Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma receives 1904-05 Kamakhya land record

A century-old land record of the Kamakhya Devalaya, dating back to 1904-05, was handed over to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on August 19 during the inauguration of the Integrated District Commissioner’s Office in Guwahati.

The document is the Jamabandi of La-Kheraj Patta No. 1, covering the Kamakhya Pahar revenue village under Ramsa Rani mauza of the erstwhile undivided Kamrup district. It is preserved in the Mahafeshkhana, or record room, of the Kamrup Metropolitan district administration.

The record shows the land under the patta as belonging to the Kamakhya Devalaya, represented by Bishnu Kanta Sarma Doloi and Abhaya Kanta Sarma Doloi. The entries were made using a quill pen, offering a glimpse into the land administration practices of the period.

The archival document is significant as a record of the early land administration of the Nilachal Hills following the implementation of the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation, 1886. It is also described as "one of the oldest Devottar Grant Jamabandi records surviving".

Kamrup Metropolitan District Commissioner Swapneel Paul, IAS, presented the document to Sarma at the inauguration of the new district commissioner’s office at Rupnagar.

Sarma later described the document as a "priceless old land document" of the Kamakhya Devalaya and said Kamakhya was not only part of Assam’s spiritual identity but also of its "history, heritage and faith".

"It is our responsibility to preserve such historical treasures and safeguard them for future generations," Sarma said in a Facebook post.