North Bengal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

North Bengal is a term, for the part of West Bengal, which often denotes Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda districts together.

Originally North Bengal also included the northern districts of Bangladesh such as Rongpur. Since partition of India, North Bengal has come to mean only the northern parts of Bengal in India, although in Bangladesh the term has a different geographical reference.

The North Bengal plains is broadly divided into Terai and Dooars. It also includes parts of Darjeeling Hills.

Traditionally, the Hooghly River divides West Bengal into North Bengal and South Bengal. Therefore the district of Malda also may be considered as part of North Bengal.

The University of North Bengal NBU is situated at Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri.

The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital is situated at Sushrutanagar, Siliguri.

The North Bengal State Transport Corporation operates its services from all over the region. It has it's headquarters at Cooch Behar.

The North Bengal State Library is situated in Cooch Behar.

[edit] Cities & Towns of North Bengal

Siliguri is the largest city of North Bengal and it's commercial and transport hub.
Darjeeling is the largest hill town of the region. It was once the summer capital of Bengal.
Cooch Behar can be considered to be the cultural capital of the region. It was home to the famous Cooch Behar kingdom, and is a town planner's delight.
Jalpaiguri was once the most important town and home to the tea industry. The title has since shifted to Siliguri, but this little town is still the divisional headquarters of the region and seat of the Kolkata High Court Bench.
Malda was once the capital of Bengal, and an important commercial town today.
Naxalbari a small hamlet near Siliguri is the place from where the Naxalite movement draws its name, and was the scene of the first Naxal agitation.
Totopara is a small village in Jalpaiguri district, and home to one of the last remaining ethinic tribes of the regions - the Totos.
Alipurduar. The main commercial town of the Eastern Duars region.
Kalimpong and Kurseong are major hill stations of the region.