Papum Pare district

The plains, foothills and lower hill tracts of present-day Papum Pare district appear to have formed part of the frontier zone of the Chutia kingdom, while the Nyishi people inhabited the upper hill regions. Following the fall of the Chutia kingdom in 1524 CE, the area does not appear to have been brought under any kind of Ahom occupation, as the Ahom state was primarily a plains-based kingdom. Over time, Nyishi groups expanded their control and influence over the lower hills and adjoining foothill areas of the district. Historical sites in the district belonging to the Chutia period include Ita Fort and Ramghat-Taraso Ruins.

During the Ahom period, relations between the Ahom state and the Nyishi, referred to in many earlier records as Dafla, were marked by both conflict and accommodation. Nyishi groups periodically descended through the hill passes into the adjoining plains, where they raided villages, plundered property and sometimes carried away captives. In response, the Ahom kings sent retaliatory or punitive expeditions into the hills, although such campaigns were often difficult because of the terrain and did not always succeed.^[1] Under Pratap Singha, the Ahoms attempted to regulate the frontier through the posa system, by which Nyishi groups received specified dues from certain foothill villages in return for tribute and peaceful relations.^{[citation needed]} The arrangement did not end the frontier conflicts: punitive expeditions were sent against the Nyishis in 1646 CE and 1648 CE, and in 1672 CE, after a raid on Taiban in Lakhimpur in which several people were carried off, Udayaditya Singha sent another retaliatory force, which ended in failure and heavy losses.^[2]

After the British annexation of Assam, the colonial administration continued the older frontier practice of posa, but tried to regulate it through official settlements. Nyishi chiefs, then usually recorded in British sources as Dafla, were recognised as posa recipients in the duars north of the Brahmaputra, while the British attempted to prevent direct exactions from the plains cultivators and bring disputes under colonial magistrates.^[3] Raids, disputes over captives and interruptions of posa payments continued into the nineteenth century, and the British often responded by withholding posa or imposing blockades until offenders surrendered or captives were released.^[4]

In administrative terms, the area later formed part of the Western Section of the North-East Frontier Tract in 1914, renamed the Balipara Frontier Tract in 1919, before being reorganised into the Subansiri frontier units after 1946.^[5] The district was created in 1992 by bifurcating Lower Subansiri district, with its headquarters at Yupia.^[6]

The district headquarters are located at Yupia. Papum Pare district occupies an area of 2,875 square kilometres (1,110 sq mi).^[7] The capital of the state is Itanagar.

The district is divided into three subdivisions: Itanagar capital complex, Yupia, and Sagalee. The district is further divided into 15 administrative circles, namely, Balijan, Itanagar, Naharlagun, Doimukh, Toru, Sagalee, Leporiang, Mengio, Kimin, Banderdewa, Tarasso, Kakoi, Gumto, Parang, and Sangdupota.^[8]

There are 3 Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly constituencies in this district: Itanagar, Doimukh and Sagalee. All of these are part of Arunachal West Lok Sabha constituency.^[9]

According to the 2011 census, Papum Pare district has a population of 176,573,^{[citation needed]} roughly equal to the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.^[17] This gives it a ranking of 594th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 51 inhabitants per square kilometre (130/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 44.57%. Papum Pare has a sex ratio of 950 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.14%.

In 1978 Papum Pare district became home to the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 140 km² (54.1 mi²).^[21]