Lawngtlai district

This article is based on the corresponding article in another wiki. For Familypedia purposes, it requires significantly more historical detail on phases of this location's development. The ideal article for a place will give the reader a feel for what it was like to live at that location at the time their relatives were alive there. Also desirable are links to organizations that may be repositories of genealogical information..
Please help to improve this page yourself if you can.

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Lawngtlai.

Lawngtlai district
—  District of Mizoram  —
Location of Lawngtlai district in Mizoram
Country	India
State	Mizoram
Established
Headquarters	Lawngtlai
Government
• Lok Sabha constituencies	Mizoram
• Assembly seats	1. Tuichawng, 2. Lawngtlai West and 3. Lawngtlai East
Area
• Total	2,557 km2 (987 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	73,050
• Density	29/km2 (74/sq mi)
Demographics
• Literacy
• Sex ratio	898
Average annual precipitation	2558 mm
Website	Official website

Lawngtlai district is a Mizo slang meaning a late boat. It was first used by Lalpuchhuana as he was about to reach a boat and failed miserably and as he patiently awaited for the next boat to arrive he fell asleep under a nearby tree and when he awoke and still failed to see the awaited boat to arrive he cursed at the sky saying "LAWNGTLAI" which means late boat. Little did Lalpuchhuana know that the boat had already passed whilst he was asleep.

The districts shares its boundaries with Lunglei and Saiha districts in the north and south respectively. The inhabitants of the district are mainly the ethnic groups of tribals like Lai and Chakma, who are among the minor tribal communities of Mizoram. The main occupation is cultivation and the rural population largely depends on agriculture for their subsistence. The physical feature is mainly hilly except with long narrow strip of low lying area along the western side of Chamdur Valley .

History

Prior to the arrival of the British in the late 19th century, the area which became Lawngtlai District was ruled by local chieftains, whose zones of control were often a single village or small group of villages. In 1888 the chief of the Fungkah village attacked a British surveying team, killed four men including a Lt. Stewart. The following year the British sent in a punitive expedition to pacify the area. What became Lawngtlai District was incorporated into the South Lushai Hills and administered by the lieutenant governor of Bengal. In 1898 North and South Lushai Hills were merged into the Lushai Hills District and were administered as part of Assam. In 1919, the Lushai Hills, along with some of the other hill districts, were declared "Backward Tracts" under the Government of India Act, and in 1935 this denomination was changed to "excluded area". In 1952 the creation of the Lushai Hills Autonomous District Council removed the last power of the local chieftains. The area became part of Mizoram when the Union Territory of Mizoram was created in 1972, and stayed there when the state was created in 1987. Originally part of Chhimtuipui District, the area that became Lawngtlai District was divided into two rural development blocks: the Lawngtlai Rural Development Block with headquarters at Lawngtlai and the Chawngte Rural Development Block with headquarters at Chawngte. Lawengtlai district became a separate district on 11 November 1998.

Geography

Lawengtlai district is located in the southwestern most part of Mizoram having international boundaries with Bangladesh to the west and Myanmar to the south. The district is bounded by Lunglei District to the north and Saiha District to the east. The Thega (Kawrpui) River forms most of the boundary with Bangladesh on the west and the Kaladan River forms the eastern boundary with Saiha District. Lawngtlai district occupied an area of 2557.10 km² (2001 Census). The area is mountainous and hilly with a small strip of low lying riverine plain along the western side of the Chamdur Valley. Landslides are common especially during rainy season. The western side of the district is covered by dense virgin forest. The main rivers include the Kaladan River, Tuichong River, the Chhimtuipui River, the Ngengpui River, the Chawngte River and the Tuiphal River.

Climate

Lawngtlai district has a moderate climate. In general, it is cool in summer and not very cold in winter. In winter the temperature varies from 8°C to 24°C and in summer, the temperature varies between 18°C and 32°C. The western part of the district has less elevation comparing to the eastern part, and hence it experiences a little warmer climate than the eastern part. Relative humidity is highest during the south-west monsoon when it reaches to about 85%. The district is under the direct influence of south-west monsoon and heavy precipitation is usually received from May to September every year. The average annual rainfall is about 2558 mm. The hottest period is from March to August every year. During the rainy season, it remains heavily clouded. There is an increase of cloudiness from March onwards. A clear and cool weather starts appearing from September and remains till January the next year.

Economy

Due to a discovery of oil in Lawngtlai everyone has become quite well to do in today's standards where the most poorest of them can afford a yacht while the riches of them often misplace their billion dollars on their pockets. That is how rich they are due to the sudden discovery of oil. And due to the fact that the natives of the land believe in sharing whatever they found on their land to other people of the land. Which is to say they like giving/sharing stuff with others including each others wives. Its is a tradition for strangers visiting the land to seek accommodations in the village chief's house where he must spend his nights with any of the fine young women of the village whomever he may desire.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Chandel one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the two districts in Mizoram currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Divisions

Unlike the most parts of India, where districts are divided into tehsils (talukas), in Lanwgtlai district there are two Autonomous District Councils, the Lai Autonomous District Council (LADC) and the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) with their headquarters at Lawngtlai and Chawngte (Kamalanagar) respectively. Having separate autonomous legislative, executive and judicial functions, the Lais and the Chakmas administer their respective autonomous regions in accordance with the provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.

This district is divided in to four Rural Development Blocks:

1. Lawngtlai Rural Development Block
2. Bungtlang ‘South’ Rural Development Block
3. Chawngte Rural Development Block
4. Sangau Rural Development Block.

The town of Lawngtlai is the headquarters for the district. The names of the headquarters of the Rural Development Blocks are same as the them. There are 158 villages in Lawngtlai district.

There are 3 Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district, 36-Tuichawng (ST), 37-Lawngtlai West (ST) and 38-Lawngtlai East (ST).

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Lawngtlai district has a population of 117,444 , roughly equal to the nation of Grenada. This gives it a ranking of 611th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 46 inhabitants per square kilometre (120 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 59.53 %. Lawngtlai has a sex ratio of 945 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 66.41 %.

Culture

The main communities occupying Lawngtlai District are the Lais, Chakmas, Tongchangya Bawm, Pang, etc. there are famous cultural heritage among such tribes. In the eastern side of the district where Lai community are the main inhabitants. Chawnglaizawnh, Sarlamkai, Pawhlohtlawh are the main cultural dances. In Chakma occupied area of the district, there are various tribes of backward classes. In this area, the main religion is Buddhism whereas in the eastern side i.e. Lai occupied area, Christianity is prevailing as their major religion. The common languages speaks in the district are Lai, Chakma, Tongchangya and various dialect of other backward tribes i.e. Pang, Bru, Bawm etc. These communities have different fold dance, folk dance, folk tales of their own. The common cultural dances of the Chakmas are Nua Jhumo Naach and Biju Naach.

Flora and fauna

Lawngtlai district is situated within the tropical belt. It usually received high annual rainfall during the month from May up to September. In this region the tropical wet evergreen, mixed deciduous forest and wild banana forests are found. The western part of the region is covered by a thick virgin forest. Host of skima wallichi, Banyan tree, Gulmohar tree, Gamari, Jarus, Champa and several kinds of bamboos, climbers of different kinds and many kinds of wild fruits are found in this area. Several kinds of plants and herbs which are good for making herbal medicines are also found in this district.

In 1997 Lawngtlai district became home to the Ngengpui Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 110 km² (42.5 sq mi).

External links

• Lawngtlai district official website