Guwahati

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Guwahati (gōō´wəhä´tē) or Gauhati (gouhä´tē), city (1991 pop. 584,342), Assam state, NE India, on the Brahmaputra River. It is a railroad hub and a shipping point for tea, rice, jute, and cotton. The town has an oil refinery and is the site of Guwahati Univ. and Earle Law School. Guwahati is identified with Pragjyoshapura, the capital of King Bhavadatta, who is mentioned in the great Sanskrit epic Mahabharata. The town was overrun by Muslim forces in the 17th cent.