Tezpur

Tezpur (pron: tezˈpʊə) (Assamese: তেজপুৰ) is a city and the administrative headquarters and municipal board of Sonitpur district in the state of Assam in northeastern India. Tezpur is an ancient city on the banks of the river Brahmaputra and is the largest of the north bank towns with a population exceeding 100,000. It is 175 kilometres (109 mi) northeast of Guwahati, considered to be the "Cultural Capital of Assam".

Geography

The town is on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.

The rivers in and around Tezpur are fast flowing, especially from the Himalayas foothills. Tezpur has a number of small hillocks, so that flooding doesn't occur during the monsoons.

Climate

The average temperature in summer is around 25 °C (77 °F) while the average winter temperature is around 13 °C (55 °F).

Government

Tezpur is part of Tezpur (Lok Sabha constituency).

Etymology

The name Tezpur is derived from the Sanskrit words 'teza' (meaning blood) and 'pura' (meaning town or city). Legend has it that the original name of this place was 'Sonitpur' ("sonit" in Sanskrit also means blood). When the battle between Krishna's army and Lord Shiva, his disciple Banasura's army fought for the rescue of Aniruddha (who was the grandson of Lord Krishna, according to legend) there was so much bloodshed that the place was stained red. This led to the name of the place becoming Tezpur. The Shiva temples in and around Tezpur shows the love and devotions of King Baanasur for Lord Shiva.

Tezpur (Lok Sabha constituency)

Tezpur is a Lok Sabha constituency in Assam under the Sonitpur District.

Assembly segments

Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:

Members of Parliament

General elections 2014

See also