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Assam : The precise origin of the term Assam is not known, but western/westernised scholars prefer the Tai term A-Cham & the Bodo term Ha-Sam. Asham is a state in north-eastern India located south of the eastern Himalayas, comprising the Brahmaputra valley & the Barak valley along with the Karbi Anglong & Dima Hasao districts with an area of 78, 440 km sq. The precise etymology of “Assam” came from Ahom dynasty. Up to 12th century the region east of the Karatova River, largely congruent to present-day Assam, was called Kāmarūpa or Prāg-jyōtisha. According to Kālikā Purana, it was ruled by the Dānava dynasty which was removed by Naraka of Mithila who established the Naraka dynasty whose last king was killed by Sri Krishna. According to Mahābhārata, the Naraka king Bhāga Dutta fought for the Kauravas with an army consisting largely of Kirātas. The Moghuls used the terms Asham for the eastern & Kāmarūpa for western Assam when the country was ruled by the Ahoms, a people of Mongoloid origin, who had settled in Upper Burma & occupied a part of the Brahmaputra valley as early as the 13th century. Here they were gradually Hinduised & adopted the Hindu religion & customs. British colonialism combined & corrupted both to Assam. After some unsuccessful attempts for independence in 1850s, its leaders joined the Congress. British tea planters imported labour from central India adding to the demographic canvas. Initially Assam was made part of the Bengal Presidency, with Shillong as its capital; during the period of the partition of Bengal (1905-1911), together with 15 districts of eastern Bengal it was part of East Bengal & Assam. In 1912 it was reconstituted into a Chief Commissioner’s province. In 1913, a legislative council & in 1937 the Assam Legislative Assembly were in Shillong. Along with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura & Meghalaya it is one of the seven sister states connected to the rest of India via a 22 km strip of land in West Bengal called Siliguri Corridor or “Chicken’s Neck”. Assam shares an international border with Bhutan & Bangladesh; & its culture, people & climate are similar to those of SE Asia.