Cooch Behar
Cooch Behar is the district headquarters of the Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at 26°22′N 89°29′E. Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage.One of the main tourist destinations in West Bengal, it is the location of the Cooch Behar Palace and Madan Mohan Temple and has been declared a heritage town. It is the maternal home of Maharani Gayatri Devi.
During the British Raj, Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch dynasty of Assam. After 20 August 1949, Cooch Behar District was transformed from a princely state to its present status, with the town of Cooch Behar as its headquarters.
The name Cooch Behar is derived from the name of the Koch or Rajbongshi tribes indigenous to this region for many centuries.[4]The word behar is derived from Sanskrit: विहार vihara.
History
Early period
Cooch Behar formed part of the Kamarupa Kingdom of am Assam from the 4th to the 12th centuries. In the 12th century, the area became a part of the 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 Hussain Shah, the independent Pathan Sultan of Gour. The new invaders fought with the local Bhuyan chieftains and the Ahom king Suhungmung and lost control of the region. During this time, the Koch tribe became very powerful and proclaimed itself Kamateshwar (Lord of Kamata) and established the Koch dynasty.
The first important Koch ruler was Biswa Singha, who came to power in 1510 or 1530 CE. Under his son, Nara Narayan, the Kamata Kingdom reached its zenith. Nara Narayan’s younger brother, Shukladhwaj (Chilarai), was a noted military general who undertook expeditions to expand the kingdom. He became governor of its eastern portion.
After Chilarai’s death, his son Raghudev became governor of this portion. Since Nara Narayan did not have a son, Raghudev was seen as the heir apparent. However, a late child of Nara Narayan removed Raghudev’s claim to the throne. To placate him, Nara Narayan had to anoint Raghudev as a vassal chief of the portion of the kingdom east of the Sankosh river. This area came to be known as Koch Hajo. After the death of Nara Narayan in 1584, Raghudev declared independence. 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 Koch Behar and Koch Hajo was permanent. Koch Behar aligned itself with the Mughal Empire and finally joined the India as a part of the West Bengal, whereas remnants of the Koch Hajo rulers aligned themselves with the Ahom kingdom and the region became a part of Assam.
As the early capital of the Koch Kingdom, Cooch Behar’s location was not static and became stable only when shifted to Cooch Behar town. Maharaja Rup Narayan, on the advice of an unknown saint, transferred the capital from Attharokotha to Guriahati (now called Cooch Behar town) on the banks of the Torsa river between 1693 and 1714. After this, the capital was always in or near its present location.
In 1661 CE, Maharaja Pran Narayan planned to expand his kingdom. However, Mir Jumla, the subedar of Bengal under the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, attacked Cooch Behar and conquered the territory, meeting almost no resistance. The town of Cooch Behar was subsequently named Alamgirnagar. Maharaja Pran Narayan regained his kingdom within a few days.
British Raj
In 1772–1773, the king of Bhutan attacked and captured Cooch Behar. To expel the Bhutanese, the kingdom of Cooch Behar signed a defence treaty with the British East India Company on 5 April 1773. After expelling the Bhutanese, Cooch Behar again became a princely kingdom under the protection of British East India company.
The Victor Jubilee Palace was based on Buckingham Palace and built in 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan. In 1878, the maharaja married the daughter of Brahmo preacher Keshab Chandra Sen. This union led to a renaissance in Cooch Behar state. Maharaja Nripendra Narayan is known as the architect of modern Cooch Behar town.
Post Independence
Under an agreement between the kings of Cooch Behar and the Indian Government at the end of British rule, Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan transferred full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India, effective 12 September 1949. Cooch Behar District was forcefully separated from Assam and made a part of West Bengal even Goalpara district of Assam was forced to join West Bengal. Eventually, Cooch Bihar became part of the state of West Bengal on 19 January 1950, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.
Popular festivals in Cooch Behar include Durga Puja in October, along with Ras Purnima, when a big fair is organised near the famous Madan Mohan Temple. Cooch Behar Ras mela is the oldest in the North Bengal region. Other major festivals celebrated in the region include Pohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Diwali, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. During Rathayatra, a small fair is organised at Gunjabari area of the town.
Culture
Every year during the Ras Purnima, the city hosts Ras Mela, the largest and oldest fair of West Bengal.The fair is older than 200 years.The fair is organised by Cooch Behar Municipality in the Ras Mela ground near ABN Seal College.During the fair, it becomes a major economical hub of the whole North Bengal region.Merchants and sellers from all over India and also from Bangladesh join this fair.Earlier the Maharajas of Cooch Behar inaugurated the fair by moving the Ras Chakra and now the work is executed by the District Magistrate of Cooch Behar District.The Ras Chakra is considered as a symbol of communal harmony because it is made by a Muslim Family from generations.A huge crowd gather in Cooch Behar from neighbouring Assam, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and whole North Bengal during the fair.
Cooch Behar has a mixture of cultures, similar to those of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Rice and fish are traditional favourites, 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. Bhuna Khicuhri (a dish made of rice and dal) and labra (a fully mixed-vegetable preparation) are quite popular and are served during any religious occasion. As in any part of West Bengal, people of Cooch Behar are known to prepare distinctive confections from milk products; popular ones are Rôshogolla, Chômchôm Kalakand Sandesh Misti Doi and Kalojam. Bengal’s vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa, ilish preparations (a favourite among Bengalis). Fast foods, such as Paratha (fried bread), egg roll (flatbread roll with vegetable stuffings and egg), and 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, a variety of Jhalmuri (a mixture made out of flattened rice and other spices).
Bengali women commonly wear saris (shaŗi) and the salwar kameez, which are distinctly designed as per local customs. However, Western-style attire is also quite popular, especially amongst youngsters. Men 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 with a strong sense of community attachment. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often a playground. 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 fond of music and generally listen to Rabindra Sangeet, Bengali bands, Hindi pop music and the local Bhawaiya Sangeet. The local Bengali dialect, is different from the one spoken in Kolkata. It is closer to that of East Bengal and a mix of Assamese and Rajbangsi language.
The Cooch Behar Palace Museum has photographs and articles used by the maharajas of Cooch Behar and information about the tribals of North Bengal. The Railway Heritage Museum at Cooch Behar station displays historical documents and objects from the Cooch Behar State Railway, Eastern Bengal Railway, Bengal Dooars Railway.[28] The town boasts a well-archived North Bengal State Library. Rabindra Bhawan, an auditorium, is often chosen as the venue for cultural events such as dramas, concerts, poetry-recitals, and dance programs. Temples exist throughout region; the Madan Mohan Temple, Madhupur Satra, Bara Debi Bari and Rajmata Temple are centres of religious and cultural importance.
Novelist Amiya Bhushan Majumdar was born, brought up, and worked in Cooch Behar. Cooch Behar with its people, culture, and the river Torsha were a recurrent theme in his novels.
Communication
Trains offer the most convenient option to reach Cooch Behar from other cities in the country. There are no direct flights to Cooch Behar but buses are available from nearby cities.
By Flight
Cooch Behar has its own airport which is currently dysfunctional, Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri is the nearest airport. Bagdogra receives flights from the major cities of India and is an important airport linking North East to the country.
Nearest Airport: BAGDOGRA – 121 kms from Cooch Behar
By Road
Extremely well connected by road to the nearby cities. State tourism buses run at a regular interval to and from the town along with private buses which help in increasing connectivity.
By Train
New Cooch Behar is the nearest station, having direct trains from the key cities of the country and connected trains from others. Just 5 km away from the main town, rickshaws and cabs can be boarded from here to Cooch Behar.
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