Cooch Behar: Difference between revisions
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== Education == |
== Education == |
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| ⚫ | Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. The schools usually use Bengali as their [[medium of instruction]], although the use of national language [[Hindi Language|Hindi]] is also stressed a bit. The schools are affiliated with [[CBSE]] or the [[West Bengal Board of Secondary Education]]. Some of the reputed schools in the town include [[Jenkins School, Coochbehar|Jenkins School]], [[Suniti Academy]], [[Techno India School,Jalpaiguri]] [[Kendriya Vidyalaya]], [[St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Cooch Behar|St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Cooch Behar]], B.D. Jain Modern School, [[Cooch Behar Rambhola High School]], [[Maharaja Nipendra Narayan H.S. School, Cooch Behar]], [[Maharani Indira Devi High School]] and [[Uchha Balika Vidhyalaya]]. |
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[[File:Abnsealcollege.jpg|thumb|A.B.N. Seal College Building]] |
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| ⚫ | Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. The schools usually use |
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[[Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University]] is the newly founded University in Cooch Behar. For the session 2013-2014 its classes already started. .<ref>{{cite news|title=Private education Bill passed amidst Opposition walkout|url=http://thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=415836&catid=42|accessdate=7 July 2012|newspaper=The Statesman|date=6 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bill passed to set up private varsity|url=http://www.asianage.com/kolkata/bill-passed-set-private-varsity-653|accessdate=7 July 2012|newspaper=Asian Age|date=7 July 2012}}{{dead link|date=December 2012}}</ref> There is also an Agricultural University, [[Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya]], situated just outside the main town at [[Pundibari]]. A medical college is proposed to be opened by the Government at Raja Jagatdipendranarayan TB Hospital.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ganguly|first=Arnab|title=Medical college for Cooch Behar|url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120712/jsp/siliguri/story_15718501.jsp|accessdate=27 October 2012|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=12 July 2012}}</ref> |
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== Media == |
== Media == |
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Revision as of 10:12, 3 January 2014
Cooch Behar | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Cooch Behar |
| Government | |
| • Chairman | Biren Kundu |
| Area | |
| • Total | 800 km2 (300 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 106,760 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (350/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 736 101 |
| Telephone code | 03582 |
| Vehicle registration | WB-64/63 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Cooch Behar (SC) |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Cooch Behar Uttar (SC), Cooch Behar Dakshin, Natabari |
| Website | coochbehar |
Cooch Behar (/ˌkuːtʃ b[invalid input: 'ɨ']ˈhɑːr/; Bengali: কোচবিহার, Kochbihar [kotʃbihaɾ]) is the district headquarters and the largest city of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E. Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage.[1] One of the main tourist destinations in West Bengal, the town is well known for the Cooch Behar Palace and Madan Mohan Bari temple and has been declared a heritage town.[2] It is also well known for being the maternal home of Maharani Gayatri Devi.
During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch dynasty. After 20 August 1949, Cooch Behar District was transformed from a princely state to its present status, with the town of Cooch Behar as its headquarters.[3]
Etymology
The name Cooch-Behar is derived from the name of the Koch or Rajbongshi tribes indigenous to this region for many centuries.[4] The word Behar is derived from Sanskrit: विहार vihara.
Geography
Cooch Behar is situated in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E in the north of West Bengal. It is the largest town and district headquarters of Cooch Behar District with an area of 8.29 km².[5]
The Torsa river flows by the western side of town. Heavy rains in the area often cause strong river currents and flooding. The turbulent water carries huge amounts of sand, silt, and pebbles, which have an adverse effect on crop production as well as on the hydrology of the region.[6] Alluvial deposits form the soil, which is acidic.[6] Soil depth varies from 15 cm to 50 cm, superimposed on a bed of sand. The foundation materials are igneous and metamorphic rocks at a depth 1000 m to 1500 m. The soil has low levels of nitrogen with moderate levels of potassium and phosphorus. Deficiencies of boron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur are high.[6]
The town of Cooch Behar and its surrounding regions face deforestation due to increasing demand for fuel and timber, as well as air pollution from increasing vehicular traffic. The local flora include palms, bamboos, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetables, and fruit trees. Migratory birds, along with many local species, are found in the city, especially around the Sagardighi and other water bodies.[7]
Climate
Five distinct seasons (summer, monsoons, autumn, winter and spring) can be observed in Cooch Behar, of which summer, monsoons and winter are more prominent. Cooch Behar has a moderate climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoons and slight rainfall from October to mid-November.[6] The district does not have high temperatures at any time of the year. The summer season is from April, the hottest month, to May. During the summer season, the mean daily maximum temperature is 36.5°C, and the mean daily minimum is 20.2 °C.[8] The winter season lasts from the end of November to February; January is the coldest, when temperature ranges between 10.4 °C and 24.1 °C.[8] The lowest and highest temperatures recorded have been 3.9 °C and 39.9 °C respectively.[citation needed] The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except from February to May, when relative humidity is around 50 to 70 percent. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Average annual rainfall in the district is 3,201 mm.[8] However, the climate has undergone a drastic change in the past few years, with the mercury rising and the rainfall decreasing each year.[9]
Economy
The central and state governments are large employers in Cooch Behar village.[citation needed] Cooch Behar vilage is home to very few district-level and divisional-level offices and has government-employee workforce. Business is mainly centred on retail goods; the main centres lie on B.S. Road, Rupnarayan Road,and at Bhawaniganj Bazar.
An industrial park has been built at Chakchaka, just four kilometres from town, on the route to Tufanganj. A number of small companies such as Poddar Food Products Pvt., Ltd, and Deepa Casing Pvt., Ltd have set up industries there. Industrialization is extremely low in this village.
Civic administration
Cooch Behar Municipality is responsible for the civic administration of the town.
Transport
Rickshaws are the most widely available public transport within Cooch Behar town. Most of Cooch Behar's residents stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and have motorcycles and bicycles mostly. The New Cooch Behar railway station is around 7-8 kilometres from the village and is well connected to almost all other major cities including Kolkata, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Dhupguri, Mainaguri, Malda, Guwahati, etc. The rail route is one of the important connecting North-East India with remaining parts of the country. Few express trains going towards North East have a stoppage here. Another station named Cooch Behar railway station situated inside the town exists but only very few pairs of local trains run on this route. The North Bengal State Transport Corporation, runs bus service to places in West Bengal. The nearest National Airport to the village is the Jalpaiguri National Airport (92 km. away).
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Cooch Behar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 101,760, out of which 53,803 were males and 52,957 were females. The 0–6 years population was 7,910. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 91.75 per cent.[10]
As per the 2001 census,[11] the Cooch Behar municipal area has a population of 66,812. The sex ratio is 972 females per 1,000 males. The decadal growth rate for population is 7.86%. Males constitute 50.6% of the population, and females constitute 49.4%. Cooch Behar has an average literacy rate of 78%, which is higher than the national average of 64.84%.
Education
Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. The schools usually use Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of national language Hindi is also stressed a bit. The schools are affiliated with CBSE or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Some of the reputed schools in the town include Jenkins School, Suniti Academy, Techno India School,Jalpaiguri Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Mary’s Higher Secondary School, Cooch Behar, B.D. Jain Modern School, Cooch Behar Rambhola High School, Maharaja Nipendra Narayan H.S. School, Cooch Behar, Maharani Indira Devi High School and Uchha Balika Vidhyalaya.
Media
- Newspaper: Newspapers in Cooch Behar vilage include English language dalies, The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri and Jalpaiguri and The Hindustan Times and the Times of India, which are printed in Kolkata and received after a day's delay. In addition, Bengali publications, including Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ganashakti and Uttar Banga Sambad are available.
- Radio: The public radio station All India Radio is the only radio channel that can be received in Cooch Behar.
Sports
Like most other towns in India, Cooch Behar has not been left out in the game of cricket. Cricket is the most popular game followed by football, swimming, badminton, volleyball, kabadi. Cooch Behar has two outdoor stadiums, M.J.N. Stadium and Cooch Behar Stadium, for games such as cricket and football. Cooch Behar also has a new indoor stadium, Netaji Subhas Indoor Stadium. Inter-district and inter-school meets are often held in these stadiums. Swimming is practised under the guidance of trained coaches in the local Sagardighi. The popularity of games changes according to the season - for example, cricket and badminton are played during winter but badminton is practiced throughout the year in maharajah club indoor hall, swimming and water polo in summer and football during the monsoon. Cooch Behar town is one of few district towns in India with three stadiums.
See Also
- Narendra Narayan Park, Cooch Behar - a botanical garden located in town, founded in 1892.
Notes
- ^ [1]
- ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation
- ^ "Brief Royal History of Cooch Behar 5". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
- ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. pp. 11–12.
- ^ "West Bengal Census". Retrieved 2006-10-01.[dead link]
- ^ a b c d Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. p. 02.
{{cite book}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ "West Bengal Tourism: Cooch Behar". Retrieved 2006-11-07.[dead link]
- ^ a b c District Profile, Cooch Behar Government website Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ Sharma Lakhotia, Anuradha (2006-11-07). "Darjeeling warming up faster than earth". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
- ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ^ Template:GR
References
- Cooch Behar District’s Official Website
- Banglapedia Kamta-Koch Behar
- Translation from Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar) by Dr. Nripendra Nath Pal
External links
Cooch Behar travel guide from Wikivoyage
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