West Bengal
West
Bengal State Information
Capital : Calcutta
Districts :19
Languages: Bengali, Hindi, English
Introduction
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee composed his famous song, “Vande Mataram”, in 1882,
he was in many ways symbolizing the beauty of Bengal. Some things here are
still eternal. The rich culture of the state binds the population together
through its unique unity in diversity and offers matchless geographical variety
to its visitors. West Bengal, located in the eastern part of the Indian
peninsula, is one of the country’s medium-sized, states. However, in its
physical form, it is a complete representation of the Indian subcontinent.
Darjeeling, its northern end, is embraced by the arms of the mighty Himalayas.
The Dooars in the foothills are rich in forest. The unconquerable river Ganga
flows across the state’s rich alluvial plains to reach the Bay of Bengal in the
south, through vast swamps that are known as the Sundarbans.
Geography
of West Bengal
West Benga is stretching for about 300 miles from the Himalayas to the Bay of
Bengal, West Bengal’s geography is as diversified as its culture. Through West
Bengal runs the tropic of cancer. West Bengal is surrounded by the three
international frontiers in the north, namely, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. On
its northeast lies the green valley of Assam. On the east lies Bangladesh.
Bihar lies on the western side. To the southwest, lies Orissa, the state with,
its golden beaches, and the Bay of Bengal lies to the south of West Bengal.
Starting from the mighty Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south,
West Bengal is a cluster of varied physical features. Coming downward, the
state houses some of the rare species of wildlife in the Sundarbans that is
also the natural habitat of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger. Between the
Himalayan mountain region and the delta region lie the fertile Gangetic plains
Brief
History of West Bengal
West Bengal was formerly known as Vanga and was spread over a vast area. Ruled
by several dynasties from ancient times, the actual history of this region is,
however, available from the Gupta period. The prosperity and the importance of
the state increased largely when the British East India Company took over the
place. It was a widespread Bengal province until under the terms of the Indian
Independence Act, 1947, the province of Bengal ceased to exist. The
Muslim-dominated districts, namely, Chittagong, Dacca and part of Presidency
and Rajshahi division went to the present-day Bangladesh and the state of West
Bengal came into existence in 1947.
The district of Cooch Behar was merged with the state on January 1, 1950. The
former Chandernogor came within the state on October 2, 1954 and the state got
its present political boundary when, according to the States Reorganization
Act, part of the state of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal.
West
Bengal Travel Information
West Bengal is one of the first destinations in a tourist’s itinerary visiting
the eastern part of the country. Calcutta (Kolkata), the capital of the state,
is the proud intellectual capital of the country. The city has made outstanding
contribution to the country in the fields of art, science, medicine, social
reform and literature. The city retains some of the most striking colonial
buildings of the country. It used to be the capital of the British East India
Company and the evidence of the British colonization continues in the city even
today. The Victoria
Memorial is a majestic house constructed in the memory of Queen
Victoria. This building houses a number of rare specimens of the historical
preserves of the land. Moreover, the manuscripts, the paintings and the
sculptures here are outstanding. Howrah Bridge is yet another landmark that denotes this city of
joy. This hanging bridge is an architectural marvel of the country. The second
largest planetarium in Asia, the Birla Planetarium, is another site that attracts attention of
all, regardless of their age.
The Botanical Garden
with its 250-year-old
banyan tree (Ficus bengalhensis) is another, attraction of the city. The
Dakshineshwar Temple is
an important pilgrimage center that attracts a number of tourists as well as
pilgrims from all over the country. It is said that Shri Ramakrishna
Paramhansa, the spiritual guru of Swami Vivekananda, used to worship Goddess
Kali in this place. The recently built Vidyasagar Setu, another architectural marvel,
connects both the banks of the Hooghly River. Thakur Bari, the residence of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, is
another site that receives a herd of visitors every year. Moreover, the Metro Railway, National
Library, Shaheed Minar, Eden Garden, Fort William, Rat Park and Marble Palace
are some of the other sites of the city that are worth visiting.
Shantiniketan, Tagore’s
university township, is a must on any itinerary that plots Bengal as a stopover.
Just two and a half hours away by rail from Calcutta, this town in the Birbhum
district is rich in culture and art. At Tagore’s residence in the Uttarayan
complex, one could visit the museum and his various homes. From Shantiniketan,
you could also take a stopover at Bakreswar, where ancient Kali and Shiva
temples rise into the azure sky. The hot springs are famous for curing many
chronic diseases. For witnessing the sheer magnificence of the mountains,
untouched and unspoiled, one should visit the hill station of Darjeeling,
located 7,000 feet above sea level. Darjeeling is famous for its flavored tea
all over the world. The brew is often compared to champagne and the tea gardens
that dot the slopes are witness to this gigantic industry. The Himalayan
Mountaineering Institute is a paradise for trekkers. West Bengal has lot more
to offer as a tourist destination.-- Digha, Siliguri, Gaur, Pandua,
Murshidabad, Bishnupur, Haldia and the Sunderban Tiger Reserve are some of the
few places of West Bengal that need to be mentioned here.
Rivers of West Bengal
The main rivers of the state are: Teesta, Brahamaputra, Jaldhaka, Torsha,
Sankosh, Raidak, Mahananda, Mahanadi, Balason, Machi, Tangan, Punarbhava,
Atrai, Ganga, Bhagirathi, Mayurakshi, Brahmani, Dwaraka, Bakreswar, Kopai,
Damodar, Hooghly, Rupanarayan, Kansabati or Kasai and Subarnarekha
Education in West Bengal
In the whole of the rural West Bengal and in the most of the municipal areas
the primary education is free and compulsory. Free supply of text books have
been under taken. Girls education up to standard VIII has been made free in
rural and urban areas, including Calcutta. Schools in West Bengal are either
run by the state government or by private organisations. Schools mainly use
English or Bengali as the medium of instruction, though Hindi and Urdu may also
be used. The schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary
Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the West
Bengal Board of Secondary Education. West Bengal has fifteen universities. The
University of Calcutta has more than 200 affiliated colleges. Bengal
Engineering & Science University and Jadavpur University have notable
engineering institutions. Notable collegess include Presidency College, St.
Xavier's College, Medical College Kolkata. The state has many higher education
institutes of national importance including Indian Institute of Technology,
Kharagpur, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, National Institute of
Technology, Durgapur, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Asiatic Society,
Indian Statistical Institute, Marine Engineering and Research Institute etc.
Among all East Indian food, Bengali food is known all over for its varied taste
and flavor. The cuisine contains sweets as well as other meal accompanying
dishes. The sweets made from milk and curds, namely, rasogolla, sondesh, malai
somsom, chana mukhi, and raj bhog are especially famous all over India. Above
all, the fish preparation of Bengal is a culinary delight for the
non-vegetarian food lovers. Fish of different varieties are prepared mostly
with mustard oil and mustard seeds. Fish items are sometimes marinated in
spices and sometimes cooked with curd. The ilcha macher jhol is an all-time
favorite. Misti doi or sweet curd is another delicacy worth savoring. The
Bengali is predominantly a rice eater. All but the very devout Hindus eat fish
as a principal item of their food. Bengalis prefer to other beverages, the
habit of taking sweetened tea has a spread to their remotest villages. Chewing
of pan laced with lime, Kattha and arecanut is universal. Drinking of palm
juice today and home made alcoholic brews is largely confined to industrial
labour and the tribal population.
Arts & Culture of West Bengal
The attire of the Bengalis is very much Indian in origin. The main dress for
the male is a cotton dhoti and silk or muslin kurta with a long cloth that is
placed on the shoulder and neck. The women wear cotton saris especially known
as Bangla tanter saree that is worn in a unique way, where the pallav of the
saree comes from the backside of the wearer. The ethnicity of the state is
diversified. The majority of the people are Bengalis. Some of the tribal groups
like the Santhals and Oraon live in the remote plains whereas, the Lepchas and
Bhotias live in the Himalayan regions of the state. Eighty-five percent of the
population speaks Bengali whereas the remaining speaks Hindi, Urdu and other
tribal languages.
Though the music of the state is not very old, it has gained a lot more
maturity in its journey to perfection in the last 200 years. However, in the
long run, Bengali music, especially Rabindra Sangeet, Nazrul Geeti and baul
songs have successfully made their mark in the world of Indian music.
Festivals of West Bengal
Besides the other festivals of the
Hindu solar calendar, Durga Puja is the one that gains the ultimate importance
and attention in West Bengal. Durga Puja is an extravaganza of almost seven
days, but, the preparation starts months before the actual event. New clothes
are an integral part of Puja for every Bengali. Besides Durga Puja; Saraswati
Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja and Janmashtami are some other festivals that are
given special attention in Bengal. The art and craft of West Bengal is known
world over. Decent with the touch of minute observation, Bengali art and craft
are unique. The leather products of Bengal are very famous all over the
country.
