Darjeeling - An Introduction

08Darjeeling is the northernmost district of West Bengal. Darjeeling has often been referred to as the Queen of Hills and is a very popular tourist spot.

Headquarters : Darjeeling

Major City : Siliguri

Darjeeling is famous for three Ts : timber, tourism and tea. This region produces the best tea in the world and is also one of the most popular tourist spots in the country. Some of the best tea estates are Makaibari Tea Estate, Castleton Tea Estate etc.

The Darjeeling-Himalayan Railways which runs a toy train (narrow gauge) from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. It has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The main city of the region is Siliguri which is situated in the plains near the foothills of the Himalayas. It is the main commercial and business center of North Bengal.

There has been a recent upsurge of political unrest in the region centering the Gorkhaland demand by the Nepalese speaking population in the region.

South 24 Paraganas - An Introduction

This is the southernmost district of the state of West Bengal.

Headquarters : Alipore

This district is most famous for its Royal Bengal Tigers which inhabit the Sunderbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and deltaic formations.

North 24 Paraganas - An Introduction

This is one of the southernmost districts of West Bengal.

Headquarters : Barasat

The Belur Math and the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple are very important religious shrines in the district.

Its references in history dates back to the 2nd century AD. It is situated on the Gangetic deltas of the Sunderbans.

Kolkata - An Introduction

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of the state of West Bengal.

It was founded by Job Charnock in 1690 by joining the villages of Kolkata, Gobindopur and Sutanuti to form the city of Calcutta. Calcutta was the political and military headquarters of the British East India Company during the years of its imperial expansions in India. Calcutta was also the capital of British India until 1911 when the capital was shifted to New Delhi.

Kolkata is the largest city of eastern India and one of the four metros in the country.

Paschim Medinipur - An Introduction

This district was created through the partition of the erstwhile Medinipur district into two parts.

Headquarters : Midnapore

This district has the oldest and largest Indian Institute of Technology in the country at Kharagpur.

Purba Medinipur - An Introduction

This district was created through the partition of the erstwhile Medinipur district into two parts.

Headquarters : Tamluk

The history of this district dates back to the ancient age. The ancient Indian port of Tamralipta was located at present day Tamluk. Tamluk was an important center during the Indian independence struggle.

The sea beaches are major tourist attractons.

Howrah - An Introduction

Howrah is a district located very near to Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.

Headquarters : Howrah

The Howrah Bridge connecting Howrah with Kolkata is the most famous landmark of this district. This Howrah station is one of the busiest and largest railway stations in the country.

Hugli - An Introduction

Hugli is a district situated on the banks of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly river.

Headquarters : Chinsura

Hugli has a rich history dating back to at least the fifteenth century. Hugli was the first European settlement in Bengal and the church at Bendel is the oldest Christian church built in Bengal.

Nadia - An Introduction

Nadia district is situated on the banks of the Hugli river. It shares its eastern border with Bangladesh.

Headquarters : Krishnanagar

The famous icon of this district is Shri Chaitanya the preacher of Vaishnavism.

The terracotta of Nadia is also very famous.

Purulia - An Introduction

Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal. It is situated in the Chhotanagpur plateau.

Headquarters : Purulia

Purulia district is famous for its Chhou dance. It also has several archaeological sites which are good tourist attractions.

Bankura - An Introduction

Bankura is the land of the terracotta and the Bishnupur Gharana or school of Indian classical music.

Headquarters : Bankura

The handicraft of Bankura, especially the horses are very famous.

The district is famous for the beautiful terracotta architecture at Bishnupur.

Bardhaman - An Introduction

Bardhaman or Burdwan is one of the most industrialized districts in the state. It is situated to the south of Birbhum.

Headquarters : Bardhaman

The Palace of the Maharajah of Bardhaman is a place of interest.

Birbhum - An Introduction

Birbhum is the land of the red soil situated to the north of the Barddhamaan district.

Headquarters : Siuri

This district has been immortalised in the cultural map of the Bengali people by Rabindranath tagore who set up the Vishwabharati University at Shantiniketan. This district is famous for its terracotta architecture and sculpture.

Maldah - An Introduction

Maldah is the southern most district of Not=rth Bengal. The river Ganga and the Farakka dam on it separates it from South Bengal.

Headquarters : Maldah

Maldah is perhaps the district with the most heriatge and history among all the districts of north Bengal and one of the most culturally rich districts of West Bengal. Its history dates back to the pre-historic times when it was called Gour or Gauda.

Murshidabad - An Introduction

The district of Murshidabad lies to the south of the river Ganga.

Headquarters : Baharampur

Murshidabad was the capital of the last Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-daullah before he was defeated by the British in the battle of Plassey which marked the beginning of the start of the British rule in India.

Dakshin Dinajpur - An Introduction

The Dakshin Dinajpur lies to the south of the uttar Dinajpur district.

Headquarters : Balurghat

This district was created from the erstwhile West Dinajpur district in 1992. Dakshin Dinajpur is primarily an agriculture based district. There is no major industry in this region and agriculture remains the chief occupation of the people.

Uttar Dinajpur - An Introduction

This district is situated to the south of the Darjeeling district.

Headquarters : Raiganj

The Uttar Dinajpur district was created from the erstwhile West Dinajpur district in 1992. The soil is very fertile and agriculture is the main occupation of the people.

The Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary situated here is the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia.

Cooch Behar - An Introduction

Cooch Behar is another district which forms the Dooars region of North Bengal.

Headquarters : Cooch Behar

The Cooch Behar Palace and the Madan Mohan temples are important tourist locations in the district.

This district used to be a princely state before independence. Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur hails from here.

Jalpaiguri - An Introduction

Jalpaiguri is one of the districts which make up the Dooars region of North Bengal.

Headquarters : Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri is the largest district of North Bengal. The main industry of this region is tea.

There are several wildlife sanctuaries in this region the most famous being Jaldapara and Gorumara. Jaldapara is the home to the endangered species of Asian unihorned rhinoceros.