West Bengal – State of Culture and Sweets

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West Bengal – State of Culture and Sweets

Posted On : Jul-20-2011 | seen (239) times | Article Word Count : 885 |

West Bengal houses the world famous Sunderbans. It houses nineteen districts and the major cities are Kolkata, Siliguri, Burdwan, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Darjeeling and Malda. It is also called the ‘Gateway State’ as it acts as the gateway to the north-eastern region as well as the Asia-Pacific belt. West Bengal is the nation’s fourth most populous state. It is also the seventh most populous sub-national entity in the world. It is bordered by the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh and the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam. Kolkata bears the pride of being the country’s capital before New Delhi.
The name of Bengal, or Bangla, is derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga, or Banga. The people of West Bengal inherit their identity and aspiration from the larger Indian mosaic and from civilizations beyond the shore. They possess different strokes of ethnicity, religion, languages and culture which add to this rich landscape and unifies the people instead of separating them
History: With the decline of Mauryan power, anarchy once more supervened. In the 4th century the region was absorbed into the Gupta empire of Samudra Gupta. Later it came under control of the Pala dynasty.
-3rd century: The Mauryan and the Guptas established their rule.
-From 800AD to 11th century: The Palas established their strong rule from about after which the Senas ruled. The economy, arts and culture of this region developed under the rule of the Hindu dynasties.
-Beginning of the 13th century: Bengal became a part of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughals. The influence of the Muslims led to conversions besides development of art and culture and cottage industries that produced items such as Muslin which were in great demand around the world.
-The proximity to the sea also resulted in the influence of the Portuguese invasion in the early 16th century, the Dutch in about 1632, the French influence between 1673 and 1676, the Danish in 1676 and British in 1690.
- The battle of Plassey (1757) and the battle of Buxar (1764) sealed the fate of the Mughal rule.
1905: The English partitioned Bengal on the basis of religion. Calcutta remained the Capital of the British empire in India till 1911. After that the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.
-1947: Post India’s independence, Bengal was partitioned between India and Pakistan. India's share came to be known as West Bengal and Pakistan's share was called East Pakistan. Later, the state of Cooch Behar, French enclave of Chandranagore and some parts of Bihar were added to West Bengal.
Culture: Bengali is the native language of this heritage-rich West Bengal. West Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Thakurmar Jhuli, and stories related to Gopal Bhar. Bengali literature was adorned by the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Jibananda Das and Manik Bandyopadhyay. In modern times authors like Jibanananda Das, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Manik Bandopadhyay, Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Buddhadeb Guha, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay added fame to the ever shining culture.
The cuisines of Bengal are in true sense mouth watering and few of the striking delicacies are Aloor Chop, Beguni, Kati roll, and phuchka. Mustard oil is the medium of cooking in Bengali cuisine. Seasoning is done with the concoction of five spices (aniseed, mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed and black cumin seed) called Panchphoran.
Rice and fish are traditional favourite foods, leading to a saying in Bengali, machhe bhate bangali, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali”. Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water)with onion & green chili is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas.
The state is also fond of sweets and curds making them a tradition throughout the state. Rassagolla Chomchom, Kalojam and several kinds of Sondesh are the most famous sweets. Pitha and Patishapta are specialties of winter season.
Durga Pooja is celebrated with great pomp and show and it happens to be one of the most famous festivals.
Topography and Weather: The topography of the state of West Bengal is varied and its physiography is very interesting. The foothills of the Himalayan region is known as the Terrai region in West Bengal. This region is famous the world over for tea plantation. River Ganga with its important distributary, the Hoogly river flow over this region.
The early summer is welcomed by brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi (Nor'westers). The summer starts in March and ends by July, with April being the hottest month. The state gets torrential rain between June and September. The winter session starts from October and continues till February.
Places to Visit:
Belur Math
Botanical Garden
Dakshineshwar Temple
Howrah Bridge
Jain Temple
Kali Temple
Marble Palace
Nakhoda Mosque
National Library
Rabindra Sarobar
Raj Bhawan
Ramkrishna Mission
Sahid Minar
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Victoria Memorial
Zoological Gardens
Sunderbans
Jaldapara Sanctuary
Bakkhali
Shantiniketan
Vishnupur
Plassey
Kurseeong
Sagardwip
Raijang Bird Sanctuary
Buxa Tiger Reserve

Bus booking is fairly easy nowadays on internet. If you plan early you’ll get budget bus tickets online. For online bus tickets booking you can check different OTA’s website. Search best bus service, compare and buy cheap tickets.

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<h1>West Bengal – State of Culture and Sweets</h1> Author: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/profile_wejai.aspx'>wejai</a> West Bengal houses the world famous Sunderbans. It houses nineteen districts and the major cities are Kolkata, Siliguri, Burdwan, Durgapur, Kharagpur, Darjeeling and Malda. It is also called the ‘Gateway State’ as it acts as the gateway to the north-eastern region as well as the Asia-Pacific belt. West Bengal is the nation’s fourth most populous state. It is also the seventh most populous sub-national entity in the world. It is bordered by the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh and the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam. Kolkata bears the pride of being the country’s capital before New Delhi. 
 The name of Bengal, or Bangla, is derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga, or Banga. The people of West Bengal inherit their identity and aspiration from the larger Indian mosaic and from civilizations beyond the shore. They possess different strokes of ethnicity, religion, languages and culture which add to this rich landscape and unifies the people instead of separating them
History: With the decline of Mauryan power, anarchy once more supervened. In the 4th century the region was absorbed into the Gupta empire of Samudra Gupta. Later it came under control of the Pala dynasty.
-3rd century: The Mauryan and the Guptas established their rule.
-From 800AD to 11th century: The Palas established their strong rule from about after which the Senas ruled. The economy, arts and culture of this region developed under the rule of the Hindu dynasties.
-Beginning of the 13th century: Bengal became a part of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughals. The influence of the Muslims led to conversions besides development of art and culture and cottage industries that produced items such as Muslin which were in great demand around the world. 
-The proximity to the sea also resulted in the influence of the Portuguese invasion in the early 16th century, the Dutch in about 1632, the French influence between 1673 and 1676, the Danish in 1676 and British in 1690.
- The battle of Plassey (1757) and the battle of Buxar (1764) sealed the fate of the Mughal rule. 
1905: The English partitioned Bengal on the basis of religion. Calcutta remained the Capital of the British empire in India till 1911. After that the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. 
-1947: Post India’s independence, Bengal was partitioned between India and Pakistan. India's share came to be known as West Bengal and Pakistan's share was called East Pakistan. Later, the state of Cooch Behar, French enclave of Chandranagore and some parts of Bihar were added to West Bengal.
Culture: Bengali is the native language of this heritage-rich West Bengal. West Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Thakurmar Jhuli, and stories related to Gopal Bhar. Bengali literature was adorned by the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Jibananda Das and Manik Bandyopadhyay. In modern times authors like Jibanananda Das, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, Manik Bandopadhyay, Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Buddhadeb Guha, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay added fame to the ever shining culture.
The cuisines of Bengal are in true sense mouth watering and few of the striking delicacies are Aloor Chop, Beguni, Kati roll, and phuchka. Mustard oil is the medium of cooking in Bengali cuisine. Seasoning is done with the concoction of five spices (aniseed, mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed and black cumin seed) called Panchphoran.
Rice and fish are traditional favourite foods, leading to a saying in Bengali, machhe bhate bangali, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali”. Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water)with onion & green chili is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas.
The state is also fond of sweets and curds making them a tradition throughout the state. Rassagolla Chomchom, Kalojam and several kinds of Sondesh are the most famous sweets. Pitha and Patishapta are specialties of winter season.
Durga Pooja is celebrated with great pomp and show and it happens to be one of the most famous festivals.
Topography and Weather: The topography of the state of West Bengal is varied and its physiography is very interesting. The foothills of the Himalayan region is known as the Terrai region in West Bengal. This region is famous the world over for tea plantation. River Ganga with its important distributary, the Hoogly river flow over this region. 
The early summer is welcomed by brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi (Nor'westers). The summer starts in March and ends by July, with April being the hottest month. The state gets torrential rain between June and September. The winter session starts from October and continues till February. 
Places to Visit:
Belur Math
Botanical Garden
Dakshineshwar Temple
Howrah Bridge
Jain Temple
Kali Temple
Marble Palace
Nakhoda Mosque
National Library
Rabindra Sarobar
Raj Bhawan
Ramkrishna Mission
Sahid Minar
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Victoria Memorial
Zoological Gardens
Sunderbans
Jaldapara Sanctuary
Bakkhali
Shantiniketan
Vishnupur
Plassey
Kurseeong
Sagardwip
Raijang Bird Sanctuary
Buxa Tiger Reserve

Bus booking is fairly easy nowadays on internet. If you plan early you’ll get budget bus tickets online. For online bus tickets booking you can check different OTA’s website. Search best bus service, compare and buy cheap tickets.About the Author: Via.com is a leader in travel automation and technology. Now <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.via.com/bus-tickets" title="bus booking">bus booking</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.via.com">cheap Air tickets</a> Article Source: <a href='http://www.articleseen.com/Article_West-Bengal-–-State-of-Culture-and-Sweets_67624.aspx'> http://www.articleseen.com/Article_West Bengal – State of Culture and Sweets_67624.aspx</a>

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