Indian Century - Tour West Bengal

WEST BENGAL: PLACES TO VISIT

West Bengal is a small state sandwiched between Bangladesh in the East, Bihar in the Northwest and Odisha in the Southwest. The southern end of the state borders the Bay of Bengal. This state is renowned for being the birthplace of both Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. It also houses the world-renowned Darjeeling of its name-sake tea.

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WEST BENGAL LOCATOR MAP

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WEST BENGAL STATS:

Total Area: 88,752 Sq. Km (34,267 Sq. Mi)	Rank: 14th
Population (2011): 91,347,736	Rank: 4th
Capital City: Kolkata
Literacy Rate: 77.08%
HDI: 0.492	Rank: 13th
Official Languages: Bengali, English, Nepali
Official Website: www.westbengal.gov.in

Calcutta High Court
Calcutta High Court

Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Dakshineswar Kali Temple

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Indian Institute of Management Auditorium

Kolkata Metro Railway
Kolkata Metro Railway

RAJ BHAVAN, KOLKATA

POET LAUREATE RABINDRANATH TAGORE
POET LAUREATE RABINDRANATH TAGORE

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

KOLKATA

FESTIVALS

Pahela Baishakh:

(April 14 or 15)

Also known as Pohela Boishakh, this is the first day of the Bengali calendar which is the official calendar of Bangladesh. This festival is celebrated on 14th April in Bangladesh and 15th April in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam (Barak Valley) by Bengalis regardless of their religious faith.

Pahela Baishakh traces its roots back to Mughal rule in this region and also the proclamation of tax collection reforms of Akbar. The festival is celebrated with processions, fairs, and family time. The traditional greeting for Bengalis in the new year is "Shubho Noboborsho" which is literally "Happy New Year". The festive Mangal Shobhajatra is organized in Bangladesh. In 2016, UNESCO declared this festivity organized by the Faculty of Fine Arts Under the diversity of Dhaka, as a cultural heritage of humanity.

Vishwakarma Jayanti:

(September 16 or 19)

This is a day of celebration for Vishwakarma, a Hindu god, the divine architect. He is considered the creator of the world. He constructed the holy city of Dwarka where Krishna ruled, the Maya Sabha of the Pandavas, and was the creator of many fabulous weapons for the gods. He is also called the divine carpenter, is mentioned in the Rig Veda, and is credited with Sthapatya Veda, the science of mechanics and architecture. It is generally celebrated every year on September 16 or 19, which is on the last day of the Indian Bhado month, in the Solar calendar. The festival is observed primarily in factories and industrial areas, often on the shop floor. As a mark of reverence, the day of worship is marked by the engineering and architectural community, by the artisans, craftsmen, mechanics, smiths, welders, industrial workers, factory workers and others. They pray for a better future, safe working conditions and, above all, success in their respective fields. Workers also pray for the smooth functioning of various machines.

STATE SYMBOLS: (COURTESY WIKIPEDIA)

State animal	Fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
State bird	White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
State flower	Night-flowering Jasmine (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis)
State tree	Devil Tree
State seal