West Bengal
(
Bengali: পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pōshchim Bäṅgō), now
Bangla (
Bengali: বাংলা, Bāṅlā), popularly known as
Bengal, is a
state in eastern
India. To its east and northeast, West Bengal borders
Bangladesh and the Indian state of
Assam; to its south and south-east lie the
Bay of Bengal and the state of
Orissa; to its west lie
Jharkhand and
Bihar; to the northwest is
Nepal; to the north are
Sikkim and
Bhutan.
King
Shashanka was the first to establish a sovereign kingdom of Bengal, namely
Gour, in
7th Century A.D. After a long reign of
Pala,
Sena, and
Mughal dynasties, the
British took control of Bengal. After Indian independence, the Hindu-predominant western regions of Bengal formed the state of West Bengal.
Although West Bengal occupies only 3% of the India's land area, it supports over 8% of the population. Not only is West Bengal a highly populated region of India, it is also one of the fastest growing states of the country.
The exact origin of the word "Bengal" is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from
Bang, the name of a Dravidian-speaking tribe that settled here in around 1000 BCE.
[Bangladesh: EARLY HISTORY, 1000 B.C.-A.D. 1202, Country studies, Library of Congress, DS393.4 .B372 1989.] References to the word
Banga or
Vanga are seen in ancient
Sanskrit epics such as the
Mahabharata and
Kautilya's
Arthasastra.
Bengal was ruled by the Buddhist
Pala dynasty from 750 to 1161. The Palas were eclipsed by the Hindu
Sena dynasty, who ruled Bengal from 1095 to 1260. Bengal came under Islamic rule starting in the
13th century, and developed into a wealthy centre of trade and industry under the
Mughal Empire during the
16th century. European traders had arrived in the late
15th century and eventually the
British East India Company controlled the region by the late
18th century, from which the British extended their
rule over all of India.
When Indian independence was achieved in
1947, Bengal was partitioned into predominantly Hindu West Bengal and predominantly Muslim
East Bengal. On
2 October 1955,
Chandannagar, a former enclave of
French India which had passed into Indian control after
1950, was integrated into West Bengal state. Certain portions of Bihar state were also merged with West Bengal.
See main article: Geography of West BengalWith a total area of 88,853
km², West Bengal is on the eastern bottle-neck of India, stretching from the
Himalayas in the North to the
Bay of Bengal in the south. The
Darjeeling Himalayan hill region to the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern
Himalaya. This region contains
Sandakfu (3,630
m)—the highest peak of the state. After a brief
Terai region starts the plains. The plains continues into the
Ganges delta towards the south. The
rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and
western plateau and high lands in the western region of the southern part of the state. A small coastal region is on the extreme south, while
Sundarbans form the most remarkable geographical landmark of the Ganges delta.
Ganges is the main river, which divides here— one branch entering
Bangladesh as
Padma or
Pôdda and the other branch flows down West Bengal in the name
River Bhagirathi and
River Hooghly. The hilly region towards the north has rivers like
Teesta,
Torsa,
Jaldhaka,
Mahananda, while the western plateau region has rivers like
Damodar,
Ajay,
Kansai etc. The Ganges delta, and especially the Sundarbans area is full of rivers; creeks cover the region like a web.
Climate
West Bengal's climate is transitional between tropical savanna in the southern portions and humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. The most notable phenomenon of the climate is the summer
monsoon.While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with the highest day temperature ranging from 38
°C to 45 °C .
At nights, a cool southerly breeze carrying moisture from the Bay of Bengal is usually present. The early summer often sees brief
squalls and thunderstorms known as
Kalbaisakhi (Nor'westers).
The monsoon lashes the whole state from June to September.
Divisions and Districts
There are 19 districts in West Bengal, namely:
BankuraBardhamanBirbhumCooch BeharDarjeeling DistrictEast MidnaporeHooghlyHowrahJalpaiguriKolkataMaldaMurshidabadNadia DistrictNorth 24 ParganasNorth DinajpurPuruliaSouth 24 ParganasSouth DinajpurWest MidnaporeMajor
cities and towns in West Bengal are
Kolkata,
Howrah,
Asansol,
Haldia,
Kharagpur,
Midnapore,
Tamluk,
Contai,
Siliguri,
Burdwan,
Durgapur,
Darjeeling,
Malda, etc.
*See also :
List of Districts (Zilas) in West BengalAgriculture is the chief occupation of the people of the state. Rice is the principal food crop of West Bengal with maize, pulses, oil seeds, wheat, barley, potatoes and vegetables being others.
Jute is the main cash crop of this region,
tea being the second. Darjeeling tea is famous for its high quality. Tobacco and sugarcane are also grown in the state.
The industries in the state are localised in Kolkata region and the mineral-rich western highlands. Durgapur Asansol colliery belt has some major steel plants.
The state is also major producer of tea and jute products. Manufacturing industris like engineering products,
electronics,
electrical equipment,
cables,
steel,
leather,
textiles,
jewellery,
frigates,
automobiles,
railway coaches,
wagons etc. also play important role.
West Bengal's gross state domestic product (also called
State Domestic Product, or SDP) for 2004 is estimated at $57 billion in current prices.The state's average SDP has been more than 7%-outperforming the National GDP Growth. The state of West Bengal has promoted foreign direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics field.
Kolkata is also becoming a major hub for the IT (
Information Technology) industry. It has 12 IT parks spread over 13,305,000sq ft of space . Owing to the recent boom in the economy of Kolkata and also the state as a whole, West Bengal is now the third fastest growing economy in the country.
West Bengal has the third largest economy (2003-2004) in India. In terms of per capita income it ranks twelfth (2003-2004).NASSCOM-Gartner ranks West Bengal Power Infrastructure the best in the country. Capacity 7616 MW.
Over 6% of the
S&P CNX 500 conglomerates have corporate offices in West Bengal.
Like other states in India, the head of state of West Bengal is the
Governor, appointed by the
President of India on the advice of the Central government. His or her post is largely ceremonial. The
Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers.
Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal, and houses the
Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) and the secratariat (
Writers' Building). The
Calcutta High Court is located in Kolkata, which has jurisdiction over the whole of West Bengal and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.The present Legislative Assembly of West Bengal is
unicameral, consisting of 295
M.L.A. including one nominated from the
Anglo-Indian community. Its term is 5 years, unless sooner dissolved.The present chief minister is
Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (2006-2011).
West Bengal is home to the world's longest-running democratically-elected
Communist government.
[ BBC article ]List of political parties in the stateLeft Front led by
Communist Party of India (Marxist) has been in power for last 30 years.The other parties in the Left Front are
Communist Party of India,
Forward Bloc,
Revolutionary Socialist Party etc. The major opponents of Left Front are
Indian National Congress and
Trinamool Congress. But they are divided in respect of their ideologist. Extreme left
Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), Bengali nationalist party
Amra Bangalee etc. are also the oppsitions of the ruling Left Front.
*Road Length: 79,255 km including 1715 km NH. (March, 1999)
*Railway Length: 3,697.25 km
*Railways:
Eastern Railway,
South Eastern Railway,
Northeast Frontier Railway,
Kolkata Metro*Main Railway Stations:
Howrah,
Kolkata,
Sealdah,
Malda Town,
Asansol,
Bandel,
Bardhaman,
Kharagpur,
New Jalpaiguri,
Adra,
Naihati,
Dumdum,
Ballygunj,
Kalyani,
Ranaghat,
Katwa,
Siliguri,
Darjeeling*
Kolkata Metro*
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (NFR)*Airports:
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Dum Dum, Calcutta),
Bagdogra, Kalaikunda, Panagarh, Malda, Barrackpur,
Behala,
Balurghat and
Coochbehar, Greenfield International Airport (Proposed).
*Ports:
Kolkata,
Haldia*Roadlines:
Calcutta State Transport Corporation,
North Bengal State Transport Corporation,
South Bengal State Transport Corporation,
West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation,
CTC bus services*Tram lines:
Calcutta Tramways CompanyThe vast majority of the people in West Bengal are the Bengalis. Minorities of
Biharis are scattered throughout the state, and
Sherpa and ethnic Tibetans can be found in regions bordering
Sikkim. The
Nepali-speaking
Gorkhas of
Darjeeling district campaigned for a separate state, and have now obtained autonomy within West Bengal as the
Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
Also called the
cultural capital of India, Bengal is one of the most important cultural hubs of India.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale famously said that, "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow". All 5 Indian Noble Laureates have worked in West Bengal.It is the birthplace of India's only
Nobel laureate in literature,
Rabindranath Tagore. The world famous film director
Satyajit Ray, the only Indian to have won an
Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, was also born here. Apart from this, Bengal gave birth to innumerable well-known poets and writers who have enriched literature ceaselessly. Some prominent members include the above-mentioned
Rabindranath Tagore,
Kazi Nazrul Islam,
Michael Madhusudan Dutt,
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay,
Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Also from West Bengal are the famous Indian playback singer,
Kishore Kumar , legendary actor
Uttam Kumar as well as the world-famous sitarist
Ravi Shankar.
One of the unique identifiers of Bengali Culture is
Durga Puja which is known as
Akalbodhan in Bangla.
Dhoti clad men and women in
sarees are seen everywhere in the city, roaming from one pandal to the other and seeking Ma Durga's blessings.
See also:Famous people of West Bengal, List of people from West BengalMain Article :
Festivals of West BengalThe major fastivals of West Bengal are
Bengali New Year,
Durga Puja,
Rathayatra,
Dolyatra or
Basanta-Utsab,
Christmas etc.
Bengali New YearPohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year Day) is celebrated in West Bengal in a grand manner. This is considered as a very sacred Occasion .
Ganesha is worshipped at every hindu house this day.A variety of fairs, musical concerts etc are also organised during this time.
RathayatraRathayatra or the chariot festival is another important festival of Bengal.
Famous RathajatrasRathayatra of MaheshDurga Puja is the greatest festival of West Bengal. This Festival is Known as
Akalbodhan in
Bengal.
Schools in West Bengal are either run by the state government or by private (occasionally religious) 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. Under the
10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enrol for 2 years in a
junior college (also known as a pre-university) or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. They choose from one of three streams —
liberal arts,
commerce, or
science. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enrol in general or professional degree programs.Also the state has many higher education institutes of national importance including IIT Kharagpur,IIM Calcutta, NIT Durgapur,
Jadavpur University, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, University of Calcutta, Indian Association for Cultivation of Science and ISI Kolkata. Also there is a plan to open an IISER for furthering education in basic sciences.
*
Television:Most national and important regional TV channels are available through cable in West Bengal.
Here's a list of the popular local
Bangla T.V. Channels.
Bangla News Channels*
STAR Ananda*
Kolkata TV*
24 Ghonta*
Tara NewzBangla Music Channels*
Tara Muzik*
Sangit BanglaBangla Entertainment*
DD Bangla*
Zee-Bangla*
ETV-Bangla*
Akash Bangla*
Newspapers559 newspapers were published from West Bengal in 2005 as per the Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI). Of these 430 were in Bangla. Ananda Bazar Patrika, published from Kolkata with 11,30,167 copies, has the largest circulation for a single edition, regional language newspaper in India.
Football (soccer) had been the most popular sport in the state, but it is lately being overshadowed by the game of
cricket.
* Football Clubs :
Mohun Bagan,
East Bengal,
Sporting Union,
Tollygunge Agragami,
Mohammedan Sporting etc.
*
Bengal*
Bengali cuisine*
List of people from West Bengal*
Music of West Bengal*
Kolkata*
Paschimbanga Bangla Academy*
Rabindranath Tagore
*
Official website of Government of West Bengal*
Information about West Bengal in Bengali
