NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Cooch Behar District

Coordinates: 26°12′N 89°00′E / 26.2, 89 , West Bengal (Bengali: à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— PoshchimbÃ´Å‹go) is a state in eastern India. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links India_West_Bengal_locator_map. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Location of Mirzapur and the 82. ... The divisions of a district. ... For other uses see Cooch Behar (disambiguation) Cooch Behar (Bengali: à¦•à§‹à¦šà¦¬à¦¿à¦¹à¦¾à¦° Pronunciation: kOOch bÄhÃ¤r`) is the district headquarters and the largest town of Cooch Behar District of Indian state of West Bengal. ... Licence plates on the back of a taxi in Kolkata. ... ISO 3166-2 is the second part of the ISO 3166 standard. ... ISO 3166-2 for India (ISO 3166-1 : IN) The purpose of this family of standards is to establish a worldwide series of short abbreviations for places, for use on package labels, containers and such. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Cooch Behar (Bengali : কোচবিহার) is a district of the state of West Bengal, India, as well as the name of the town which gives its name to the district. During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Narayan dynasty. In course of time, Cooch Behar has been transformed from a kingdom to a state and from a state to the present status of a district. Before 28 August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely state ruled by the king of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British Government. By an agreement dated 28th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar ceded full and extensive authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India. The transfer of administration of the state to the Govt. of India came into force on 12 September 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 19 January 1950 and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new District in the administrative map of West Bengal. Image File history File links Coochbehar_district. ... Image File history File links Coochbehar_district. ... , West Bengal (Bengali: à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— PoshchimbÃ´Å‹go) is a state in eastern India. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... A princely state is any state under the reign of a prince and is thus a principality taken in the broad sense. ... is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... , West Bengal (Bengali: à¦ªà¦¶à§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— PoshchimbÃ´Å‹go) is a state in eastern India. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Etymology

The name "Cooch-Behar" is derived from the name of the Koch tribe that is indigenous to this area. The word "Behar" is the Sanskrit word "bihar" (to travel) which means the land through which the "Koch" Kings used to travel or roam about ("bihar"). The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

The great Koch King that has ever ruled in the Kingdom of Kamatapur is Lord Naranarayan, as well as his younger brother Prince Chilaray. The Historical Kamatapur Comprises of the total North Bengal maximum parts of Assam, some parts of present Bangladesh and a few parts of Bhutan. The Koch-Rajbongshi community is demanding a separate state of their own in order to save their century-old glorious culture from extinction. They are demanding a separate state within the boundary of India comprising the parts of their old Kingdom i.e Kamatapur.

The District at a Glance

Geographical Location and Details

Latitude: 25°57'47" to 26°36'2" North
Longitude: 89°54'35" to 88°47'44" East
Total area: 3387 km square

Cooch Behar is a district under the Jalpaiguri Division of the state of West Bengal. Cooch Behar is located in the north-eastern part of the state and bounded by the district of Jalpaiguri in the north, state of Assam in the east and by Bangladesh in the west as well as in the south. The district forms part of the Himalayan Terai of West Bengal. Jalpaiguri (Bengali:à¦œà¦²à¦ªà¦¾à¦‡à¦—à§à¦¡à¦¼à¦¿) is a town in the state of West Bengal, India. ... Assam (Assamese: à¦…à¦¸à¦® Ã”xÃ´m) is a north eastern state of India with its capital at Dispur, a part of Guwahati. ... The Terai, or Tarai (i. ...

A geopolitical curiosity is that there are 92 Bangladeshi exclaves, with a total area of 47.7 km² in Cooch-Behar. Similarly, there are 106 Indian exclaves inside Bangladesh, with a total area of 69.5 km². Twenty-one of the Bangladeshi exclaves are within Indian exclaves, and three of the Indian exclaves are within Bangladeshi exclaves. The largest Indian exclave, Balapara Khagrabari, surrounds a Bangladeshi exclave, Upanchowki Bhajni, which itself surrounds an Indian exclave called Dahala Khagrabari, of less than one hectare. D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ...

Soil

Being the district near to the Eastern Himalayan foot hills, after rains in the catchment area of each of the rivers generally attain strong current and spate over adjacent area. The turbulent water carries sand, silt, fables, which causes lot of problem in productivity as well as hydrology. The soil is formed by alluvial deposit and acidic in nature. It is friable loam to sandy loam ranging in depth from 0.15 to 1 meter. Soil has a low level of nitrogen while potassium and phosphorus levels are medium. Deficiency of Bo, Zn, Ca, Mg, S is quite high.

Rivers and Topography

Cooch Behar is a flat country with a slight south-eastern slope along which the main rivers of the district flow. Most of the high land areas are in the Sitalkuchi region and most of the low lying lands lie in Dinhata region.

The rivers in the district of Cooch Behar generally flow in a slanting course from north-west to south-east. Six rivers that cut through the district are Teesta , Jaldhaka, Torsha, Kaljani, Raidak and Gadadhar. The Teesta River is one of the most scenic rivers in Eastern India. ... A river originating in the eastern Himalayas. ... The Torsa or Torsha river is the second largest river in the North Bengal region after the Teesta River. ... Raidak is a major river in Bhutan. ...

Climate

The district of Cooch Behar has a moderate type of climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoon and slight rainfall in the month of October to mid-November. The district does not have high temperatures at any time of the year. The summer season is from April to May with April being the hottest month with mean daily maximum of 32.5 °C and mean daily minimum of 20.2 °C. The winter season lasts from end-November to February, with January being the coldest month with temperature ranging from 10.4 °C to 24.1 °C, The recorded temperature minimum is 3.9 °C and respective recorded maximum is 39.9 °C. The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year, except the period from February to May, when the relative humidity is as less as 50 to 70%. The rainy season lasts from June to September. The district's average annual rainfall is 3,201 mm.

Flora and fauna

The flora here constitutes among others palms, bamboos, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetable, fruit trees, etc.
In absence of large forest area in the district, except at Patlakhawa, not many species of animal are found though there are many wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Animal reserves in the neighboring Jalpaiguri district and Alipurduar subdivision of Jalpaiguri which are not very far from the district. Jalpaiguri (Bengali:à¦œà¦²à¦ªà¦¾à¦‡à¦—à§à¦¡à¦¼à¦¿) is a town in the state of West Bengal, India. ... General Information Alipurduar is a sub-divisional town of Jalpaiguri district, and is located at the eastern end of the district. ...

Subdivisions and blocks of Cooch Behar

Subdivisions

Blocks and their headquarters

Agriculture

The agricultural area of Cooch Behar is 2530.63 square kilometers. The dominant agricultural products of Cooch Behar district are jute and tobacco. Paddy rice is also grown before and after the rainy season. Common plantation crops are arecanut, coconut and black pepper. Vegetable, mustard plant, and potato cultivation are increasing. In order to support agriculture, special programs have been taken for the production of sunflowers, maize and groundnuts. Revolutionary methods are being used in Boro paddy and potato cultivation. But due to nonadoption of modern technology, a large number of farmers still depend on traditional technology and in the mercy of God. Only 33% of the potentially cultivable land is developed for irrigation. In Kharif, the area of production of vegetables and other crops is much less. The ovine breed in the region originates from Tibet and was brought to the plains of West Bengal by traders. The trade between Tibetian traders and traders from the plains of Bengal took place from the region. The sheep along with other items of trade were transported to a place known as Bhot Patti(situated in Maynaguri Block of Jalpaiguri District). The major trading occurred at a place known as Rangpur, situated now in Bangladesh. The goods were exchanged and the sheep were also taken to plains of Bengal by the returning traders, the animals were given to the farmers of Sunderban region for rearing and bringing them back to their health. The sheep were used for their meat by the Europeans during the colonial era. They preferred mutton over Chevon so sheep meat was in great demand. A single consignment of the sheep were transported to Australia in the late 18th century when the Australian colony was being settled. The consignment was shipped from the port of Fulta near Kolkata. However, the sheep were not preferred by the settlers as their size was small and wool quality too was inferior. The breed Booroola Merino of Australia are the desendents of the same sheep. A DNA level study on the same was conducted by Dr Sandip Banerjee who can throw more light on the same. Dr Banerjee can be reached at sansoma2003@yahoo.co.in The word Jute is also used in reference to the Germanic people, the Jutes. ... Shredded tobacco leaf for pipe smoking Tobacco can also be pressed into plugs and sliced into flakes Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in genus Nicotiana. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Binomial name Areca catechu Linnaeus Areca nut, or pinang, more commonly known as betel nut, is the seed of the betel palm or Areca catechu, a species of palm tree which grows throughout the Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. ... Binomial name L. For other uses, see Coconut (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Piper nigrum L. Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. ... Species See text The mustards are several plant species in the genus Brassica whose proverbially tiny mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into a condiment also known as mustard. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, commonly grown for its starchy tuber. ... Binomial name L. The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant native to the Americas in the family Asteraceae, with a large flowering head (inflorescence). ... â€œCornâ€ redirects here. ... This article is about peanut, the food. ...

Princely Cooch Behar

While the exact origin of the Narayan dynasty is obscure, it is apparently of indigenous tribal origin and has ruled the area around the town of Cooch Behar since the 16th century. The state remained unaffected by the great changes that overtook its surrounding provinces in the decade following the battle of Plassey in 1757. However, it was invaded by Bhutan in the latter half of the 18th century, which prompted a formal treaty of alliance with the British in 1775. Upon the extinguishing of British rule in India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India; it merged with the Union of India shortly afterwards. Ä€divÄsÄ«s (à¤†à¤¦à¤¿à¤µà¤¾à¤¸à¥€), literally original inhabitants, comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Combatants British East India Company Siraj Ud Daulah (Nawab of Bengal), La Compagnie des Indes Orientales Commanders Colonel Robert Clive (later Governor of Bengal and Baron of Plassey) Mir Jafar Ali Khan (Commander-in-chief of the Nawab), M. Sinfray (French Secretary to the Council) Strength 2,200 European soldiers... 1757 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... George Bogle (1747 - 1781) - was a Scottish adventurer and diplomat, the first to establish diplomatic relations with Tibet and to attempt recognition by the Chinese Empire. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... The Dominion of India was a political entity that existed between August 15, 1947 and January 26, 1950. ... ...

Prominence

Although the princely state name of Cooch Behar was very small, it enjoyed a certain prominence since it was one of very few state names to lie within relatively easy distance of Calcutta, the hub of the British Raj. Due to this proximity, the royal family early embraced westernization; this resulted in the family enjoying an ascendancy in British official circles, as also in London society, which was out of all proportion to the size of the state_name. This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... The flag of British India British India, circa 1860 The British Raj (Raj in Hindi meaning Rule; from Sanskrit Rajya) was the British rule between 1858 and 1947 of the Indian Subcontinent, which included the present-day India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Burma (Myanmar), whereby these lands were under the colonial... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Maharaja Nripendra Bahadur (ruled 1863-1911) may be credited with initiating this westernization. He began by marrying, in defiance of established custom, the daughter of a prominent Brahmo Samaji, Keshub Chunder Sen. The couple proceeded to break custom with a vengeance, spending long periods in Europe, adopting western ways and raising their children likewise. Caught between two worlds, their children faltered: three sons died young of drink (an established family tradition), while two daughters married (with largely unhappy results) sundry low-ranking British army officers. A third daughter married a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate, but was soon estranged from her husband. Year 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Brahmo Samaj is a social and religious movement founded in Kolkata, India in 1828 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy. ... Keshub Chunder Sen (Keshava Chandra Sena, 1838-1884) was an Indian religious reformer born of a high-caste family at Calcutta in 1838. ... (Bengali: , IPA: ) (7 May 1861 â€“ 7 August 1941), also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The Nobel Prizes (pronounced no-BELL or no-bell) are awarded annually to people who have done outstanding research, invented groundbreaking techniques or equipment, or made outstanding contributions to society. ...

Maharaja Jitendra Narayan, second son and eventual heir of Nripendra Bahadur, eloped with a princess of Baroda, the celebrated Indira Raje; she ruled as regent after his early death (of drink) and also made a celebrity career for herself in the salons of Europe, earning the sobriquet "the ranee of cooch partout". One of their daughters, Gayatri, wed for love the Maharaja of Jaipur and became an international celebrity. Another daughter, Menaka, wed the Maharaja of Dewas (Jr) and retired into respectable obscurity. Ila, their eldest daughter, wed into the royal family of Tripura; her granddaughters Ria and Raima (who are the daughters of Moon Moon Sen) are fashion models and aspiring film stars. Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is the third-most populated town in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat (the three towns with a population of over 1 million in Gujarat). ... // Introduction Indira Raje was a princess of Baroda and a Maharani of Cooch Behar. ... Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur (born May 23 1919 as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar), was the third Maharani of Jaipur from 1939 to 1970, and is currently styled (unofficially) as the Rajmata, or Queen Mother. ... It has been suggested that Maharaj be merged into this article or section. ... , Jaipur (Hindi: à¤œà¤¯à¤ªà¥à¤°), also popularly known as the Pink City, historically sometimes rendered as Jeypore, is the capital of Rajasthan state, India. ... Dewas is a city in western Madhya Pradesh state of central India. ... Tripura (Bengali: à¦¤à§à¦°à¦¿à¦ªà§à¦°à¦¾, Hindi: à¤¤à¥à¤°à¤¿à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤¾) is a state in North East India. ... Riya Sen (Bengali: à¦°à¦¿à¦¯à¦¼à¦¾ à¦¸à§‡à¦¨; Hindi: à¤°à¤¿à¤¯à¤¾ à¤¸à¥‡à¤¨; (IPA: sen ITRANS:riYA sen) (born Riya Dev Varma in Kolkata, India on January 24, 1981) is an Indian film actress and model. ... Raima Sen (born Raima Dev Varma on 11 November 1979)(Bengali: à¦°à¦¾à¦‡à¦®à¦¾ à¦¸à§‡à¦¨) is an Indian film actress. ... Moonmoon Sen (also credited as Moon Moon Sen) is an Indian film actress and the daughter of Suchitra Sen. ...

While Jitendra Narayan's elder son and heir made morganatic marriages first with an American actress and then with an Englishwoman, their younger son wed a daughter of the Maharaja of Pithapuram. The only son of the latter couple was the last dynast of the ruling family of Cooch-Behar in the senior line; after he died childless in 1992, the headship of the family is unclear. A morganatic marriage is a type of marriage which can be contracted in certain countries, usually between persons of unequal social rank (unebenbÃ¼rtig in German), which prevents the passage of the husbands titles and privileges to the wife and any children born of the marriage. ... It has been suggested that Maharaj be merged into this article or section. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

Tourism

Apart from these other tourist spots are: Image File history File links Cob_rajbari. ... Image File history File links Cob_rajbari. ... Cooch Behar Palace, a landmark in the Cooch Behar city, West Bengal was designed after the model of Buckingham Palace of London in 1887 during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan. ... The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. ... Madan Mohan Kohli (June 25, 1924 - July 14, 1975), better known as Madan Mohan, was a famed Bollywood film music director of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. ... Archaeological Survey of India is an Indian government agency under the Department of Culture that is responsible about archaeological studies and preservation of cultural monuments. ... Kochi fishing net Cheena vala (Chinese fishing net), Kochi Raising the net The Chinese fishing nets (Cheena vala) of Kochi (formerly known as Cochin), a city in Kerala, south India are fixed land installations for an unusual form of fishing. ...

Education

Primary Schools - 1805
High Schools - 120
Higher Secondary Schools - 61
High Madrasa - 5
Senior Madrasa - 2
Junior High School - 60
Junior High Madrasa - 16
Engineering / Technical Schools - 2
Professional & Technical Schools - 16
General College - 9
Blind School - 1
Libraries - 110

Cooch Behar is having an Agricultural University named Uttar Banga Krishi Viswavidyalaya at Pundibari about 10 km from Cooch Behar Town. Apart from those Government schools there are a few privately adided schools mostly ICSE, ISC and CBSE boards. Cooch Behar Town is the district Capital of Cooch Behar. ...

Trivia

- Bharat Dev Varma is a descendant of the royal family of Cooch Behar. He is the father of Raima Sen (an actress in Bollywood and Tollywood). Bollywood (Hindi: , Urdu: ) is the informal name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. ... Telugu Cinema refers to the Telugu film industry. ...

-Bharat Dev Varma was born to Ila Devi, princess of Cooch Behar and Romendra Kishore Dev Varma, a member of the Tripura princely family. Ila Devi met Romendra Kishore Dev Varma when both had been students of Shantineketan. Ila Devi died at a young age, leaving three children, two sons and a daughter. All of them were brought up by their maternal grandmother Indira Devi, Maharani of Cooch Behar. The elder son married Rita Faria, a model and a beauty pageant winner, the first Miss World. The daughter married a prince of Jaipur and Bharat Dev Varma married Moonmoon Sen, only daughter of legendary Bengali screen actress Suchitra Sen, herself an actress and model. They have two daughters Raima and Riya, both an upcoming actress and model. Maharaja Bharat Kishore Dev Burman (1941-) also known as Bharat Dev Varma and Prince Habi[1] is a Tripuri royal. ... This article is about the pageant. ... Suchitra Sen (April 6, 1929) or April 6, 1931[1] (Bangla: à¦¸à§à¦šà¦¿à¦¤à§à¦°à¦¾ à¦¸à§‡à¦¨) is a Bengali actress who has attained legendary status because of her performances in Bengali cinema. ...

-Urmimala Roy, the famous singer from Pune, now living in the US, hails from Cooch Behar. In her next album, 'Ayega Behar', she has two songs dedicated to Cooch Behar.

References

Contents