page_title: History of Beltola
section_title: Brief History of Beltola
hierarchical_section_title: History of Beltola / Brief History of Beltola
caption_attribution_description: English: The Ganesh mandir at Ganeshguri in Guwahati. Took photograph on 11 September, 2012.
context_page_description: Beltola is a prime residential area in the southern part of Guwahati, Assam. It is an adjoining area of the Dispur Capital Complex, the capital of Assam. Though most of the buildings and roads were newly constructed, Beltola has a long history which dates back mythical ages. During Ahom reign, Beltola was a small Koch kingdom, whose ruler assisted in the administration of the Borphukan in Guwahati, the Ahom Viceroy of Lower Assam and in maintaining relations with the communities of Khasi Hills. The Kingdom of Beltola survives under the British rule and it existed till India's independence in 1947 CE.
context_section_description: Not much is known about the history of Beltola in ancient times. Mythical sources claimed that the word Beltola comes from the word Bilvapatra, which means leaves of Bael tree, used in religious ceremonies. It was said that in olden day's large quantities of Bael tree leaves were sent to Kamakhya Temple to be used in rituals. It was from that time the place is called as Beltola. 
  The Ganesh Temple located in Ganeshguri, which comes under Beltola Mouza or estate, is also very ancient and not much is known about its origin. Some local sources stated that since Beltola was located in the entrance of the old city of Guwahati where the famous temple of Kamakhya is situated, the Ganesh deity at the Ganesh temple in Ganeshguri, serves as a gatekeeper. Therefore, the Ganesh temple may be as ancient as Kamakhya temple.  This theory was inspired by the mythical story of Ganesha guarding the entrance of the house, while his mother Devi Parvati was bathing.
  The Basithashram or Basistha Temple also comes under Beltola  Mouza. Though the Basistha Temple was constructed by Ahom King Swargadeo Rajeswar Singha in the middle of eighteenth century, the  Basisthashram or the ashram of Basistha dates back to mythical era and it was established by one of the Saptarishi, Rishi Basistha. It is said that Rishi Basistha performs religious ceremonies to worship Lord Shiva in the ashram.  Early inhabitants of Beltola mainly consist of Garos, Karbis, Lalungs, Rabha and Koch-Kachari, while small numbers of Manipuris, Kalitas and Muslims later came and settled in Beltola. No records exist about any rulers of Beltola before Gaj Narayan  of Koch dynasty. In 1613 CE, Parikshit Narayan, the ruler of Koch Hajo, was defeated by the Mughals. He was taken prisoner and was  escorted to Delhi where he had an audience with Mughal Emperor Jahangir. On acknowledging Mughal Supremacy and on the agreement of annual tribute of four lakhs rupees, the Emperor returned his kingdom. While on his way back, Parikshit Narayan fell ill and died. On his death, the Mughals annexed his kingdom and set up Hajo as their headquarters in Assam.  Bijit Narayan, the young son of Parikshit Narayan was set up as a tributary king of a small state, named after him, called Bijni. On the defeat of Parikshit Narayan, his two brothers Balinarayan and Gaj Narayan, fled to the Ahom Kingdom and sought refuge from Ahom King Swargadeo Pratap Singha. Swargadeo Pratap Singha had married the daughter of Parikshit Narayan, Mangaldohi, and later set up the Mangaldoi town on her respect. Owing to this matrimonial alliance, Swargadeo Pratap Singha granted refuge to these Koch princes. Meanwhile, the Mughal Governor demanded their extradition, which Swargadeo Pratap Singha refused. This and other causes of offence led the Mughal Governor to decide on the invasion of the Ahom Kingdom, leading to Ahom-Mughal conflict. The invading Mughal forces were defeated and driven back to their own territory. After this victory, in 1615 CE Swargadeo Pratap Singha installed Balinarayan as the tributary ruler of Darrang and renamed him as Dharmanarayan, while his brother Gaj Narayan was set up as a tributary ruler in Beltola. Gajnarayan was instructed to administer under the supervision of Borphukan, the Ahom viceroy of Lower Assam.  Gaj Narayan and his descendants ruled Beltola as a Tributary Chiefs under the Ahom Sovereigns. Treasury records of late Ahom period showed that the rulers of Beltola used to pay 2500 rupees as annual tribute to the Ahom Government. After the decline of Ahom supremacy and the fall of Ahom Kingdom in Assam, Beltola comes under British rule. After occupation of the Ahom Kingdom, the British divided the erstwhile Ahom kingdom into Mouzas or revenue circle for the purpose of smooth administration. In each Mouza, one Mouzadar was appointed who was entrusted with the task of collecting taxes and administration. The British reduced the status of Beltola from Kingdom to Mouza and that of the ruler from King to Mouzadar, though certain terms were set up in favour of the royal family. Beltola Mouza wa
caption: Ancient Ganesh temple in Ganeshguri, Beltola Mouza, Guwahati
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