CHINESE CEMETERY

The main pillar of the cemetery

The Chinese Cemetery in Dibrugarh is situated at Paltanbazar, which was built in the year 1937 by the Chinese people residing in Assam for the ritual burial of their expired members. The cemetery comprising of mostly open spaces bordered by walls and a headstone representing a pillar standing to the east end of the cemetery.

By the advent of British to Assam and after the discovery of tea, they brought Chinese workers and artisans for engagement in the tea gardens by late 1838. Many of these people married local women and mingled with the society and remained here as their homeland. 

All of the Chinese origin people residing in Assam are cremated in this cemetery. The letter engraved in the pillar denoted the name of the first person buried there. Before World War II there were having to be closed boxes near the pillar, where the remaining bones of the dead bodies and their belongings were washed with their traditional wine and after writing the full name of the person were securely locked in the boxes. But during the World War II the boxes were destroyed and the tradition is no more followed today. Although the ruins of the boxes are still there by the side of the main pillar.

The Chinese have a tradition of having the cemeteries near some big rivers and therefore the cemetery in Dibrugarh was built in Paltanbazar  adjacent to the river bank of Brahmaputra. Although the cemetery  was established in the year 1937, the main entrance gate and the boundary walls were built in the year 1950.

Ruins of the boxes

Chinese people from different part of Assam are still buried in this cemetery. And every year on the first week of April a community ritual ceremony is organized for all the people that have been buried there. The cemetery is currently under the care of All Assam Chinese Welfare Society, having its head office at S.K Point, Hotel Hong Kong, Tinsukia (Assam).

The main entrance gate

*Source

Interview with  John Wang (Wnng Shing Tung), President AACWS

By Gaurab and Sankar.