Cooch Behar (), also known as Koch Bihar, is a city in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

and it stands on bank of the Torsa river. The city is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. During the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar. In the North Bengal region, the only planned city with royal heritage is Cooch Behar. The city is a popular tourist destination and cultural hub in

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

Etymology

The name ''Cooch Behar'' is derived from two words—'' Cooch'', a corrupted form of the word ''Koch'', the name of the Koch tribes, and the word ''Behar'' is derived from '' vihara'' meaning ''land or settlement.'' Koch Behar means ''land of the Koches''.

History

Early period

Cooch Behar formed part of the Kamarupa Kingdom of Assam from the 4th to the 12th. In the 13th century, the area became a part of the Kamata Kingdom. The Khens ruled until about 1498 CE, when they fell to Alauddin Hussain Shah, the independent 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, proclaimed itself ''Kamateshwar'' (Lord of Kamata), and established the Koch dynasty. The first important Koch ruler was Bisu, later called Biswa Singha, who came to power in 1515 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. As the early capital of the Koch Kingdom, Koch Behar's location was not static and became stable only when it shifted to Cooch Behar town. 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, Pran Narayan planned to expand his kingdom. However, Mir Jumla, the

subedar Subedar ( ) is a military rank in the militaries of South Asia roughly equivalent to that of a warrant officer. Historically classed in the British Indian Army as a Viceroy's commissioned officer, the rank was retained in the Indian Army an ...

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. Pran Narayan regained his kingdom within a few days.

British Raj

Between 1772 and 1773, the Bhutanese Desi attacked and seized control of Cooch Behar. In response, Cooch Behar entered into a defence treaty with the

English East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South Asia and Southeast A ...

on 5 April 1773, to drive out the Bhutanese invaders. During this period, Bhutanese coins were minted in Cooch Behar. Once the Bhutanese were expelled, Cooch Behar was reinstated as a princely state under the aegis of the British East India Company. Cooch Behar Palace is built after classical Italian architecture. The dome of the Palace is in Italian style, resembling the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome. It had been 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 king of Cooch Behar and the Indian Government at the end of British rule, Maharaja

Jagaddipendra Narayan Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, (15 December 1915 – 11 April 1970) was Maharaja of Cooch Behar, in India. He served in British forces during World War II and ceded full ruling powers to the Government of India in 1949. Early li ...

transferred full authority, jurisdiction, and power of the state to the Dominion

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

, effective 12 September 1949. Eventually, Cooch Bihar became part of the state of West Bengal on 19 January 1950, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.

Geography

The Torsa River flows by the western side of town. Heavy rains often cause strong river currents and flooding. The turbulent water carries huge amounts of sand, silt, and pebbles, which hurt crop production as well as the hydrology of the region. Alluvial deposits from the soil, which is acidic. The soil depth varies from , superimposed on a bed of sand. The foundation materials are igneous and metamorphic rocks at a depth of . The soil has low levels of

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

with moderate levels of

potassium Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...

and

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

. Deficiencies of

boron Boron is a chemical element; it has symbol B and atomic number 5. In its crystalline form it is a brittle, dark, lustrous metalloid; in its amorphous form it is a brown powder. As the lightest element of the boron group it has three ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

, and sulphur are high. Cooch Behar is a flat region with a slight southeastern slope along which the main rivers of the district flow. Most highland areas are in the Sitalkuchi region, and most low-lying lands lie in the Dinhata region. The elevation of the town is 48 meters above mean sea level. The Torsa river flows by the western side of town. The rivers in the district of Cooch Behar generally flow from northwest to southeast. Six rivers that cut through the district are the Teesta, Jaldhaka, Torsha, Kaljani, Raidak, Gadadhar, and Ghargharia. The town of Cooch Behar and its surrounding regions face

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

due to increasing demand for fuel and timber, along with air pollution from increasing vehicular traffic. The local flora includes palms, bamboo, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetables, and fruit trees. Migratory birds and many local species are found in the city, especially around the Sagardighi and other water bodies. In 1976, the Cooch Behar district became home to the Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary (now Jaldapara National Park), which has an area of . It shares the park with the Alipurduar district.

Climate

Cooch Behar has a moderate climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoons and slight rainfall from October to March. The city does not experience very high temperatures at any time of the year. The daily maximum temperature is in August, the hottest month, and the daily minimum temperature is in January, the coldest month. The highest temperature in Cooch Behar was 41.0 °C, recorded on 11 September 1977; the lowest temperature recorded was 3.3 °C, reported on 28 January 1982. The atmosphere is highly humid. The rainy season lasts from June to September. The average annual rainfall in the city is .

Demographics

In the 2011 census, the Cooch Behar

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

had a population of 2,89,434, of which 1,46,626 were male and 1,42,808 were female. The 0–6 years population was 7,910. The effective literacy rate for the urban population was 80.59%. According to the 2011 census, the Cooch Behar Municipal area has a population of 77,935. The decadal growth rate for the population is 1.38%. The sex ratio is 972 females per 1,000 males. Males constitute 50.6% of the population, and females constitute 49.4%. Cooch Behar has an average literacy rate of 74.78%, higher than the national average of 74.04%. The male literacy rate is 80.71%, while the female literacy rate is 68.49%. The major religions practised in Cooch Behar are

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

(76.44%) followed by

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

(25.54%). Commonly spoken languages are Bengali and

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

Government and politics

Civic administration

Cooch Behar Municipality is responsible for the civic administration of the town. The municipality consists of a board of councillors, elected from each of the 20 wards and a few members nominated by the state government. The board of councillors elects a chairman from among its elected members; the chairman is the executive head of the municipality. The All India Trinamool Congress controls the municipality. The state government looks after education, health, and tourism. The town is in the Cooch Behar constituency and elects one member to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

(the

Lower House A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the Indian Parliament). The town area is covered by one assembly constituency, Cooch Behar Dakshin, that elects one member to the

Vidhan Sabha The State Legislative Assembly, also known as the Vidhan Sabha or the Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in each of the states and certain union territories of India. Members of the legislative assembly are often directly elected to serve fiv ...

, which is the West Bengal state legislative assembly. Cooch Behar town comes under the jurisdiction of the district police (which is a part of the

state police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

); the Superintendent of Police oversees security and matters about law and order. Cooch Behar is home to the District Court.

Utility services

Cooch Behar is a well-planned town, and the municipality is responsible for providing essential services such as potable water and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...

. The city supplies water using its groundwater resources, and almost all the houses in the municipal area are connected. Solid waste is collected every day by the municipality van from individual homes. The surface drains, mostly cemented, drain into the Torsa River. Electricity is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Board, and the West Bengal Fire Service provides emergency services like fire tenders. Most roads are metalled (macadam), and street lighting is available throughout the town. The Public Works Department is responsible for road maintenance and the streets connecting Cooch Behar with other regional cities. Health services in Cooch Behar include a government-owned District Hospital, a Regional Cancer Centre, and private nursing homes. Utility services provided in Cooch Behar are considered one of the best government utility services in West Bengal. However, the city floods during heavy rain due to problems with the drainage system. Cooch Behar city Top View

Health facilities

The city has one district hospital, formerly MJN Hospital, which has 400 beds. The hospital has now been converted to Cooch Behar Government Medical College and Hospital. The city also offers numerous multi-speciality hospitals such as Shubham Hospital, Cooch Behar Mission Hospital and Dr. P K Saha Hospital Pvt. Ltd.

Market facilities

The municipality has four daily markets, two wholesale markets, and eight commercial complexes. Apart from these, two new malls have also opened recently.

Economy

The central and state governments are among the major employers in Cooch Behar town. Cooch Behar is home to several district-level and divisional-level offices and has a large government-employee workforce. Business is mainly centered on retail goods; the main centers lie on B.S. Road, Rupnarayan Road, Keshab Road, and Bhawaniganj Bazar. Cooch Behar Sagar Dighi area

industrial park An industrial park, also known as industrial estate or trading estate, is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more heavyweight version of a business park or office par ...

has been built at Chakchaka, from town, on the route to Tufanganj. A number of companies have set up industries there. Farming is a significant source of livelihood for the nearby rural populace, and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables. Poorer sections of this semi-rural society are involved in transport, primary agriculture, small shops, and manual labour in construction. Cooch Behar has witnessed radical changes and rapid development in segments like industry, real estate, information technology firms, and education since the advent of the twenty-first century. The changes concern infrastructure and industrial growth for steel (direct reduced iron), metal, cement, and knowledge-based industries. Many engineering, technology, management, and professional study colleges have opened at Cooch Behar. Housing co-operatives, flats, shopping malls, hotels, and stadiums have also emerged. As the town is near the international border, the Border Security Force (BSF) maintains a significant presence in the vicinity. This gives rise to a large population of semi-permanent residents, who bring revenue to the economy. The state government is trying to promote Cooch Behar as a tourist destination. Though income from tourism is low, Cooch Behar is one of the major tourist attractions in West Bengal.

Culture

Every year during the Ras Purnima, the city hosts Ras Mela, one of the largest and oldest fairs in West Bengal. The fair is older than 200 years. Cooch Behar Municipality organises the fair in Ras Mela ground near ABN Seal College. During the fair, it becomes a central economic hub of the North Bengal region. Merchants and sellers from all over India and also from Bangladesh join this fair. Earlier, the Maharajas of Cooch Behar used to inaugurate 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 a symbol of communal harmony because an artisanal Muslim family builds it from scratch. A huge crowd gathers in Cooch Behar from neighbouring

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and the whole North Bengal during the fair. Novelist Amiya Bhushan Majumdar was born, raised, and worked in Cooch Behar. Cooch Behar, with its people, culture, and the river Torsha has been a recurrent theme in his novels. Apart from this, Cooch Behar has a rich history of Debate, Extempore, and Quizzing.

Tourism

Cooch Behar is a significant tourist destination in

. The main attractions are:

Cooch Behar Palace

It is the main attraction of the city, having been modelled after

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and built in 1887 during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan. It is a brick-built double-story structure in the classical Western style covering . The whole structure stands long, wide and rests above ground. The Palace is fronted on the ground and first floors by a series of arcaded verandahs with their piers arranged alternately in single and double rows. The Palace projects slightly at the southern and northern ends, and in the center is a projected porch providing an entrance to the Durbar Hall. The Hall has an elegantly shaped metal dome topped by a cylindrical louvre-type ventilator. This is high from the ground and is in the style of

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

architecture. The intros of the dome are carved in stepped patterns, and Corinthian columns support the base of the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

. This adds variegated colours and designs to the entire surface. There are various halls in the palace and rooms, including the Dressing Room, Bed Room, Drawing Room, Dining Hall, Billiard hall, Library, Toshakhana, Lady's Gallery, and Vestibules. The articles and precious objects that these rooms and halls used to contain are now lost. The original palace was three storied but was destroyed by a 19th-century earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale. The palace shows the acceptance of the European idealism of the Koch kings and the fact that they had embraced European culture without denouncing their Indian heritage.

Sagar Dighi

Sagardighi is one of the "Great Ponds" in the heart of Cooch Behar, West Bengal. The name means an ocean-like pond, exaggerated given its great significance. As well as being popular with people, it attracts migratory birds each winter. It is surrounded by many important administrative buildings, like the District Magistrates Office, the Administrative Building of North Bengal State Transport Corporation, BSNL's DTO Office in the West; the Office of the Superintendent of Police, the District Library, the Municipality Building in the South, the Office of BLRO, the State Bank of India's Cooch Behar Main Branch and many others in the East, the RTO office, the Foreigner's registration office, the District Court in the North and others. Most of these buildings are remnants of royal heritage.

Transport

Road

Cooch Behar is very well connected by road to neighbouring areas, other cities of West Bengal and the rest of the country. Cooch Behar is a major roadway junction after Siliguri towards

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

and

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. NH-17 crosses through the heart of the city, connecting Assam and North Bengal. Apart from this, state highways including SH-16 and SH-12A, pass through Cooch Behar, connecting different places in West Bengal.

Bus service

North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC), a state government-run transport corporation headquartered in Cooch Behar, runs regular bus service to most places in West Bengal. Private buses are also available, which operate from bus stops or designated pick-up spots to various tows in

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

, and

. City services from NBSTC are also available for riders to commute from different parts of a city. * Mini-Bus Stand & NBSTC Bus Terminus: Located near Cooch Behar Palace, it serves as a bus depot for both government and private buses. Government buses are operated by NBSTC. * NBSTC New Bus Stand: Located within the city, it is the hub for NBSTC buses and a boarding point for long-haul buses.

Rail

Being a popular tourism hub, Cooch Behar is well connected through railway with almost all parts of the country. Two stations serve the city. * New Cooch Behar railway station (NCB): Located around 5 km from the city, it is well connected to almost all major Indian cities including

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Guwahati Guwahati () the largest city of the Indian state of Assam, and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

. All Rajdhani, superfast and express trains going towards

northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

have a stoppage here. New Cooch Behar station came up when the broad gauge New Jalpaiguri–New Bongaigaon section of Barauni–Guwahati line was laid in 1966. As of 2018, it is the largest railway junction of Northeast Frontier Railway with six routes towards New Changrabandha, New Jalpaiguri, New Bongaigaon, Alipurduar Junction, Dhubri, and Bamanhat. New Cooch Behar railway station boasts a beautiful look similar to Cooch Behar Palace. This station is equipped with Wi-Fi facilities, restrooms, food cafes, dormitories, waiting lounge elevators and escalators. * Cooch Behar railway station (COB): Situated inside the town, this station lies on the Alipurduar–Bamanhat branch line. Trains connecting Bamanhat with Alipurduar and Siliguri halt here. It was built in 1901 when Cooch Behar State Railway constructed the Geetaldaha-Jainti line. The station offers Wi-Fi, seating and other basic facilities. A Railway Heritage Museum, a smaller version of the National Rail Museum, is constructed in the station area and looks like Cooch Behar Madan Mohan Temple.

Air

Cooch Behar Airport is a domestic airport located near the city. It handles daily flights from Netaji Subash Chandra Bose International Airport in

. The nearest

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

is Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri, about 142 km (88 mi) from Cooch Behar.

IndiGo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

, Vistara and Spice Jet are the major carriers that connect the area to

, Chennai, Bangkok, Paro,

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

and

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

Education

Cooch Behar's schools usually use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of the

language is also stressed. The schools are affiliated with the

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) is an academic qualification awarded by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of education in India. The CISCE conducts these examinati ...

(ICSE) or the

Central Board of Secondary Education The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national-level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...

(CBSE), or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Some of the reputed schools include Jenkins School, Sunity Academy, and Cooch Behar Rambhola High School. School bldg1

Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University is the only single university in Cooch Behar. It is a U.G.C. recognised

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

in Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India. The university was named after the 19th-century Rajbongshi leader and social reformist, Panchanan Barma. A total of 15 colleges from the Cooch Behar district are affiliated with the university. There are five colleges and a polytechnic in town, including A.B.N. Seal College, Cooch Behar College, University B.T. & Evening College, Thakur Panchanan Mahila Mahavidyalaya, all of which are affiliated with the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, which was established in 2013. Cooch Behar Polytechnic established in 1964, one of oldest Polytechnic Institute in Coochbehar district. Acharya Brojendra Nath Seal College was established in 1888 as Victoria College by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan of Koch Bihar to enhance student capability in the Kingdom. The first principal was John Cornwallis Godley, who in 1895 became the second principal of Aitchison College in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. Later, Maharaja Nripendra Naryayan offered the post of principal to Acharya Brojendra Nath Seal, a Brahmo and philosopher, who remained in the post for eighteen years from 1896 to 1913. In 1950, when the state of Cooch Behar was merged into the Union of India, governance was passed to the Government of West Bengal. It was earlier affiliated with the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

and

University of North Bengal The University of North Bengal (also North Bengal University, abbreviated as NBU) is a public state university in the North Bengal region of West Bengal, India. Its main campus is located in Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri, Darjeeling district, in ...

and is now affiliated with Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University after the creation of the same. In 1970, it was renamed Acharya Brojendra Nath Seal College. It is one of the few colleges under the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University to offer postgraduate education. The college is in the heart of the town with a campus of 13.27 acres (53,700 m2) and a built-up area of 9032.96 sq. meters. 1981 the Maya Chitram Art Institute was founded in Cooch Behar. There is an agricultural university, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, 16 km from the town at Pundibari. A medical college named Maharaja Jitendra Narayan Medical College and Hospital began instruction in 2019 with 100 students. Cooch Behar Government Engineering College started its first academic session in 2016.

Gallery

File:Indoor Stadium @ Cooch Behar.jpg, Indoor Stadium, cooch Behar File:Cooch Behar District Court.jpg, District Court File:Brojendranath Shil College Building.JPG, ABN Seal College File:COB airport1.jpg, Cooch Behar Airport File:Rail Museum Coochbehar.JPG, Railway Museum near Cooch Behar Station File:Rajbari Gate.jpg, Palace Gate File:Sahid Bag, Cooch Behar (2965239031).jpg, Sahid Bag, Cooch Behar File:Bhola Ashram @ Cooch Behar (3954268297).jpg, Bhola Ashram, Cooch Behar. (Residence of Executive Engineer WBPWD) File:Cooch Behar Madan Bari Gate (3152683650).jpg, Madan Mohan Bari Entrance File:Cooch Behar Circuit House (2973530632).jpg, Circuit House File:New Cooch Behar Station at night.jpg, New Cooch Behar at night File:New Cooch Behar.jpg, New Cooch Behar Junction File:Bara Debi Bari, Cooch Behar (3116565695).jpg, Debi Bari Cooch Behar File:View of Moti Mahal - now Kalyan Bhavan (3116564839).jpg, Moti Mahal File:Madanmohan Temple at night.jpg, Madanmohan Temple at night File:Cooch Behar Stadium (3117391408).jpg, Palace view from the stadium

References

External links

Cooch Behar District's official website
{{West Bengal Cities and towns in Cooch Behar district Former capital cities in India Cooch Behar Cities in West Bengal Planned cities in West Bengal Planned communities in India