Agrarian Transformation In Undivided Goalpara District Of Assam From 1765 To 1947

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt has been made to elucidate the agrarian transformation during the period from 1765 to 1947 in the undivided Goalpara district of Assam. This paper is not only limited to the agrarian transformation of this region but also the demographic change. The British occupied Assam after the treaty of Yadaboo in, 1826 and after their occupation, they had brought a policy of wasteland grants for more food production. They wanted to bring uninhabited land under cultivation for more revenue collection and to mitigate the food crisis. This policy along with other reasons encouraged the immigration of peasants from East Bengal. The East Bengal peasants settled in the riverine areas called ‘Char’ lands (river islands and banks formed by silt deposit) of the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries in four districts of Assam viz; Goalpara, Kamrup, Darrang, and Nowgaon. Their presence was felt more in the undivided Goalpara district. The immigrants with their hard labor cleared a huge uninhabited wasteland and brought it under cultivation. They turned Assam from importer to exporter in agricultural production.