Silchar
| Silchar | |||
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| State : |
 India
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| State : | Assam | ||
| District : | Cachar | ||
| Location : | 24 ° 49 ' N , 92 ° 48' E | ||
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Inhabitants : - Agglomeration : |
172,709 (2011) 228,985 (2011) |
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Silchar ( Bengali : শিলচর Śilcar [ ˈʃiltʃɔr ], Assamese : শিলচৰ Śilcar [ ˈxilsɔr ], also Shilchar ) is a city in the Indian state of Assam . It is located in the south of Assam on the Barak River and is the administrative seat of the Cachar district . With around 170,000 inhabitants (2011 census), it is Assam's second largest city after Guwahati .
Silchar is located in the Barak Valley , which is surrounded on three sides by mountains and is thus largely isolated from the rest of Assam. Historically and culturally, however, there are close ties to East Bengal, today's Bangladesh . The majority language in Silchar is not Assamese , the official language of the state, but Bengali . In 1961, the language issue led to bloody clashes in Silchar, in which 11 people were shot by the police. As a result of the protests, Bengali now has an official status alongside Assamese in the three districts of the Barak Valley.
Silchar is an important transportation hub for South Assam and the neighboring states of Mizoram and Manipur . National Highway 54, which runs in north-south direction and crosses the Barail Mountains from Mizoram's capital Aizawl and connects Silchar with the rest of Assam, and the east-west direction to Imphal , the capital of Manipur, cross in the city running National Highway 53. There are railway connections to Agartala in Tripura and a meter-gauge line through the Barail Mountains to Lumding . The city also has its own airport with connections to Kolkata , Guwahati and Imphal.
Assam University is located in Dargakona, 20 kilometers from Silchar. As one of 25 federal universities ( Central Universities ) across the country , it is maintained directly by the Indian state.
