West Bengal is the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger, the Sunderban, tea plantations, freedom fighters and great literary figures. The list seems endless, and needless to say that these are the qualities that people think of when they call West Bengal the Cultural Centre of India. Calcutta is West Bengal's capital. It is the second largest city of India. A city of contrasts, it boasts of a rich cultural life on one hand and shows you its poverty and deprivation on the other. The state is situated on the East Side of the country above the Eastern Ghats, and proudly bears the Gangetic Delta. In the South of West Bengal lies the Bay of Bengal, while in the North is Sikkim. On the East, it shares its borders with Assam and Bangladesh, while on the West are the states of Bihar and Orissa, and Nepal. The state starts from the sea level and rises up to the Himalayas.

West Bengal is the state where the Ganges becomes so heavy with the silt, that it meanders left and right till it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It has the widest delta in India and the distributary rivers have changed their course frequently. The plains of West Bengal are rich with the alluvial silt of the Ganges. Part of these plains are flooded during the monsoons, but the silt that is left behind makes the soil very fertile.

The climate of West Bengal is quite pleasant between November and February. The days are warm and the nights cool. They get cooler as you move northwards. The hills and above, remain cool right through the summers. During the monsoons, the temperature falls but because of the dense forest cover, the humidity increases. West Bengal faces a number of storms between March and May.

West Bengal has been ruled over by the Dravidians, the Aryans, Mauryan Empire, Guptas, Pala Dynasty, Sena Dynasty, Muslims and the British. They all came and conquered but could not subdue the spirit of West Bengal. Instead, many of them, over a period of time, were spiritually transformed. The state has rich mineral resources and its variety of flora makes it a place that has a hand in a number of industries. The Bengalis are friendly people and would greet you warmly and make you feel very welcome. There are numerous historical sites scattered all over Bengal. Modern day Bengal is a place rich in literature, art and reforms. It tries to create and maintain a balance between the old traditions and cultures and the new computer-savvy generation.

Then came the birth of Chaitanya in 1486. He was considered by many as an incarnation of Lord Krishna, and he helped revive an interest in Hindu philosophy and Vedic literature. After Babur’s death, Sher Shah attacked Bengal and extended his territory from Bihar to Bengal. Sher Shah then proceeded to defeat Humayun in 1540. Bengal went back to the Muslims, when Akbar took control of the state between 1574 and 1576.

By the middle of the 16th century, the Portuguese had begun trading with Bengal, but in 1632, Shah Jahan attacked their port near Calcutta. This reduced their merchandising power, which was already facing competition from the Dutch and the British. It was the British who were meant to play a major role in Indian history and it was this incident which set the ball rolling. In 1634, one of the daughters of Shah Jahan was badly burnt in a fire. At that time an English surgeon, Gabrial Boughton, was visiting the court. It was under his guidance, that Emperor Shah Jahan’s daughter slowly recovered, after remaining critical for a long time. In gratitude, the Emperor gave the British permission to set up port or factories and trade from Bengal. After about 80 years, William Hamilton also a surgeon, cured Emperor Farukhsiyar of venereal disease, and was granted control of trading rights for the Company in Bengal. In 1690, the British bought three seaside villages and combined them to form Calcutta, where they built their fort and established control.

A decade later, Bengal become an Independent Presidency .The British had a strong hold over the internal trade as well as export in Bengal. The waterways of the delta helped them get to the rich resources and they added Saltpetre export to Europe. It was used as a fuel in the war. After Aurangzeb, the Mughal rule disintegrated. In 1756, Siraj-ud-Daula, the 20 year old Nawab of Bengal, took keen interest in the immense wealth and resources of Calcutta. He attacked Fort William and captured the city .The British had used the French as an excuse to build the fort. Siraj-ud-Daula did not believe this and took over Calcutta. He is held responsible for the ‘Black hole Tragedy’ in which a number of Britishers died. In the following year, Clive took back the city and defeated the Nawab in the 'Battle of Plassey'. This battle too played a pivotal role in keeping the presence of the British in India. For the next 100 years or so, Bengal was the political and economic focal point of British in India. First, they traded indigo and opium, then they traded jute. By the end of the 19th century, the British had established manufacturing industries, processing plants as well as engineering industries in Bengal. The railway centre was also established.

Religious movements, teaching reforms started from Calcutta. In the 1830’s, Raja Ram Mohan Roy started the ‘Brahmo Samaaj’. It formed a traditional Hindu community, which had a strong focus on reforms and missionary activities like the Christian missionaries. During the century, Bengali literature, drama, art and music flourished. In the early 20th century, Bengal was dominated by the poetry and writings of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore. His music is a distinctive part of the Bengali culture. He added a moral and spiritual dimension to the independence movement.

Until 1905, Bihar and Orissa were also a part of Bengal. Then Lord Curzon divided Bengal. East Bengal included Assam, and West Bengal included Bihar and Orissa. This gave rise to a rift among the Bengalis and caused a split amongst the Hindu and Muslim Bengalis. Slowly over the years, it kept getting wider till finally in 1947, Muslim Bengalis supported the creation of Pakistan. East Bengal was now called East Pakistan (excluding Assam). In 1971m, the East Pakistan Government was defeated by India, and Bangladesh was created. More than 10 million refugees came from here, though most of them returned after Bangladesh was formed. Even today, India is trying to solve the problem of the refugees who are still coming over.

In West Bengal, hills are found in the northern part of the state. On route to Darjeeling, about 34 kms north of Calcutta, is Malda. 12 kms south of it is 'Gaur’. Then about 18 kms north of Malda is a place called ‘Pandua’. Higher up we have Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri (commonly called NJP). Some other well know hills and hill resorts are "Jaaldhapara Wildlife Sanctuary", "Mirik", "Kurseong", "Darjeeling" and "Kalimpong".

West Bengal was once a densely forested place, but today the only jungles that can be found are the Sunderbans in the extreme south and those on the Himalayan slopes. In the plains of West Bengal you can see a variety of plants. Vast stretches of terraced land are cultivated and then in between are the nodules of a number of trees.

Around these trees, small villages can be seen. From rice plantations to orchards of mangoes and papaya, palmyra and palm trees all can be found in the state.

Evergreen trees of the hardwood type can be found in the Himalayan region. The timber is hard, durable and fine-grained, and so is in great demand. Toon, Gurjan and Champa are some of the commercial value trees of West Bengal. You can find Bamboo, Cane, Ferns, Epiphytes, Orchids, Pine, Silver fir, Oak, Spruce, Cedar, Chestnuts, Birch, Ash etc. Mangrove forests of the Ganga delta are called ‘Sunderbans’ because of the ‘Sundari’ trees that grow there. The older delta is at a higher elevation and is formed as terraces on which farming is done. It is called ‘Barind’. In the Eastern Himalayas, broad-leafed evergreen trees are found and so we find Oak, Laurel but not Deodar.