Bengal region in East India and Bangladesh, on the Bay of Bengal. The
inland section is mountainous with peaks up to 3,660 m high in the northwest but
most of Bengal is the fertile land of the Ganges-Brahmaputra alluvial plains and
delta. Along the coast are richly timbered jungles, swamps, and islands. The
heavy monsoon rainfall and predominantly warm weather make possible two harvests
a year.
Its main inhabitants are Bengalis who are emotional and artistic and have
been sometimes called the Irish of India. They were also the first to react to
the intellectual and political stimulus of the West. Some of Bengal's proud sons
are the liberal thinker Raja Ram Mohan Roy, the saint Sri Ramakrishna, the
renowned philosopher Swami Vivekananda, Nobel literature laureate Rabindranath
Tagore and celebrated film maker Satyajit Ray. A land of aesthetes and political
activists, West Bengal is famous for its many eminent writers, poets, artists,
spiritualists, social reformers, freedom fighters and revolutionaries.
West Bengal is distinctively mared for its unique and variegated tourism
resources. All over from the snow capped peaks of the East Himalayas to the sand
and surf of the bay of Bengal. From a grand historical legacy and centuries old
culture to a modern cooercialism from a wealth of wildlife to a serene yet
vibrant country life.
West Bengal is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse states of
India. The people of West Bengal inherit their identity and aspiration from the
larger Indian mosaic and from civilizations beyond the shore. Different
ethnicity, religion, languages and culture adds to this rich landscape and
unifies the people instead of separating them.
West Bengal has 18 districts and Calcutta serves as the state capital.
Calcutta, on-the-Hooghly, retains the aura of days long gone, weaving the past
and the present, the intense and the fun loving into a charming fabric.
Calcutta is the gateway to Eastern India. A city with a rich heritage, bustling
streets and bewildering variety of facets. From October to March, Calcutta wears
a radiant look. Sunshine, mild winter, lights, colours, fairs, festivals, galas
and excursions, the mood is infectious and spirit sweeping.
The state is well-known for its superb arts ad crafts made of silk, ivory,
shola, conchshell, dhokra and beautiful clay models. Also worth-mentioning are
Baluchari saris and the famous woollen carpets, blankets as well as knitted
garments.
15 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 5 National Parks and 2 Tiger Reserves provide a home
for the State's wildlife - Tigers, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinoceros, Indian
Bison, Sloth Bear, Himalayan Black Bear, Sambar, Cheetal, Hog-deer, Barking
deer, Wild Boar, Saltwater Crocodiles, Common Langur and Rhesus Monkeys. Bird
life also abounds and some of the last remaining water bodies harbour a large
population of local migratory birds during the winter months.
Lying in the eastern end of Gangetic plain, and extending from the
magnanimous Himalayan mountains to the Bay of Bengal, West Bengal has been
subjected to a variety of influences from diverse cultures. Since time
immemorial, the culmination of these varied cultures along with Bengal's very
own ever-growing richness has given birth to a unique Bengali culture which can
be identified by its colourful and significant contribution to all epochs of
traditional and modern society.