Assam (Assamese: অসম Ôxôm) is a northeastern state of India with its capital at Dispur. Located just below the eastern Himalayan foothills, it is surrounded by the other northeastern states: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. Assam and its commercial capital Guwahati form the gateway to the northeastern states, together called the seven sisters. These states are connected to the rest of India via Assam's border with West Bengal and a narrow strip called the "Chicken's Neck." Assam also shares international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh.

On February 27, 2006 the cabinet of ministers in Assam adopted a controversial proposal to change the name of the state to Asom which is yet to be implemented.^*.

Origin of name

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The land of Assam was known by various names in the past---Pragjyotishpura in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Mahabharata; and Kamarupa in the early medieval times. After the decline of the Kamarupa kingdom in the 12th century, the land that included a part of the old Kamarupa kingdom and regions to the east of it was ruled by the Shan people, who called themselves Tai, but who were called Ahoms by the others. This kingdom lasted for nearly 600 years. Satyendra Nath Sarma writes Literature, Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden, 1976:

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drinking Assam from Fairtrade from Sainsburys: http://steepster.com/teas/fairtrade-from-sainsburys/4101-assam?post=22742 #tea #steepster
riverclinic (Robert Heaven) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:03:50 -0000
drinking Assam from Fairtrade from Sainsburys: http://steepster.com/teas/fairtrade-from-sainsburys/4101-assam?post=22742 #tea #steepster
http://twitpic.com/wnkq5 - Manas National park, Assam
surojeets (surojeets) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:56:52 -0000
http://twitpic.com/wnkq5 - Manas National park, Assam
@artisticdork maybe you'd like some assam tea instead :)
teaandpetals (teaspoons & petals) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:41:33 -0000
@artisticdork maybe you'd like some assam tea instead Subscribe to Assam RSS feed