| India Tourism - Destination India - West Bengal Tour | ||||||||||||||||||
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| WEST BENGAL INFORMATION :- | ||||||||||||||||||
| West Bengal is a land of natural beauty, The Capital of Kolkata exquisite lyrical poetry and enthusiastic people. Situated in the east of India, West Bengal is stretches from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the South. This state shares international boundaries with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Hence it is a strategically important place. The state is interlocked by the other states like Sikkim, Assam, Orissa and Bihar. Hooghly and its tributaries - Mayurakshi, Damodar, Kangsabati and the Rupnarayan, enrich the soils of Bengal. The northern districts of Bengal like Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar (in the Himalayas ranges) are watered by the rivers Tista, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Ranjit. From the northern places (feet of Himalayas) to the tropical forests of Sunderbans, West Bengal is a land of incessant beauty. | ||||||||||||||||||
| WEST BENGAL FACTS AND FIGURES :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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WEST BENGAL HISTORY :- |
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| Bengal finds a coveted
place even in pre-historic times. At the time of
Alexander’s invasion a powerful kingdom called
Gangaridai ruled over Bengal. Ascendancy of the Guptas
and the Mauryas had somewhat little effect on Bengal.
Later Sasanka became the king of Bengal and is said to
have played an important role in the early half of the
seventh century. He was succeeded by Gopala who founded
the Pala dynasty which ruled for centuries and had
created a huge empire. The Palas were followed by the
Sena dynasty which was ended by Muslim rulers from
Delhi. Bengal was ruled by various Muslim rulers and
governors till the Mughal period in sixteenth century. After the Mughals, history of Modern Bengal began with advent of European and English traders. Battle of Plassey in 1757 changed the course of history when the English first gained a strong foothold in Bengal and India. In 1905 it was partitioned to achieve some political returns but people’s growing movement under the auspices of the Congress led to the reunion in 1911. This triggered off hectic movement for freedom which culminated with Independence in 1947, and partition. After 1947, the merger of native settlement began which ended with its final reorganization in 1956 (as per Recommendation of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956) when some Bengali speaking areas of a neighbouring state was transferred to West Bengal. |
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| WEST BENGAL TOURIST ATTRACTIONS :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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| WEST BENGAL FAIRS AND FESTIVALS :- | ||||||||||||||||||
| The most important of festival in West Bengal is Durga Puja, held in autumn. In the past era, it was organised and financed by the landlords and the business barons and was participated by all sections of people. Gangasagar Mela, Jalpesh Mela, Vasanta Utsav, Rathayatra, Jhapan, BeraUtsav, Deepavali, Rash Mela, Jagaddhatri Puja, Teesta Tea & Tourism Festival, Poush Mela, Vishnupur Festival. | ||||||||||||||||||
| HOW TO REACH WEST BENGAL :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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By Air : West Bengal is very well connected with
the national and international air network. The
international (Netaji Subhash International Airport) and
domestic airports of Calcutta are at Dumdum, located 15
km from the city center. The Bagdogra airport at
Siliguri connects the state with places in and around
the state. Three more airports, namely, Balurghat,
Coochbehar and Malda also operate scheduled domestic
flights. By Rail : West Bengal runs a major railway network that connects the rest of the country. Kharagpur railway station has the longest railway platform in India. Moreover, the Howrah railway station is one of the most accessed railway heads in India. New Jalpaiguri railhead connects the rest of the country to Darjeeling by toy trains. By Road : West Bengal is also well connected by means of national as well as state highways with major places of interest in and around the state. The state transport corporation runs regular buses connecting these places. There are also private tour operators that provide luxury coaches to access the nearby places of importance. |
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| WEST BENGAL CITIES :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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| WEST BENGAL HOTELS :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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| WEST BENGAL WILDLIFE AND BIRDS :- | ||||||||||||||||||
| West Bengal has the best of wildlife preservation centres. Sunderbans, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Raijang Bird Sanctuary are home to many endangered species of animals and birds. West Bengal has a distinction of sheltering more than 270 Royal Bengal tigers. The Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary hosts second highest number of Indian Rhinos in India, after the Kaziranga in Assam. West Bengal’s wildlife offers a fascinating diversity of terrain, flora and fauna. It is a delight for nature lovers. The Sunderbans have been declared a world heritage site. | ||||||||||||||||||
| WEST BENGAL ARTS AND CRAFTS :- | ||||||||||||||||||
| West Bengal has always played a prominent role in the field of art and culture, giving birth to a large number of modern movements in literature, painting, sculpture, theatre and cinema as well as in politics, science and industry. Kolkata is appropriately regarded as the cultural capital of India for the immense contribution and leadership of the state in the fields of literature, art, theatre and films in particular. The multifaceted art and culture of West Bengal find manifestation in various forms. Most worth mention are : -Songs of Bengal including Bhatiali, Bhauaiah, Baul, devotional Ramprasadi songs, Padabali Kirtan, Bhajan, Toppa, Baithaki, Adhunik, Rabindra Sangeet, songs ofAtulprasad and Dwijendralal, Najrul Geeti and the dhrupadi style of music Group Theatre, Art Film, Dance-drama of Rabindranath Tagore. Dance of different styles and art including the masked Chhau, Rava, Mech and Santali dances most of which are performed by tribals and ethnic groups, Jatra (traditional theatrical performance), Gombhira (satirical theatrical performance), Tarja and Kabigan (poetic contest presented in the form of song).Poetry, novels, short stories and essays published in innumerable periodicals and little magazines all over the state. Book Fairs are among the most passionate cultural events not only in Kolkata but at numerous places in the state. Painting and sculpture, exhibitions on which are regularly held in several Halls and Art galleries. Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore's Santiniketan is famous all over the world as a seat of learning, art and culture based on Indian tradition and Tagore's philosophy. West Bengal boasts of a rich heritage of art & craft including Handicrafts made from brass, bell metal, conchshell, shola (pith), bamboo, jute, cane, cotton and grass. Terracotta figurines and horses of Bankura made of burnt clay or wood Dhokra figurines of Bankura-Birbhum-Puruliya Painted clay plaques of Kalighat Clay models ofKrishnanagar Leather bags of Sriniketan Wood carvings and semi- precious stone jewellery - Masks of Puruliya and Darjiling Handloom Sarees, Specially Jammdani Sarees of dhatrigram, Kalna, Samudragarh, Santipur - Phulia and Baluchari sarees of Vishnupur Kantha Stitch handiwork Bewitching range of gold, silver and diamond jewellery. | ||||||||||||||||||
| WEST BENGAL SOCIETY AND CULTURE :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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About three quarters of the population lives in the
villages. Of the different religions, Hinduism, with its
substrata of castes and aboriginal tribes, claims the
adherence of more than three-fourths the population,
most of the remainder being Muslim. 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. Bengalis have always fostered literature, art, music, and drama. Bengali literature dates to before the 12th century. The Caitanya movement, an intensely emotional form of Hinduism inspired by the medieval saint Caitanya (1485-1533), shaped the subsequent development of Bengali poetry until the early 19th century, when contact with the West sparked a vigorous creative synthesis. The modern period has produced, among others, the Nobel prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), whose contribution still dominates the Indian literary scene. Bengal also boasts of three other Nobel prize winners, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen and Satyajit Ray. Jamini Roy, Uday Shankar, Bimal Mitra and Tarashankar Banerjee all belong to this culturally rich land. 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. |
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| WEST BENGAL ECONOMY AND INFRASTRUCTURE :- | ||||||||||||||||||
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Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the state's income,
and nearly three out of four persons in the state are
directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. The
state accounted for 66.5 percent of the country's jute
production including mesta in 1993-94, and 22.2 percent
of tea production during the same period. Important
crops of the state include potatoes, oilseeds, betelvine,
tobacco, wheat, barley and maize. The state also
occupies a leading position among principal rice growing
states of India, by contributing 15.3 percent of the
total production of rice in the country. 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. |
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| WEST BENGAL SHOPPING :- | ||||||||||||||||||
| Kolkata ( Calcutta ) like the other metro's, offers an enthusiastic shopper a range of commodities that suit every budget. There are a lot of markets or malls selling all kinds of wares from Bengal's very own Tant and Baluchari sarees in cotton and silk, Bengal handlooms with their beautiful workmanship in popular styles such as Daccai or Thangail Jamdani work, handicrafts including brass figurines and the famous Bankura horse, leather items at reasonable rates, intricate gold and silver jewelry, electronic goods, Chinese imported goods in China town and others at good bargains. | ||||||||||||||||||
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