Dimapur District

Dimapur district draws its name from the Kachari dialect; ‘di’- meaning river, ‘ma’- meaning great or big, and ‘pur’- meaning city, together connoting ‘the city near the great river’. That the Kachari kingdom flourished in Dimapur in the ancient days is evident from the existence of the Kachari Rajbari Fort ruins, housing the ancient stone monoliths, and the many excavated tanks dug by the royalty known today as the Rajpukhuri, Padampukhuri, Bamunpukhuri, Jorpukhuri etc. The monoliths represent the elaborate rituals of the cult of fertility.

Dimapur district was inaugurated as the eighth district of Nagaland in December, 1997. Earlier it was a sub-division under Kohima district. Besides being referred to as a gateway of Nagaland and Manipur, main commercial activities of the state are centered around this district.

Dimapur district is bounded by Kohima district on the south and east, Karbi Anglong district of Assam in the west and a stretch of Golaghat District of Assam on the north.

The only railhead and airport of the State is located in Dimapur which is also the district headquarter. The National Highway 39 connects the State capital Kohima and also connects the neighbouring States of Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram.

Dimapur city, the district headquarter is distinct in its character where all the different communities have congregated, portraying a mini India.

A large area of the District is in the plains with an average elevation of 260 m above sea level excepting the Medziphema sub-division and a few villages of Niuland sub-division, which are located in the foothills. Dimapur is situated at 25° 54' 45'' N Latitude and 93° 44' 30'' E Longitude.

For administrative purpose, the government of Nagaland has established four sub-divisions; Nuiland and Medziphima with Additional Deputy Commissioner as the administrative head and Kuhuboto and Dhansririphar sub-divisions headed by Sub-divisional Officer. Also the district administrative headquarter is located at Dimapur, headed by the Deputy Commissioner.

Some of the important sectors of Dimapur district: