Cooch Behar

For other uses see Cooch Behar (disambiguation)

Cooch Behar (Bengali: কোচবিহার Pronunciation: kOOch bĭhär`) is the district headquarters and the largest town of Cooch Behar District of Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayan Foothills, located at 26°22′N 89°29′E. Cooch Behar is a well planned town and an upcoming name in the tourist circuit. The town boosts the Cooch Behar Palace, Madan Mohan Bari, etc for which the tourists are attracted.

During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar, 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, and Cooch Behar its district headquarters. 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.

Etymology

Main article: Etymology of Cooch Behar

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 name "Cooch-Behar" is derived from the name of the Koch tribe (the Rajbongshi or Rajbanshi or Koch Rajbongshi) that is indigenous to this area. This tribe is the original son of this land from the early centuries. The great Koch King that has ever ruled in the Kingdom of Kamtapur 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 few parts of Bhutan.

History

The history of Cooch Behar dates back to the period of the Pala-Senas (Circa 11th – 12th century AD). History reveals that the ancient territory of Kamrup played a role in the development of the present region of Cooch Behar District in West Bengal. The Allahabad Pillar Inscription of the famous Gupta Emperor Samudragupta mentions about the existence of the Kamrup territory in the 4th century AD. During the 15th century AD, the western part of Kamrup came under the control of the ‘Khen’ dynasty after the end of Palas dynasty to establish a new kingdom there known as ‘Kamta’. The present Cooch Behar owes its origin from this ‘Kamta’ land. The ‘Khen’ dynasty is noted for the kings like Niladhvaja (1440-1460), the founder of the dynasty, his son Chakradhvaja (1460-1480) and grandson Nilambar (1480-98). Maharaja Nilambar was defeated by Hosein Shah in 1498. After that there was confusion throughout the kingdom and some local chieftains emerged, Turka Kotwal was one of them. Maharaja Biswa Singha was responsible for establishment of an independent ‘Koch’ kingdom after defeating the Turka Kotwal in 1510 AD; Though Maharaja Chandan became the first king.

In the beginning, the capital of Cooch kingdom was not static and became stable only when the same was shifted to Cooch Behar Town. Maharaja Rup Narayan on the advice of an unknown saint transferred the capital from Attharokotha to Guriahati (presently Cooch Behar town) on the banks of Torsa river. From this it can be established that Cooch Behar town was established between 1693 and 1714. After this the capital was not changed much, if changed it was always in and around the present Cooch Behar town. The territory of Cooch Behar was known as ‘Kamta’ even during the period of Maharaja Biswa Singha and his son Maharaja Nara Narayan.

In 1661 Maharaja Pran Narayan tried to extend his empire, but by the order of Aurangazeb, Mir Jumla, the subedar of Bengal attacked Cooch Behar and without any war win over the territory and named the town of Cooch Behar as ‘Alamgirnagar’. But later in the same year the forces of Mir Jumla were defeated by Maharaja Pran Narayan.

During 1772-1773, Cooch Behar was attacked by the king of Bhutan, and captured Cooch Behar due to a previous revenge. To free Cooch Behar from the Bhutanese, on 5 April 1773 the kingdom of Cooch Behar made a treaty with the British East India Company and Cooch Behar turned into a feudatory ruler under British Government.

Cooch Behar Palace

The famous Victor Jubilee Palace, a landmark in the city, was designed after the model of Buckingham Palace of London in 1887 during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan.

In 1878, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan was married to the daughter of Bramho preacher Keshab Chandra Sen. It leads to a renaissance in the Cooch Behar state. He is known as the architect of modern Cooch Behar town.

Before 28 August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely State ruled by the Kings of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British Government. By an agreement dated 28 th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar with the Indian Government, Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan gave full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India. In total 23/24 kings ruled over Cooch Behar. The transfer of administration of the state to the Govt. of India came into effect on 12 September 1949. Finally, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the state 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 with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters..

Geography

Cooch Behar is situated in the Eastern Himalayan foot hills, located at 26°22′N 89°29′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.

After rains in the catchment’s areas of Torsa river which flows by the western side of the town generally attain strong current and spate over adjacent area. The turbulent water carries sand, silt, fables, which cause lot of problem in productivity as well as hydrology. The soil is formed by alluvial deposit and acidic in nature. The depth of soils varies from 15 cm to 50 cm only superimposed on the sand bed. The basement materials are formed of igneous and metamorphic rocks lying at a depth 1000 m to 1500 m. Soil has a low level of nitrogen while potassium and phosphorous levels are medium. Deficiency of Bo, Zn, Ca, Mg, and S is quite high.

The town of Cooch Behar and surrounding region continue to face the challenges of deforestation due to increasing demand for wood fuel and timber, as well as air pollution from increasing vehicular traffic. The flora here constitutes among others palms, bamboos, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetable, fruit trees, etc. Migratory birds along with many local species are found in the city and specially the Sagardighi and other water bodies.

Climate

Cooch Behar enjoys five distinct seasons: summer, monsoons, autumn, winter and spring, out of which summer, monsoons and winter are more dominant. 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 temperature 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 between 10.4 °C to 24.1 °C, Lowest temperature up to 3.9 °C and maximum temperature up to 39.9 °C have been recorded. The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except February to May when relative humidity is as less as 50 to 70%. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Average annual rainfall in the district is 3,201 mm. However the climate got a drastic change in the past few years, with the mercury rising up every year and the rainfall decreasing.

Economy

The largest employer in the Cooch Behar town is the Government. Cooch Behar is home to a number of district-level and divisional-level offices, thus having a large government-employee workforce. The West Bengal Police also employs a large number of people.

Business in the town is mainly centred on retailing goods, with the main centres around B.S. Road, Rupnarayan Road, Bhawaniganj Bazar, etc.

An industrial park just 4 km from the town en route to Tufanganj has come up at Chakchaka. A number of small companies like Poddar Food Products Pvt. Ltd., Deepa Casing Pvt. Ltd., etc. have set up industries there.

Farming is a major source of livelihood for its rural populace and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables. Poorer segments of this semi-rural society are involved in transportation, basic agriculture, small shops and manual labour for construction work. As Cooch Behar is near to the international border, the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) maintains a large presence in the vicinity of Cooch Behar. This leads to a large population of semi-permanent residents who bring money into the local economy. The state government is trying to promote Cooch Behar as a tourist destination, though income from tourism is very low.

Civic administration

Cooch Behar municipality maintains the civic administration of the town. The municipality consists of a board of councillors elected from each of the 20 wards of Cooch Behar town as well as a few members nominated by the state government. The board of councillors elects a chairman from among its elected members; the chairman is the executive head of the municipality. The present chairman is Biren Kundu. The Indian National Congress Party at present holds power in the municipality. The state government looks after the education, health and tourism in the town.

The town is within the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency and elects one member to the Lok Sabha (Lower House) of the Indian Parliament. It elects one member in the West Bengal state legislative assembly, the Vidhan Sabha. Cooch Behar town comes under the jurisdiction of the district police (which is a part of the state police); the Superintendent of Police oversees the town's security and law affairs. Cooch Behar is also home to the District Judge Court.

Utility services

Cooch Behar municipality is in charge of the infrastructure of the town such as potable water and sanitation. The water is supplied by the municipality using underground water. Almost all houses in the municipal area is connected by water supply system. Solid Waste is everyday collected by the Municipality Van. The surface drains are mostly uncemented which drains in the Torsa River. Electricity is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Board, and the West Bengal Fire Service provides emergency services for the town. Most of the roads are metalled in the town. Street lighting is available throughout the town. The Public Works Department is responsible for the roads in the town and the roads connecting Cooch Behar Town. Cooch Behar also has a good medical facility with the Government owned District Hospital and Regional Cancer Centre, and some other private nursing homes.

Transport

Rickshaws are the most widely available public transport within Cooch Behar. Most of Cooch Behar's residents stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and many have their own vehicles mostly two-wheelers and bicycles.

The most important rail station is New Cooch Behar which is about 5 km away from the main town, which is connected to almost all important cities of India. The rail route is one of the important rail routes connecting North-East India. All express and Superfast trains going towards North East have a stoppage here. There is also a station inside the town, however at present there is no train service operational from this station.

Cooch Behar is headquarters of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation which runs regular bus service to various places in West Bengal, Assam, Bihar. Private buses also run through out West Bengal and adjoining states. All buses generally leave from the Central Bus Terminus near Cooch Behar Rajbari. Hired vehicles are also available from the taxi stand near Transport Chowpathi.

Cooch Behar also boosts an airport which at present lying defunct, but the services are going to start shortly. (Reportedly in mid 2007). At present the nearest airport is in Bagdogra near Siliguri, located at an approximate distance of 160 km from Cooch Behar. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Air Deccan are the three major carriers that connect the area to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.

Demographics

As per the 2001 censusTemplate:GR, the Cooch Behar municipal area has a population of 76812. The sex ratio is 972 females per 1,000 males. The decadal growth rate is +7.86 %. Males constitute 50.6% of the population and females 49.4%. Cooch Behar has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 86%, and female literacy is 77%. In Cooch Behar, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

The major religion is Hinduism, followed by Muslims, Christians and Sikhs form sizable minorities. The population's ethnic composition is closely linked with that of Bengal and Assam. Communities that inhabit Cooch Behar include the Bengalis, Rajbangsi, Marwaris, Biharis and Nepalese. The most commonly spoken language are Bengali and Hindi. English and Asameese are understood by most people.

Culture

Durga Puja in October is the most popular festivals in the Cooch Behar, followed by Ras Purnima when a big fair is organised in the town near the famous Madan Mohan Temple. Pohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Diwali, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are other major festivals. During Rathayatra a small fair is organised at Gunjabari area of the town.

Cooch Behar has a mixed type of culture, having similarity with both West Bengal and Bangladesh. Rice and fish are traditional favorites; leading to a common saying that "fish and rice make a Bengali" (machhe bhate bangali). Meat consumption has increased with higher production in recent years. Bhuni Khicuhri (a dish made from rice and dal) and labra (mixed vegetable preparation) is quite popular during any religious occasion. Like other part of West Bengal, people of Cooch Behar make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products; some common ones are Rôshogolla, Chômchôm and Kalojam. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa, ilish preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Fast foods such as Paratha (fried bread), egg roll (flatbread roll with vegetable stuffings and egg), phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce) are widely popular. The momo is another popular snack made from vegetable, or meat filling, which is steamed and served with a soup.

Bengali women wear commonly wear sari (shaŗi) and the salwar kameez, which are distinctly designed as per local culture. Now a days many women and men wear Western-style attitre. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the kurta with dhoti or pyjama, often on religious occasions.

A characteristic feature of Cooch Behar is the Para or neighbourhoods having a strong sense of community. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often, a playing field. People here habitually indulge in adda or leisurely chat, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation. Residents of Cooch Behar are music lover and commonly listen to Rabindra Sangeet, Bangla Bands, Hindi Pop music and the local Bhawaiya Sangeet. The local dialect of Bengali is different from standard Kolkata pronunciation and much similar to that of East Bengal and a mix a Assamese and Rajbangsi language.

Cooch Behar has its sole museum inside the Cooch Behar Palace, which has photographs, articles, etc used by the Maharajas and also about the tribals of North Bengal. The town also boosts the North Bengal State Library. Rabindra Bhawan, an auditorium is often the venue for numerous cultural events like the hosting of dramas, concerts, poetry-recitals, and dance programs.

Education

Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. Schools mainly use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the national language Hindi are also stressed. The schools are either affiliated with the ICSE, the CBSE, or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Some of the reputed school in the town include Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Mary’s H.S. School, B.D. Jain Modern School, Jenkins School, Nipendra Narayan H.S. School, Sunity Academy. There are five colleges and a polytechnic in the Cooch Behar town including, A.B.N. Seal College, Cooch Behar College, University B.T.& Evening College, Thakur Panchanan Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Cooch Behar Polytechnic College all under University of North Bengal in Siliguri.

There is also an Agricultural University named Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya just outside the main town at Pundibari.

Media

Newspapers in Cooch Behar include English language dailies, The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri, and The Hindustan Times and the Times of India which are printed in Kolkata and are received after a day's delay. In addition to these one can also find Hindi and Bengali publications including Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ganashakti, Uttar Banga Sambad, Dainik Jagran.

The public radio station, All India Radio is the only one that can be received in Cooch Behar. However recently WorldSpace Satellite Radio have also entered into Cooch Behar. However, Cooch Behar receives almost all the television channels that are received by the rest of the country. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial network Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the town, while satellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthier households. Besides mainstream Indian Television Channels, the town also receives Nepali Television Channels and Bangladeshi Television Channels.

Cooch Behar has three cinema halls featuring Hindi, Bengali, and English films. The town also boosts the North Bengal State Library. Internet cafés are well established in the main market area, served through dial-up access. BSNL provides a limited form of broadband connectivity of up to 128 kbit/s with DIAS (Direct Internet Access System) connections. Cooch Behar is soon going to get connected by Broadband provided by BSNL. The area is serviced by local cell phone companies such as BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Hutch, Aircel, Tata Indicom and Airtel.

Sports

Like most of the other town in India, Cooch Behar is not left out in the game of Cricket. Cricket is the most popular game followed by Football, swimming, badminton, volley ball, kabadi, water polo, etc. Cooch Behar have two stadium for outdoor games mainly cricket and football namely, M.J.N. Stadium and Cooch Behar Stadium. Cooch Behar also has a new indoor stadium which has been named Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium. Inter-district and inter-school meets are often held in these stadiums. Swimming is practised under guidance of trained coaches in local Sagardighi. The popularity of games changes with change in climate, like cricket and badminton in winter, football in monsoon, swimming, water polo in summer, etc. Cooch Behar town is one of few district towns in India which have three stadiums.

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