46-617: The West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation Limited (WBTDCL) is a state government agency which promotes tourism in West Bengal under Department of Tourism (West Bengal) , India . It was incorporated on 29 April 1974 under the Companies Act, 1956. The Board of Directors is appointed by the State Government and in terms of Notification no. 71-TW/IT-162/74, dt. 21.01.2014 issued by Tourism Department, Govt. of WB,
92-581: A daughter of Keshab Chandra Sen of Calcutta. Immediately after marriage, he left for England for higher studies. He was the father of four sons and three daughters: sons Rajendra Narayan (b.1882), Jitendra Narayan (b.1886), Victor Nityendra Narayan (b.1888), and Hitendra Narayan (b.1890), and daughters Sukriti Devi (b.1884), Pratibha Devi (b.1891), Sudhira Devi (b.1894). Of his sons, Rajendra and Jitendra later became Maharajas of Cooch Behar. Gayatri Devi and Ila Devi were daughters of his son Jitendra. His eldest daughter, Sukriti (Princess Garlie),
138-411: A doughy wrapping served with a watery vegetable soup and spicy tomato sauce/chutney. Wai-Wai is a favourite packaged snack of Darjeeling hills comprising noodles which are eaten either dry or with soup. Churpee , a kind of hard cheese made from cow or yak 's milk, is another popular mini-snack that is both nutritious and a pastime. A form of noodle called thukpa , served with soup and vegetables,
184-676: A great enthusiast of cricket and promoted Cooch Behar team and would invite top quality players from all over the world. He had a cricket ground at his palace in Cooch Behar and also promoted one ground at Alipore in Calcutta . His team and team of Maharaja of Natore were rivals in cricket in Bengal . He was also an enthusiast of football in Bengal as one of the supporters of Mohun Bagan . The Nripendra Narayan Memorial High School
230-583: A heritage in North Indian classical music . " Rabindrasangeet ", songs composed and set into tune by Rabindranath Tagore, and " Nazrul geeti " (by Kazi Nazrul Islam) are popular. Also prominent are other musical forms like Dwijendralal , Atulprasad and Rajanikanta 's songs and "adhunik" or modern music from films and other composers. However, since the early 1990s, there has been an emergence and popularisation of new genres of music, including fusions of Baul and jazz by several Bangla bands , as well as
276-501: A kind of sweet cake, bread or dim sum are specialties of winter season. Sweets like coconut-naru, til-naru, moa, and payesh are prepared during the festival of Lakshmi puja. Popular street food includes aloor chop , beguni , kati roll and phuchka . Apart from the major Hindu religious festivals like Diwali , Christmas, Dussera , Holi , Ram Navami , the diverse ethnic populace of Darjeeling Himalayan hill region celebrates several local festivals. The Tibetan ethnic groups like
322-608: A law in 1884. In the year 1888, for the betterment of higher studies in his own state, he established the Victoria College now known as A.B.N. Seal College . Further, in the name of his queen, Suniti Devi , he set up a girls school called Suniti College in 1881 which was later named Suniti Academy . In 1883 he constructed the Nripendra Narayan Hall in Jalpaiguri city and in 1887 granted land for
368-423: A long tradition of popular literature, music and drama largely based on Bengali folklore and Hindu epics and Puranas . The Baul tradition is a unique heritage of Bengali folk music, which has also been influenced by regional music traditions. Other folk music forms include Gombhira and Bhawaiya . Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara , a one-stringed instrument. West Bengal also has
414-531: A number of idols. It is one of the seven wonders in Kolkata. Bengal is also well known for its variety of handwoven Sarees. It is home to exquisite sarees such as Jamdani Sarees, Baluchari Sarees, Kantha stitch Sarees, Tussar Silk Sarees, Muslin Sarees and Matka Sarees. These variety of handwoven sarees in a single place is a rarity in today's modern times. Rice and fish are traditional favourite foods, leading to
460-571: A reserve project conserving the endangered Bengal tiger , although the forest hosts many other endangered species, such as the Gangetic dolphin , river terrapin and estuarine crocodile . The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal. Recognizing its special conservation value, Sundarban area has been declared as a Biosphere Reserve . The culture of West Bengal attracts tourists from around
506-485: A saying in Bengali, machhe bhate bangali ( Bengali language : মাছে ভাতে বাঙালী ) that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali". Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favourite among Bengalis. There are numerous ways of cooking fish depending on the texture, size, fat content and bones. Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. It
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#1732788028593552-421: A tradition of folk drama known as jatra . West Bengal has been the harbinger of modernism in fine arts. Kolkata was also the workplace of several social reformers, like Raja Ram Mohan Ray, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda. These social reforms have eventually led to a cultural atmosphere where practices like sati, dowry and caste-based discrimination or untouchability, the evils that crept into
598-516: Is above 1,500 metres (4,900 ft), temperate-forest trees such as oaks , conifers , and rhododendrons predominate. Wildlife include Indian rhinoceros , Indian elephant , deer, bison , leopard , gaur , tiger and crocodiles, as well as many bird species. Migratory birds come to the state during the winter. The high-altitude forests of Singalila National Park shelter barking deer , red panda , chinkara , takin , serow , pangolin , minivet and Kalij pheasants . The Sundarbans are noted for
644-605: Is also famous among tourist, it is situated in Southern Part of West Bengal West Bengal has 3.26% of its geographical area under protected areas comprising 15 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 national parks – Sundarbans National Park , Buxa Tiger Reserve , Gorumara National Park , Neora Valley National Park , Singalila National Park , and Jaldapara National Park . West Bengal also has wildlife sanctuaries and bird sanctuaries like Chintamani Kar Bird Sanctuary and Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary . As of 2009, recorded forest area in
690-432: Is an ancient custom among both Hindu and Muslim Bengalis to distribute sweets during festivities. The confectionery industry has flourished because of its close association with social and religious ceremonies. Competition and changing tastes have helped to create many new sweets. Bengalis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including rôshogolla , chômchôm , kalojam and several kinds of sondesh . Pitha ,
736-669: Is currently non-existent. Only ruins are found in these places. Instead, Sringeri in Karnataka is believed to be the Shakti Peeth of this aspect of the Goddess. Other than the shaktipeethas many other famous temples also exist. They are the famous Belur Math , Mayapur ISKCON Temple , Hangseshwari Temple , Tarakeshwar Temple , Thakurnagar Thakur Ari Temple, Baranagar Math and Dakshineswar Kali Temple . There are countless mosques in West Bengal but some of them are famous like
782-511: Is home to a thriving cinema industry , dubbed "Tollywood". Tollygunj e in Kolkata is the location of numerous Bengali movie studios, and the name "Tollywood" (similar to Hollywood and Bollywood ) is derived from that name. The Bengali film industry is well known for its art films , and has produced acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray and actors like Uttam Kumar and singers like Arijit Singh . Among other types of theatre, West Bengal has
828-527: Is popular in and around the hills of Darjeeling. Chhang and tongba are local alcoholic beverages made from millet . West Bengal attracts tourists for pilgrimages to the holy places of different religions. People from different sections of the world come to West Bengal for holy pilgrimages as Kolkata is one of the four adi Shaktipeethas . Among the other 52 shaktipeethas , some are located in West Bengal. They are as follows: Only one Maha Shaktipeethas , known as Pradyumna, existed. This temple
874-683: The Nizamat Imambara in Murshidabad , Katra Mosque which is also in Murshidabad, Furfura Sharif and Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque on Chowringhee Road in Kolkata. There are many Gurudwaras in West Bengal like Gurudwara Bari Sangat in Kolkata, Gurudwara Chhoti Sangat, Gurudwara Nima Serai Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur, Gurudwara Sikh Sangat and Gurudwara Liluah Belur Sikh Sangat in Liluah . There are also many churches in West Bengal like
920-707: The Basilica of the Holy Rosary in Bandel , St. John's Church , St. Jame's Church ( Jora Girja ), St. Paul's Cathedral and Church of the Lord Jesus . There are also many Buddhist monasteries in West Bengal, especially in the hilly regions, like the Ghoom Monastery , Bhutia Busty Monastery , Mag-Dhog Yolmowa Monastery , Tharpa Choling Monastery and Zang Dhok Palri Phodang . NDTV along with
966-698: The Bay of Bengal in the south. The coastal strip of West Bengal, extending from the Gangetic Delta to the border of Odisha , has some scenic coastal settlements, such as Digha , Shankarpur , Mandarmani , Bakkhali , Gangasagar and Tajpur . Some of these have beaches which are hard enough for cars to drive on. There are many hill stations in North West Bengal, of which Darjeeling is world-famous. Others are Kurseong , Kalimpong , Rimbick , Lava and Loleygaon , Mirik and Sandakfu . Bagmundi
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#17327880285931012-561: The Ministry of Tourism , Government of India , conducted a nationwide campaign for searching the "Seven Wonders of India" in 2008–09. The campaign started with shortlisting 200 places from all of the Indian states and then inviting the public to cast their vote for their favourites. It also included seven wonders of particular states. In West Bengal a total 13 were selected of which the "Seven Wonders of West Bengal" were shortlisted. The list of
1058-607: The Second Hooghly Bridge ( Vidyasagar Setu ) are iconic of Kolkata. Aside from colonial and heritage buildings, there are also high rising monuments and skyscrapers in the city. There are also a couple of cemeteries established by the British when Kolkata was the capital of British India . These include the South Park Street Cemetery and Scottish Cemetery . The River Ganga flows through
1104-483: The 30 selected places are as follows: The shortlisted list, compiling of the "Seven Wonders of West Bengal" as per the votings is as follows: Nripendra Narayan Maharaja Nripendra Narayan (4 October 1862 – 18 September 1911) was the Maharaja of the princely state of Cooch Bihar , India , from 1863 to 1911. Nripendra Narayan was only ten months old when his father, Narendra Narayan , died in 1863. He
1150-528: The Bay of Bengal. Kolkata and Haldia are the principal Indian seaports on the delta. The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden or Calcutta Botanical Garden (previously known as Indian Botanic Garden) is the largest and oldest reserve of greeneries of its kind in Southeast Asia . It is also a premier institution for botanical and horticultural research in India. The garden is situated on
1196-686: The Bengalla Delta) is in the South Asia region of Bengal , consisting of West Bengal and its neighbouring country of Bangladesh . It is the world's largest delta, and empties into the Bay of Bengal . It is one of the most fertile regions in the world, thus earning the nickname "The Green Delta". It stretches from the Hooghly River on the west to the Meghna River on the east. It is approximately 350 km (220 mi) across at
1242-601: The Board of Directors is reconstituted and is composed of the following. WBTDC manages lodges and hotels in 28 locations across the state of West Bengal . Tourism in West Bengal West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous state . The state capital is Kolkata . The state encompasses two broad natural regions : the Gangetic Plain in
1288-520: The Hindu society, were abolished. Kumortuli is a famous tourist attraction in Kolkata. It is traditionally a potters' quarter in North Kolkata. By virtue of their artistic productions these potters have moved from obscurity to prominence. This Kolkata neighbourhood not only supplies clay idols of Hindu gods and goddesses to barowari pujas in Kolkata and its neighbourhoods, but also exports
1334-605: The Lepchas, Bhutias, Gurungs, and Tamangs celebrate new year called Losar in January/February, Maghe Sankranti , Chotrul Duchen , Buddha Jayanti and Tendong Lho Rumfaat , to name a few, which provide the "regional distinctness" of Darjeeling's local culture from the rest of West Bengal. A popular food in Darjeeling is the momo , a steamed dumpling containing either mutton, pork, beef or vegetables cooked in
1380-625: The Sundarbans is the ubiquitous sundari ( Heritiera fomes ), from which the forest gets its name. The distribution of vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and precipitation . For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, the Dooars , are densely wooded with Sal and other tropical evergreen trees. However, above an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), the forest becomes predominantly subtropical. In Darjeeling, which
1426-668: The construction of the Lowis Jubilee Sanitarium in Darjeeling . He also established the India Club at Calcutta in 1882. He also established the Anandamayi Dharmasala for distribution of free foods for poor at Cooch Behar in 1889. He founded in Cooch Behar, the botanical garden – Narendra Narayan Park in 1892. He was also the first president of Calcutta Club founded in 1907. Maharaja was
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1472-419: The emergence of Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism). Bengali dance forms draw from folk traditions, especially those of the tribal groups, as well as the broader Indian dance traditions. Chau dance of Purulia is a rare form of mask dance. West Bengal is known for Bengali folk music such as baul and kirtans and gajan , and modern songs including Bengali " adhunik " (modern) songs. The state
1518-592: The layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and to a much lesser extent, by the Portuguese and French. Currently Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is the brand ambassador of West Bengal Tourism. The promotional films on West Bengal starring Shah Rukh Khan have been directed by Indian National Award winning filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury . The state of West Bengal has significant architectural and natural heritage. The capital of
1564-645: The northern extreme of the state, the highest peak of the state Sandakphu (3,636 m or 11,929 ft) and the Sundarbans mangrove forests in the extreme south. During the British colonial era from 1700 to 1912, Kolkata was the capital of British India and witnessed a spate of frenzied construction of buildings, largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Neo-Gothic, Baroque, Neo-Classical, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism,
1610-566: The park entrance next to the Bexhill Museum until 1963, when it was removed for restoration. It was stored in Bexhill Cemetery for a while but then subsequently disappeared. Its current whereabouts is unknown. Bexhill-on-Sea's historical society has produced a booklet "Bexhill's maharajah" summarising Nripendra's connections with Bexhill. He banned the practice of slave-keeping ( Kritadas Pratha ) in his State by introducing
1656-481: The public. They include various weapons, oil paintings of Dutch, French and Italian artists, marble statues, rare books, old maps, land revenue records and palanquins (mostly belonging to 18th and 19th centuries). Cooch Behar Palace built in 1887, was designed on the model of Buckingham Palace in London, during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan . The Victoria Memorial , Howrah Bridge ( Rabindra Setu ) and
1702-527: The south and the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan area in the north. The tourism in West Bengal is maintained by WBTDCL , a state government owned enterprise. West Bengal is located on the eastern bottleneck of India stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. Some of India's most preferred travel destinations like; the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in
1748-485: The state is 11,879 km (4,587 sq mi) which is 13.38% of the state's geographical area, compared to the national average of 21.02%. Part of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans , is located in southern West Bengal. The southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. The coastal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation. A notable tree from
1794-412: The state, Kolkata is also known as the "City of Palaces". It is also known as the "City of Joy" as coined by French author Dominique Lappierre through his synonymous book. West Bengal is famous for its terracotta temples of Bishnupur . Hazarduari Palace , a tourist attraction, is known to have the second largest chandelier in the world and also the largest staircase in India. This three-storey palace
1840-754: The state. World heritage sites in West Bengal include the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Sundarbans National Park . Neora Valley National Park , which is one of the richest biological zones in the entire Northeast, situated in the Kalimpong subdivision under Darjeeling District , is in West Bengal. The Ganges Delta (also known as the Ganges–Brahmaputra Delta, the Sunderbans Delta, or
1886-995: The west bank of the River Hooghly in Shibpur , Howrah , nearly 8 km from center of city Kolkata. Located here is the Great Banyan Tree . It was the widest tree in the world in terms of the area of its canopy and is estimated to be about 200 to 250 years old. It became diseased after it was struck by lightning, so in 1925 the middle of the tree was excised to keep the remainder healthy. West Bengal also has some more geographical indications like Nakshi Kantha (handicraft), Darjeeling tea (agricultural), Santipore saree (handicraft), Shantiniketan leather goods (handicraft), Fazli mango (agricultural), Khirsapati or Himsagar mango (agricultural), Laxman Bhog mango (agricultural), Baluchari saree (handicraft) and Dhaniakhali saree (handicraft). West Bengal stretches to
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1932-617: The world. It has its roots in literature , music , fine arts, drama and cinema . The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region shows a different cultural aspect. Rabindranath Tagore is Asia's first Nobel laureate and composer of India's national anthem . Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in introducing Vedanta and Yoga in Europe and the USA. They all belong from West Bengal, and their houses and residencies like Shantiniketan and Jorasanko Thakur Bari attract many tourists. West Bengal also has
1978-644: Was built in 1837 by Duncan McLeod for Nawab Nazim Humaun Jah , the then Nawab of Bengal . The palace was built in the Indo-European style. It derives its name from the thousand doors in the palace (among which only 900 are real). In 1985, the palace was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for better preservation. The Hazarduari Palace Museum is regarded as the biggest site museum of ASI and has 20 displayed galleries containing 4742 antiquities, 1034 of which are displayed for
2024-564: Was crowned maharaja in the same year. Since he was still an infant, the administration was handed over to the commissioner appointed by the British Governor General. His elder brother became the Raja of Chitaranjan and Rupnarayanpur, the land of their ancestors. He studied at Wards Institute at Benaras , thereafter, at Bankipur College, Patna and lastly law at Presidency College, Calcutta . In 1878 he married Suniti Devi ,
2070-914: Was married to Jotsnya Nath Ghosal the nephew of the Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore . Jitendra Narayan was married to Princess Indira Devi of Baroda . His second daughter Prativa Sundari Devi married English actor, film director and author Miles Mander in 1912. His third daughter Sudhira Sundari Devi married in 1914 Alan Mander, brother of Miles. Nripendra died at the English coastal resort of Bexhill-on-Sea in September 1911. His funeral took place in Bexhill on 21 September 1911. The Maharajah had come to Bexhill to convalesce after leaving Moor Hall , Ninfield . One of his daughters had recently drowned. A memorial drinking fountain dedicated to Nripendra
2116-692: Was opened by his second son, Maharaja Kumar Jitendra on 18 September 1913 (jitendra has just succeeded to the throne of Cooch Behar after the death of his older brother Rajendra). The fountain originally stood to the side of the Coastguards Cottages on the present site of the De La Warr Pavilion. When the cottages were demolished in 1934 to make way for the Pavilion, the fountain was re-erected in Egerton Park. It stood near to
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