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Cooch Behar

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For other uses, see Cooch Behar (disambiguation).

Cooch Behar (Bengali: কোচবিহার Kochbihar IPA: [kotʃbihaɹ]) 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 / 26.367°N 89.483°E / 26.367; 89.483. Cooch Behar is a well planned town and an upcoming name in the tourist circuit. The town boasts 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 Koch 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 the town of 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 (the Rajbongshi or Rajbanshi or Koch Rajbongshi) that is indigenous to this area. [1] 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 Koch 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.

History

See also: Koch dynasty

The princely state known as Cooch Behar during the British rule was a part of the Kamarupa Kingdom from 4th century–12th century. From 12th century, the area became a part of Kamata kingdom, first ruled by the Khen dynasty from their capital at Kamatapur. The Khens were an indigenous tribe and they ruled till about 1498 CE, when they fell to Alauddin Hussein Shah, the independent Pathan Sultan of Gour. The new invaders came into conflict with the local Bhuiyan chieftains and the Ahom king Suhung, and lost control of the region. It was at this time the Koch tribe became powerful and established themselves as Kamateshwar (Lord of Kamata) and came to be known as the Koch dynasty.

The first great Koch ruler was Bishwa Singha, who came to power in 1515 CE. Under his son Nara Narayan, the Kamata kingdom reached its zenith.[2] Nara Narayan's younger brother Shukladhwaj (Chilarai) was a noted military general and greatly expanded the kingdom. He later on became the governor of the eastern portion of the Kamata kingdom. After Chilarai's death, his son Raghudev became the governor of the eastern portion of the kingdom. Since Nara Narayan did not have an issue, Raghudev was also the heir apparent. However, a late issue of Nara Narayan removed Raghudev's claim to the throne and to placate him, Nara Narayan had to set Raghudev as a vassal chief of the portion of the kingdom east of the Subansiri river. This area came to be known as Koch Hajo. After the death of Nara Narayan in 1584, Raghudev declared independence and the kingdom ruled by the son of Nara Narayan, Lakshmi Narayan, came to be known as Cooch Behar. The division of the Kamata kingdom into Cooch Behar and Koch Hajo was permanent.

In the beginning, the capital of Koch 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.

In 1661 CE Maharaja Pran Narayan tried to extend his kingdom. However, Mir Jumla, the subedar of Bengal under the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, attacked Cooch Behar and won over the territory almost without any resistance. [3] The town of Cooch Behar was named as ‘Alamgirnagar’. [4] However Maharaja Pran Narayan regained his kingdom within few days.

During 1772–1773, the king of Bhutan attacked and captured Cooch Behar. 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 the king of Cooch Behar became a feudatory ruler under British Government.[5]

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. [6] In 1878, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan was married to the daughter of Brahmo preacher Keshab Chandra Sen. It led to a renaissance in the Cooch Behar state. [7]Maharaja Nripendra Narayan is known as the architect of modern Cooch Behar town. [8]

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 between the kings 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. The transfer of administration of the state to the Govt. of India came into effect on 12 September 1949. 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. The town of Cooch Behar became the headquarters of the district. [9]

Geography

Cooch Behar is situated in the Eastern Himalayan foot hills, located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E / 26.367; 89.483 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. [10]

Torsa river flows by the western side of the town. Often, after rains in the catchment area of the river, it attains strong current and spate over adjacent area. The turbulent water carries sand, silt, pebbles, which cause problem in productivity of crop as well as hydrology. [11] The soil is formed by alluvial deposit and is acidic in nature.[12] The depth of soils varies from 15 cm to 50 cm superimposed only 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 phosphorus levels are medium. Deficiency of Boron, Zn, Ca, Mg, and S is quite high. [13]

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. [14]

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. [15] 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. During summer season, the mean daily maximum temperature is 32.5°C and mean daily minimum is 20.2 °C. [16] The winter season lasts from end November to February with January being the coldest month when temperature ranges between 10.4 °C and 24.1 °C. [17] Lowest temperature up to 3.9 °C and maximum temperature up to 39.9 °C have been recorded.[citation needed] The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except February to May when relative humidity is 50 to 70%. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Average annual rainfall in the district is 3,201 mm. [18] However the climate got a drastic change in the past few years, with the mercury rising up every year and the rainfall decreasing.[19]

Economy

The largest employer in the Cooch Behar town is both the Central and State Government[citation needed]. Cooch Behar is home to a number of district-level and divisional-level offices, thus having a large government-employee workforce. 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. [20]

Farming is a major source of livelihood for the rural populace around the town and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables. Poorer segments of this semi-rural society are involved in transport, basic agriculture, small shops and manual labour for construction work. As Cooch Behar is near 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. [21]

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 [22] 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 is a well planned town[23] and at present 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 groundwater. Almost all houses in the municipal area is connected by water supply system. Solid Waste is everyday collected by the Municipality Van from individual houses. 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 like fire tenders 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 with other towns in the region. Health services in Cooch Behar include a 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 town. Most of Cooch Behar's residents stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and many have their own vehicles, mostly motorcycle and bicycles.

5 km from the town is the rail station New Cooch Behar 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 and Bihar. Private buses are also in usage. 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 has an airport which at present is lying defunct, but the services are going to start shortly. .[24] 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.[25]

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. [26]

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[27]. Cooch Behar ras mela is the oldest in the North Bengal region. [28]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. Another popular snack is Ghatigaram, which is a variety of Jhalmuri (a mixture made out of flattened rice and other spices).

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 of Cooch Behar 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. A number of temples are spread throughout including the Madan Mohan Temple, Bara Debi Bari, Rajmata Temple are centres of religious and cultural importance.

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 [29]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 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.

Notes

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  1. ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. pp. 11–12.
  2. ^ "Royal History of Cooch Behar". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  3. ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 68.
  4. ^ "Royal Banglapedia Kamta-Koch Behar". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
  5. ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 73.
  6. ^ "Royal Banglapedia Kamta-Koch Behar". Retrieved 2006-10-01.
  7. ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 75.
  8. ^ "Royal History of Cooch Behar 5". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  9. ^ "Brief Royal History of Cooch Behar 5". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  10. ^ [http http://www.wbcensus.gov.in/DataTables/02/Table4_3.htm "West Bengal Census"]. Retrieved 2006-10-01. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  11. ^ Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. 2003. p. 02. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  12. ^ Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. 2003. p. 02. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  13. ^ Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. 2003. p. 02. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  14. ^ [http http://www.wbtourism.com/heritage/coochbehar.htm "West Bengal Tourism: Cooch Behar"]. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  15. ^ Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. 2003. p. 02. {{cite book}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  16. ^ District Profile, Cooch Behar Government website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  17. ^ District Profile, Cooch Behar Government website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  18. ^ District Profile, Cooch Behar Government website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  19. ^ Sharma Lakhotia, Anuradha (2006-11-07). "Darjeeling warming up faster than earth". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-11-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Industries in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  21. ^ Tourism Development in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  22. ^ District Administration Accessed on October 1, 2006
  23. ^ "North Bengal: Cooch Behar". Retrieved 2006-11-07.
  24. ^ "More airports for Indian cities, says India's Civil Aviation Minister". Trav Talk. 2006-03-27. Retrieved 2006-09-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ West Bengal Census Accessed on October 1, 2006
  26. ^ District Profile, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
  27. ^ Fairs and Festivals in Cooch Behar Accessed on October 1, 2006
  28. ^ Cooch Behar Ras mela: The Statesman
  29. ^ Education in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006

References

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