Beltola

For the residential area in the Indian city of Guwahati, see Beltola.

Beltola बेलतोला বেলতলা
State
Flag
Nicknames:  Bilvapatra – leaves of Bael tree
Anthem: "O! Hamare Mahan Shashak" (Royal anthem of Vishwamitra)
Country	Vishwamitra
Statehood	18 September 2016
Founded by	President Tanishkaa Patranabish Prime Minister Varuna Sriraya
Capital	Brikshasthana
Government
• Type	Constituent absolute monarchy
• Rajpramukh	Tanishkaa Patranabish
• Governor	Rajdeep Deka
• Lok Sabha members from Beltola	• Ștefan Marius Snagoveanu  • Tyler Mullins  • W. Pranit Singh
• Rank	2nd
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 code	VH-BL

Beltola (Hindi: बेलतोला, Bengali: বেলতলা) is a state and administrative division of Vishwamitra which was created on 18 September 2016. Beltola shares its borders with Basistha due to their geographic location as Basistha was bifurcated from Beltola in 2017. There are four official languages in the state - English, Hindi, Bengali language, and Assamese language. Due to the presence of mainly Hindu population in Beltola, the Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, Diwali, Holi and the cultural festival of Bihu are the major festivals observed within the state.

The capital city of Beltola, Brikshasthana had been the seat of the national legislature until 2020.

Etymology

As per mythical sources, it is claimed that the word "Beltola" comes from the word "Bilvapatra" (Hindi: बिल्वपत्र:, Bengali/Assamese: বিল্বপত্র), which means the leaves of the Bael tree which is a prime element of Hindu religious ceremonies. It is believed that in olden days large quantities of Bael tree leaves were sent to the Kamakhya Temple to be used in its rituals. The name of the state of Beltola was based upon the place of its location.

History

The historical evidences state that Beltola established as an administrative unit in July 2015 and the administration was placed under a chief minister who was directly appointed by the prime minister. However, following the constitutional changes in December 2015, such positions were abolished by the government. The same was re-introduced following the election of Varuna Sriraya as the prime minister in April 2016.

Beltola was formally created as a state of Vishwamitra on 18 September 2016 following the decision of the government to establish federal units for the administration. As a result of which, two states and one union territory was created. At the time of its creation, the state was known as "South Guwahati" as it is situated in the southern region of the National Territorial Region. The state was renamed to its current name in May 2017 after the bifurcation of Basistha.

Administration

History

Prior to its formal creation as a state in September 2016, the chief minister appointed by the Prime Minister was responsible for the administration and governance of the region who performed their duties as directed to them by the prime minister in the name of the president.

Following, its formal creation as a state of the union in September 2016, the administration was placed under a ceremonial governor appointed by the President on the advice of the union government. The governor performed their duties as was directed to them by the president and also remained in office on the pleasure of the president. The governor appointed a chief minister who was the head of government of the state and was responsible for the administration of the state. Sanghita Roy served as the first-ever governor of Beltola.

See also

• Administrative divisions of Vishwamitra