West Bengal : Land of Natural Beauty and Enthusiastic People

Articles : West Bengal : Land of Natural Beauty and Enthusiastic People : History, Culture and Heritage

West Bengal, the eastern state of India, is a land of natural beauty and enthusiastic people. The state has international borders with Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This state stretches from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the South.

West Bengal has a rich and diverse history. Many of India's popular names are from West Bengal like Rabindra Natha Tagore, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Satyajith Ray, Mrinal Sen, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen and Rituparno Ghosh.

Hooghly and its tributaries - Mayurakshi, Damodar, Kangsabati and the Rupnarayan, rivers Tista, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Ranjit caters to the water need of the state. Tropical forests of Sunderbans is located in West Bengal. The area is a place of incessant beauty.

Civilization of the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years. The kingdom of Magadha was formed in the 7th Century BC after the arrival of the Indo-Aryans in this region. During the rule of Maurya dynasty, the Magadha Empire extended over nearly all of South Asia, including Afghanistan and parts of Persia under Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BC.

Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the Bengal region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty. Sufi missionaries introduced Islam to this region of India. Consequently, Greater Bengal was ruled by dynasties of sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years.

Late 15th century saw the arrival of European traders and their influence continued till the Battle of Plassey in 1757, in which the Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, was defeated by the British. This British East India Company acquired control over the region and Bengal Presidency was established in 1765. Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772.

Bengal played a major role in India's Independence Movement. Subhash Chandra Bose led the Indian National Army from Southeast Asia against the British. After independence, Bengal was partitioned on religious lines and Eastern part of Bengal joined Pakistan, and the Western part was renamed as West Bengal. East Bengal (later named as East Pakistan) became independent in 1971, giving rise to Bangladesh.

West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by Communist Party of India (Marxist), has governed for the state for the subsequent three decades.

Owing to the varying altitude from the Himalayas to the coastal plains, the flora and fauna of the state is diverse. Part of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal. The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project conserving Bengal tigers.

Agriculture is the leading occupation in West Bengal. Rice is the state's principal food crop.

Bengali culture and language boasts of rich heritage. Fine arts, folk arts, cinema, all have great names from Bengal, not only in West Bengal and Bangladesh, but all over India and abroad.

West Bengal has several large stadiums for sports and games. The Eden Gardens is one of only two 100,000-seat cricket amphitheaters in the world. Salt Lake Stadium, a multi-use stadium, is the world's third highest-capacity football stadium. Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.

Notable sports persons from West Bengal include former Indian national cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes, chess grand master Dibyendu Barua, famous football players such as Chuni Goswami, PK Banerjee and Sailen Manna, swimmer Mihir Sen and athlete Jyotirmoyee Sikdar.

Calcutta, three hundred years old, traces its history to the landing of Robert Clive on the banks of the Hooghly beside three villages.

Shantiniketan, an International University founded by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore where the cultures of the East and the West could meet and mingle is in West Bengal. Named Vishva-Bharati, the University represents Indian traditions while incorporating the best of other cultures.

Darjeeling, the state’s most popular hill resort, is a slice of England 2,134 metres above sea level.
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