Cooch Behar is a district of the state of West Bengal, India, as well as the name of the town which gives its name to the district. During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of a princely state of the same name, ruled by the Narayan dynasty.In course of time, Cooch Behar has been transformed from a kingdom to a State and from a State to the present status of a district. Before 28 August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely State ruled by the king of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British Government. By an agreement dated 28th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar ceded full and extensive authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India. The transfer of administration of the state to the Govt. of India came into force on 12 September 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 19 January 1950 and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new District in the administrative map of West Bengal.

Etymology

The name "Cooch-Behar" is derived from the name of the Koch tribe that is indigenous to this area. The word "Behar" is the Sanskrit word "Vihar" (residence/domicile) spoken with the local accent. Thus Koch + Vihar = Cooch Behar, "Domicile of the Koch people".

The District at a Glance

District Headquarters: Cooch Behar Town
Population: 24,78,280 (2001 census)

Geographical Location and Details

Latitude: 25�57'47" to 26�36'2" North
Longitude: 89�54'35" to 88�47'44" East
Total area: 3387 km square

Cooch Behar is a district under the Jalpaiguri Division of the state of West Bengal. Cooch Behar is located in the north-eastern part of the state and bounded by the district of Jalpaiguri in the north, State of Assam in the east and by Bangladesh in the west as well as in the

Soil

Being the district near to the Eastern Himalayan foot hills, after rains in the catchment area of each of the rivers generally attain strong current and spate over adjacent area. The turbulent water carries sand, silt, fables, which causes lot of problem in productivity as well as hydrology. The soil is formed by alluvial deposit and acidic in nature. It is friable loam to sandy loam ranging in depth from 0.15 to 1 meter. Soil has a low level of nitrogen while potassium and phosphorous levels are medium. Deficiency of Bo, Zn, Ca, Mg, S is quite high.

Rivers and Topography

Cooch Behar is a flat country with a slight south-eastern slope along which the main rivers of the district flow. Most of the high land areas are in the Sitalkuchi region and most of the low lying lands lie in Dinhata region.

The rivers in the district of Cooch Behar generally flow in a slanting course from north-west to south-east. Six rivers that cut through the district are Teesta , Jaldhaka , Torsa, Kaljani, Raidak and Gadadhar.

Climate

The district of Cooch Behar have a moderate type of Climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoon and slight rainfall in the month of October to mid November. The district does not have high temperature at any time of the yea. The summer season is from April to May with April being the hottest month with mean daily maximum of 32.5 �C and mean daily minimum of 20.2 �C. The Winter season lasts from end November to February with January being the coldest month with temperature ranging between 10.4 �C to 24.1 �C, Lowest temperature up to 3.9 �C and maximum temperature up to 39.9 �C have been recorded. The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except February to May when relative humidity is as less as 50 to 70%. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Average annual rainfall in the district is 3,201 mm.

Flora and fauna

The flora here constitutes among others palms, bamboos, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetable, fruit trees, etc.
In absence of large forest area in the district, except at Patlakhawa, not many species of animal are found though there are many wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Animal reserves in the neighboring Jalpaiguri district and Alipurduar subdivision of Jalpaiguri which are not very far from the district.

Subdivisions and blocks of Cooch Behar

Number Of subdivisions: 5
Number of blocks: 12
Number of gram panchayat: 128

Subdivisions

1. Cooch Behar Sadar
2. Dinhata
3. Mathabhanga
4. Mekhliganj
5. Tufanganj

Blocks and their headquarters

Agriculture

Agricultural Area : 2530.63 km� Cooch Behar

Princely Cooch Behar

While the exact origin of the Narayan dynasty is obscure, it is apparently of indigenous tribal origin and has ruled the area around the town of Cooch Behar since the 16th century. The state remained unaffected by the great changes that overtook its surrounding provinces in the decade following the battle of Plassey in 1757. However, it was invaded by Bhutan in the latter half of the 18th century, which prompted a formal treaty of alliance with the British in 1775. Upon the extinguishing of British rule in India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India; it merged with the Union of India shortly afterwards.

Prominence

Although the princely state of Cooch Behar was very small, it enjoyed a certain prominence since it was one of very few states to lie within relatively easy distance of Calcutta, the hub of the British Raj. Due to this proximity, the royal family early embraced westernization; this resulted in the family enjoying an ascendancy in British official circles, as also in London society, which was out of all proportion to the size of the state.

Maharaja Nripendra Bahadur (ruled 1863-1911) may be credited with initiating this westernization. He began by marrying, in defiance of established custom, the daughter of a prominent Brahmo Samaji, Keshub Chunder Sen. The couple proceeded to break custom with a vengeance, spending long periods in Europe, adopting western ways and raising their children likewise. Caught between two worlds, their children faltered: three sons died young of drink (an established family tradition), while two daughters married (with largely unhappy results) sundry low-ranking British army officers. A third daughter married a nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate, but was soon estranged from her husband.

Maharaja Jitendra Narayan, second son and eventual heir of Nripendra Bahadur, eloped with a princess of Baroda, the celebrated Indira Raje; she ruled as regent after his early death (of drink) and also made a celebrity career for herself in the salons of Europe, earning the sobriquet "the ranee of cooch partout". One of their daughters, Gayatri, wed for love the Maharaja of Jaipur and became an international celebrity. Another daughter, Menaka, wed the Maharaja of Dewas (Jr) and retired into respectable obscurity. Ila, their eldest daughter, wed into the royal family of Tripura; her granddaughters Ria and Raima are fashion models and aspiring film stars.

While Jitendra Narayan's elder son and heir made morganatic marriages first with an American actress and then with an Englishwoman, their younger son wed a daughter of the Maharaja of Pithapuram. The only son of the latter couple was the last dynast of the ruling family of Cooch-Behar in the senior line; after he died childless in 1992, the headship of the family is unclear.

Tourism

Cooch Behar is growing as a new tourist hub in the Dooars region of West Bengal. The main attraction are the Cooch Behar Rajbari or the King's Palace, Madan Mohan Bari(Temple of Lord Krishna), Ranir Bagan(Memorial of the Kings and Queen), Sagar Dighi (a lake where migratory birds come), Rasikbill(a lake where migratory birds come), Rajpat(ancient palace excarvation site). The best time to visit mid-October to mid-December and February to April.

Trivia

- Bharat Dev Varma is a descendant of the royal family of Cooch Behar. He is the father of Raima Sen (an actress in Bollywood).

References

• Book entitled Maharanis by Lucy Moore

Kutch Behar

Bharat Dev Varma was born to Ila Devi, princess of Cooch Behar and Romendra Kishore Dev Varma,a member of the Tripura princely family. Ila Devi met Romendra Kishore Dev Varma when both had been students of Shantineketan. Ila Devi died at a young age, leaving three children, two sons and a daughter. All of them were brought up by their maternal grandmother Indira Devi, Maharani of Cooch Behar. The elder son married Rita Faria,a model and a beauty paegant the first Miss World. The daughter married a prince of Jaipur and Bharat Dev Varma married Moonmoon Sen, only daughter of legendary Bengali screen actress Suchitra Sen, herself an actress and model. They have two daughters Raima and Riya, both an upcoming actress and model.