West Bengal

  West Bengal, is bounded on the north by Bhutan and the state of Sikkim , on the east by Bangladesh and the state of Assam , on the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the southwest by the state of Orissa , and on the west by Nepal and the state of Bihar . Its capital, Calcutta, is one of the largest cities in India.

In Calcutta, visit the Victoria Memorial and drive past Fort Williams. 51 kms from the city, the Hoogli turns towards the Bay of Bengal -- beyond is the beautiful Bakkhali beach. Darjeeling , the Queen of the Hills has the highest Race Course in the World. In Darjeeling trek to Tiger Hill and Ghoom monastery. Visit its neighbors Mirik and Kalimpong , reached by a fascinating journey through tea estates, winding roads and several view points from where the Himalayan range can be viewed.

Bengal finds a coveted place even in pre-historic times. At the time of Alexander's invasion a powerful kingdom called Gangaridai ruled over Bengal. Later Sasanka became King of Bengal and is said to have played important role in north-eastern India in the early half of the seventh century. He was succeeded by Gopala who founded the Pala dynasty which ruled for centuriesand had created a huge empire. The Palas were followed by the Sena dynasty which was ended by Muslim rulers from Delhi.Bengal was
ruled by various Muslim rulers and governors till the Mughal period in the sixteenth century.

After the Mughals, history of modern Bengal begins with the advent of European and English trading companies. Battle of Plassey in 1757 changed the course of history when the English first gained a strong foothold in Bengal and India. In 1905 it was partitioned to achieve some political returns but people's growing movement in the auspices of Congress led to the reunion in 1911. This triggered off hectic movement foe freedom which culminated with independence in 1947 and partition.

After 1947, merger of native settlements began which ended with its final reorganization in 1956, when some neighbouring Bengali speaking areas too were transferred to West Bengal..