitude of cultures and traditions of various ethnic communities, the district has several places of cultural, religious and natural interest.