Location :
East Of India
Capital :
Calcutta
Tourist
Attractions : Fort
William, Victoria Memorial, Raj
Bhavan
Best Time
To Visit : Throughout the
year. |
Tourism in
West Bengal
West Bengal, is bounded on the north by
Bhutan and the state of Sikkim , on the east
by Bangladesh and the state of Assam , on
the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the
southwest by the state of Orissa , and on
the west by Nepal and the state of Bihar .
Its capital, Calcutta, is one of the largest
cities in India.
In Calcutta, visit the Victoria Memorial and
drive past Fort Williams. 51 kms from the
city, the Hoogli turns towards the Bay of
Bengal -- beyond is the beautiful Bakkhali
beach. Darjeeling , the Queen of the Hills
has the highest Race Course in the World. In
Darjeeling trek to Tiger Hill and Ghoom
monastery. Visit its neighbours Mirik and
Kalimpong , reached by a fascinating journey
through tea estates, winding roads and
several view points from where the Himalayan
range can be viewed.
CAPITAL
Calcutta, the capital city of West Bengal,
was the first port of call of the British
East India Company. The most important city
of British India before the company shifted
base to Delhi, its contribution to the
Independence movement still makes the
elderly nod in nostalgia. There are two
Calcuttas: the north and the south. The
north with its narrow lanes and dusty
bookshops, the university and the south of
the yuppie culture, fast-food joints and
elite schools. The markets and the flashy
restaurants are in Central Calcutta.
HISTORY
West Bengal's early and intellectually
productive contact with the West and with
other parts of India is one of the most
significant factors affecting the state's
history. The other was its partition into
Muslim East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) and
the Hindu Indian state of Bengal in 1947.
Integration of Cooch Behar and the former
French colony, Chandernagore into Bengal
took place post Independence. After gaining
land from Bihar , a link between the
northern and southern parts of the state,
separated earlier..
TRIBES
West Bengal contains about 40 recognized
communities of tribes--the better known
among them being the Santals, Oraons, Munas,
Lepchas, and Bhutias--that make up less than
one-tenth of the total population. Bengali
is the language of most of the people, with
Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, and English as minority
languages. English, however, is the language
of administration and a lingua franca for
business purposes.
OCCUPATION
More than one-half of the people are engaged
in agriculture; rice being the most
important crop. Bengal's tea plantations
account for much of India's tea production.
The state has a significant mineral output,
including dolomite, limestone, and china
clay. It has steel plants, an
automobile-manufacturing plant, and numerous
chemical, machinery-building, and
light-engineering industries.
CULTURE
Bengal, the cultural centre of India has
produced 4 Nobel Laureates: Tagore, Mother
Teresa, Satyajit Ray and Amartya Sen. The
theatre is popular, and both amateur and
professional performances are quite
sophisticated., traditional open-air
performances, are popular in the
countryside, along with kavigan an impromptu
duel in musical verse between village poets.
Traditional music takes the form of
devotional and cultural songs. The kathakata
a religious recital based on folklore, is
another rural entertainment. Films offer yet
another type of popular diversion, and
Bengali productions have earned national and
international awards.
CLIMATE
The annual rainfall varies in the
sub-Himalayan region between 150- 210 inches
and in the plains between 45-75 inches.
There are three seasons: hot and dry (March
to early June), hot and wet (mid-June to
September), and cool (October to February).
During the hot and wet season, rain-bearing
monsoon winds blow from the southwest. Best
time to visit: during September-October and
December-January.
POPULATION
75 million
FESTIVALS
Calcutta festival in January; Bathing
Festival in Sagar Island in January; Jhapan
festival in Vishnupur in August, Nag
Panchami in August; Durga and Kali Puja
during September-October and the Flower and
Tea festival in Kalimpong in October. Id and
Christmas are also important festivals.
TOURIST OFFICES
Tourism Centre, 3/2 BBD Bagh (East),
Calcutta - 1
Tourism Centre (Head Office), Netaji Stadium
Eden Gardens, Calcutta - 21.
Dy Director of Tourism 1, Nehru Rd
Darjeeling - 734101.
WB Tourism State Emporia Bldg (First Floor),
A/2 Baba Karak Singh Marg New Delhi - 1.
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India
Travel Guide / States / West Bengal Travel Guide
