West Bengal
West Bengal
Capital City: Kolkatta
Population: 91,347,736
Area : 88,752 square kms
Average Climate: The climate is tropical savanna in Southern areas & Humid in the northern areas. Highest temperature in summer varies around 38 °C (100 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F). Winter (December–January) has minimum temperature of 15 °C (59 °F).
Best time to visit: West Bengal is visited throughout the year, although the best time to experience best is between October to March.
Situated in the east of India, West Bengal shares its borders with the states of Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Sikkim. It also shares international borders with the countries of Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. The capital city of West Bengal is Kolkata. Ganges is the main river system of West Bengal and also forms a delta at the mouth of the Bay of Bengal.
West Bengal is also popular for the Sundarbans Mangrove Forests, which form a major landmark at the Ganges Delta. The state has 15 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 national parks. The popular ones are Buxa Tiger Reserve, Sundarbans National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Gorumara National Park and Singalila National Park. These parks and sanctuaries are inhabited by a wide variety of exotic flora and fauna like, Red Panda, Barking Deer, Gangetic Dolphin and Bengal Tiger. Because of its special conservational values, the Sundarbans have been declared as an important Biosphere Reserve.
Bengal has witnessed the rule of various Vedic kingdoms, like the Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Pala Empire and Sena Dynasty, after which came the British Rule. The historic battle of Plassey was fought and only after their victory in this battle could the British cement their hold on this state. And since then, Kolkata (then named Calcutta) became the capital of the British India for several years. There are various historical sites which are worth visiting in West Bengal, such as, Chandraketu’s Fort, 26 Siva Temples, Warren Hasting’s House, Dalmadal Gun, Cooch Behar Palace, Victoria’s Memorial, and Metcalfe House.
West Bengal has a rich cultural heritage that varies from literature to music and dance to fine arts. Famous authors and poets like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyaya, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Mahashweta Devi have all originated from West Bengal. The Father of Modern Indian Art, Abanindranath Tagore started the Bengal School of Art here. Various social reformers like Raja Ram Mohun Roy, Swami Vivekananda and Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar made West Bengal their workplaces. Several religious teachers of the past have also made this region their home, like Parmahansa Yogananda, Chaitanya and Ramakrishna Prabhupada. Durga Puja is the most important festival in West Bengal, which is celebrated with great zeal and fervor and is a sight to behold.
