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Coochbehar
 The
land of glorious past with rich heritage and culture- lies on
the eastern state of West Bengal bordering Assam in the east
and neighboring country Bangladesh in the south. Coochbehar
is the only planned town in the entire North Bengal District
having the memories of the royal heritage. The monuments and
palaces depict the lives of the golden ages. Coochbehar was
an independent kingdom before merging up with India.
The history of Cooch Behar dates back to the
period of 11th - 12th century AD during the reign of the Pala-Senas.
Various artifacts, sculptures, coins, antics found from the
excavations in different times reveal that the ancient territory
of Kamrup played a role in the development of the present region
of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal.
The recent excavation of 'Rajpat' or Palace at Gossanimari village,
25kms from Coochbehar marks the site as an ancient capital of
Kamtapur of the Khen dynasty.
 The
present Cooch Behar originates from this 'Kamta' land and Maharaja
Niladhvaja being the founder of the dynasty. Later during 1510
to 1530 AD Maharaja Viswa Singha established an independent
'Koch' kingdom. Cooch Bihar, the feudatory state under British
Government before 1949, surrendered its full and extensive authority,
jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government
of India by an agreement dated 28th August 1949, which came
into force on 12th September 1949. Finally, on 19th January
1950 Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province
of West Bengal and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new
District in the administrative map of West Bengal.
 Cooch
Behar is also rich in tradition and culture. Hindus being majority
of the population, this is the pious land with lots of Temples
and festivals. The age-old historical structures and monuments
play an important role to bring the city into the map of important
heritage site. Although most of the buildings are now facing
gradual destruction but the city is growing in popularity for
still what remains.
Attractions in Coochbihar:
The Royal Palace: The most important tourist attraction
in Coochbehar is the Palace or Rajbari- the city's pride even
today. In 1887 the famous Koch King, Maharaja Nripendra Narayan
built this magnificent palace. The creation of this palace was
influenced by the classical European style during Italian Renaissance.
The glorious double storied brick building covers an area of
4768 square meters. It extends 120 meters from north to south
and 90 meters from east to west.
 The
architecture of the Palace is worth mentioning. A conclave shaped
porch is projected in the center of the main entrance to the
building through the Durbar Hall. The Durbar Hall is dodecagonal
in shape, resting on four arches supported by massive Corinthian
pilasters and projecting a lantern at the top. The shape recalls
the memory of St. Peter's Church at Rome. The building contains
more than fifty massive halls, which include the bedrooms, dressing
rooms, billiard room, kitchen, dinning hall, dancing hall, library,
and the ladies gallery. The rooms deserve special attention
for their beautiful Royal paintings that adorns the ceiling
as well as the interior wall.
 The
Light & Sound show: Every Friday and Saturday the cultural
dept of West Bengal organizes a musical show with colourful
lighting and fountains just beside the Coochbihar Palace. The
show has become tremendously popular among the tourist as well
as the local citizens. The show starts with the fall of evening
and continues till 8 o'clock at night. Set amidst a well maintained
garden in the heart of the city the amusement park becomes alive
as the show starts. The fountains turn and twist making peculiar
shapes with rhythm of music. It's a fine recreation for spending
leisure time.
SagarDighi: The most important water
body in the town the Sagar Dighi is situated in the heart of
Coochbihar. Surrounded by the age-old royal heritage buildings
by the 4 sides of the square shaped lake SagarDighi is also
famous for feathered animals. A large number of migratory birds
assembled in the lake each year. Among the important species
cotton teal, lesser whistling teal, ruddy shell duck are worth
mentioning. Best time for watching birds in SagarDighi is December
to February.
RasikBill: Spread over an area of 2500
hectares on the Alipurduar - Khamakhyaguri Road RasikBill is
the largest abode of migratory birds in North Bengal. There
is a well-maintained resort just beside the wetland.
Known more
Temples of Coochbehar
Festivals of Coochbehar |
