West Bengal  

{{Main|Names of Bengal}}

The origin of the name Bengal (Bangla and Bongo in Bengali) is unknown. One theory suggests the word derives from "Bang", the name of a Dravidian tribe that settled the region around 1000{{nbsp}}BCE.{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/4.htm |title=Bangladesh: early history, 1000 B.C.–A.D. 1202 |date=September 1988 |work=Bangladesh: A country study |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date = 2 March 2012 |quote=Historians believe that Bengal, the area comprising present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, was settled in about 1000 B.C. by Dravidian-speaking peoples who were later known as the Bang. Their homeland bore various titles that reflected earlier tribal names, such as Vanga, Banga, Bangala, Bangal and Bengal. |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170615070625/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/4.htm |archive-date = 15 June 2017}} The Bengali word Bongo might have been derived from the ancient kingdom of Vanga (or Banga). Although some early Sanskrit literature mentions the name Vanga, the region's early history is obscure.{{cite book |last=Marshman |first=John Clark |author-link = John Clark Marshman |title=Outline of the History of Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=845eAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1 |year=1865 |publisher=John Clark Marshman |page=1 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171204062800/https://books.google.com/books?id=845eAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1 |archive-date = 4 December 2017}}

In 1947, at the end of British rule over the Indian subcontinent the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted on the Partition of Bengal along religious lines into two separate entities: West Bengal, which continued as an Indian state and East Bengal, a province of Pakistan, which came to be known be as East Pakistan and later became the independent Bangladesh.{{sfn|Mukherjee|1987|p=230}}{{sfn|Chakrabarty|2004|p=142}}

In 2011 the Government of West Bengal proposed a change in the official name of the state to Paschim Banga ({{langx|bn|পশ্চিমবঙ্গ}} Pôshchimbônggô).{{cite news |title=West Bengal may be renamed PaschimBanga |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2373155.ece |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |date=19 August 2011 |access-date = 7 February 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120121204545/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2373155.ece |archive-date = 21 January 2012}} This is the native name of the state, literally meaning "western Bengal" in the native Bengali language. In August 2016 the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed another resolution to change the name of West Bengal to "Bengal" in English and "Bangla" in Bengali. Despite the Trinamool Congress government's efforts to forge a consensus on the name change resolution, the Indian National Congress, the Left Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the resolution.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Assembly-drops-West-renames-State-as-Bengal/article14596751.ece |title=Assembly drops West, renames State as Bengal |date=29 August 2016 |work=The Hindu|access-date=4 January 2018 |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225084838/http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/Assembly-drops-West-renames-State-as-Bengal/article14596751.ece|archive-date=25 December 2016}} However, the central government has turned down the proposal maintaining the state should have one single name for all languages instead of three and it should not be the same as that of any other territory (pointing out that the name 'Bangla' may create confusion with neighbouring Bangladesh).{{cite news |url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/mar/29/foreign-ministry-turns-down-mamata-banerjees-bangla-for-west-bengal-1587394--1.html |title=Foreign ministry turns down Mamata Banerjee's 'Bangla' for West Bengal |work=The New Indian Express|access-date=20 December 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051528/http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/mar/29/foreign-ministry-turns-down-mamata-banerjees-bangla-for-west-bengal-1587394--1.html|archive-date=22 December 2017}}{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/west-bengal-to-send-another-proposal-to-centre-on-changing-its-name/story-VaJhR4kFv9WhaYEk6QmQKI.html |title=West Bengal to send another proposal to Centre on changing its name |date=8 September 2017 |work=Hindustan Times|access-date=20 December 2017 |language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051404/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/west-bengal-to-send-another-proposal-to-centre-on-changing-its-name/story-VaJhR4kFv9WhaYEk6QmQKI.html|archive-date=22 December 2017}}

{{Main|History of Bengal|History of rulers of Bengal|History of West Bengal}}

File:Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630.jpg, who created the first separate political entity in Bengal, called the Gauda kingdom]]

Stone Age tools dating back 20,000 years have been excavated in the state, showing human occupation 8,000 years earlier than scholars had thought.{{cite news |title=History of Bengal just got a lot older |first=Sebanti |last=Sarkar |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080328/jsp/frontpage/story_9067406.jsp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |date=28 March 2008 |access-date = 13 September 2010 |quote=Humans walked on Bengal's soil 20,000 years ago, archaeologists have found out, pushing the state's pre-history back by some 8,000 years. |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110912042911/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080328/jsp/frontpage/story_9067406.jsp |archive-date = 12 September 2011}} According to the Indian epic Mahabharata the region was part of the Vanga kingdom.{{cite book |last=Sen |first=S. N. |title=Ancient Indian History And Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |year=1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 |pages=273–274 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213233/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC |archive-date = 1 January 2016}} Several Vedic realms were present in the Bengal region, including Vanga, Rarh, Pundravardhana and the Suhma kingdom. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is a mention by the Ancient Greeks around 100{{nbsp}}BCE of a land named Gangaridai located at the mouths of the Ganges.{{cite book |first=Dilip K. |last=Chakrabarti |year=2001 |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga |pages=154–155 |publisher=Permanent Black |location=Delhi |isbn=978-81-7824-016-9}} Bengal had overseas trade relations with Suvarnabhumi (Burma, Lower Thailand, the Lower Malay Peninsula and Sumatra).{{cite book |title=Foreign trade and commerce in ancient India |last=Prasad |first=Prakash Chandra |year=2003 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7017-053-2 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mFW3sXnzEQ4C&q=ancient+history+of+bengal+trade&pg=PA231 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001159/https://books.google.com/books?id=mFW3sXnzEQ4C&q=ancient+history+of+bengal+trade&pg=PA231 |url-status=live}} According to the Sri Lankan chronicle Mahavamsa, Prince Vijaya ({{circa|543|505 BCE}}), a Vanga kingdom prince, conquered Lanka (modern-day Sri Lanka) and named the country Sinhala kingdom.{{cite book |first2=Mabel |last2=Haynes Bode |last1=Geiger |first1=Wilhelm |author-link=Wilhelm Geiger |title=Mahavamsa: Great Chronicle of Ceylon |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nX2af3kcregC&q=wilhelm+geiger |year=2003 |orig-date=1908 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-206-0218-2 |chapter=Chapter VI: The Coming of Vijaya |chapter-url=http://lakdiva.org/mahavamsa/chap006.html |pages=51–54 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001207/https://books.google.com/books?id=nX2af3kcregC&q=wilhelm+geiger |url-status=live}}

The kingdom of Magadha was formed in the 7th{{nbsp}}century BCE, consisting of the regions now comprising Bihar and Bengal. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of the lives of Mahavira, the principal figure of Jainism and Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism. It consisted of several janapadas, or kingdoms.{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Settlement_in_Bengal |title=Settlement in Bengal (Early Period) |last=Sultana |first=Sabiha |access-date = 12 June 2015 |work=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614193503/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Settlement_in_Bengal |archive-date = 14 June 2015}} Under Ashoka, the Maurya Empire of Magadha in the 3rd{{nbsp}}century BCE extended over nearly all of South Asia, including Afghanistan and parts of Balochistan. From the 3rd to the 6th{{nbsp}}centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the Gupta Empire.{{cite book |last=Mookerji |first=Radhakumud |title=The Gupta Empire |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uYXDB2gIYbwC |year=1959 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0440-1 |pages=11, 113}}

File:Asia 800ad.jpg was an imperial power during the Late Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal.]]

Two kingdoms—Vanga or Samatata, and Gauda—are said in some texts to have appeared after the end of the Gupta Empire although details of their ascendancy are uncertain.{{cite book |last=Sen |first=Sailendra Nath |title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA275 |date=1 January 1999 |publisher=New Age International |isbn=978-81-224-1198-0 |page=275 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151231212731/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA275 |archive-date = 31 December 2015}} The first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashanka, who reigned in the early 7th{{nbsp}}century.{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Shashanka |title=Shashanka |access-date = 12 June 2015 |work=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614200631/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Shashanka |archive-date = 14 June 2015}} Shashanka is often recorded in Buddhist annals as an intolerant Hindu ruler noted for his persecution of the Buddhists. He murdered Rajyavardhana, the Buddhist king of Thanesar, and is noted for destroying the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, and replacing Buddha statues with Shiva lingams.{{cite web |title=Intolerance debate: How some historical brutalities are more special than others |url=http://scroll.in/article/774898/intolerance-debate-how-some-historical-brutalities-are-more-special-than-others |website=Scroll.in |access-date = 25 December 2015 |language=en-US |first=Tony |last=Joseph |date=11 December 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225181534/http://scroll.in/article/774898/intolerance-debate-how-some-historical-brutalities-are-more-special-than-others |archive-date = 25 December 2015}} After a period of anarchy,{{cite book |last=Bagchi |first=Jhunu |title=The History and Culture of the Pālas of Bengal and Bihar, Cir. 750 A.D.-cir. 1200 A.D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J7RKoMeAtpUC |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-301-4 |year=1993 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160423230909/https://books.google.com/books?id=J7RKoMeAtpUC |archive-date = 23 April 2016}}{{rp|36}} the Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years beginning in the 8th{{nbsp}}century. A shorter reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty followed.{{cite book |last=Khan |first=Muhammad Mojlum |title=The Muslim Heritage of Bengal: The Lives, Thoughts and Achievements of Great Muslim Scholars, Writers and Reformers of Bangladesh and West Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16 |date=21 October 2013 |publisher=Kube Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-84774-062-5 |pages=15–16|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126080958/https://books.google.com/books?id=-2s9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA16|archive-date=26 January 2018}}

Rajendra Chola I of the Chola dynasty invaded some areas of Bengal between 1021 and 1023.{{cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Nitish K. |title=Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal from the Mahabharata to Mujib |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA45 |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-14-341678-4 |page=45 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213233/https://books.google.com/books?id=kVSh_TyJ0YoC&pg=PA45 |archive-date = 1 January 2016}}

Islam was introduced through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate.{{cite book |author=Raj Kumar |date=2003 |title=Essays on Ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvnjXOCjv7EC |publisher=Discovery Publishing House |page=199 |isbn=978-81-7141-682-0}} Following the Ghurid conquests led by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji and the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, it spread across the entire Bengal region. Mosques, madrasas and khanqahs were built throughout these stages. During the Islamic Bengal Sultanate, founded in 1352, Bengal was a major world trading nation and was often referred by the Europeans as the richest country with which to trade.Nanda, J. N (2005). {{cite book |year=2005 |title=Bengal: the unique state |publisher=Concept Publishing Company. p. 10. |isbn=978-81-8069-149-2 |quote=Bengal [...] was rich in the production and export of grain, salt, fruit, liquors and wines, precious metals and ornaments besides the output of its handlooms in silk and cotton. Europe referred to Bengal as the richest country to trade with.}} Later, in 1576, it was absorbed into the Mughal Empire.{{cite book |last=Banu |first=U. A. B. Razia Akter |title=Islam in Bangladesh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC |date=January 1992 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-09497-0 |pages=2, 17 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140101175100/http://books.google.com/books?id=XyzqATEDPSgC |archive-date = 1 January 2014}}

File:Firoz Minar.JPG at Gauḍa was built during the Bengal Sultanate.]]

Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Bengal |title=Islam (in Bengal) |access-date = 26 October 2006 |work=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150723091245/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Bengal |archive-date = 23 July 2015}} It was ruled by dynasties of the Bengal Sultanate and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. The Bengal Sultanate was interrupted for twenty years by a Hindu uprising under Raja Ganesha. In the 16th{{nbsp}}century, Mughal general Islam Khan conquered Bengal. Administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence under the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in Delhi. Several independent Hindu states were established in Bengal during the Mughal period, including those of Pratapaditya of Jessore District and Raja Sitaram Ray of Bardhaman. Following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb and the Governor of Bengal, Shaista Khan, the proto-industrialised Mughal Bengal became a semi-independent state under the Nawabs of Bengal, and showed signs of the world's first Industrial Revolution. The Koch dynasty in northern Bengal flourished during the 16th and 17th{{nbsp}}centuries; it weathered the Mughals and survived until the advent of the British colonial era.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5lH40gT7xvYC&pg=PA44 |title=Bangladesh: Politics, Economy and Civil Society |last=Lewis |first=David |date=31 October 2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-50257-3 |language=en |page=44}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N2tlKzxwhY8C&pg=PA41 |title=Ancient India, History and Archaeology |last=Ganguly |first=Dilip Kumar |date=1994 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=9788170173045 |language=en |page=41 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001202/https://books.google.com/books?id=N2tlKzxwhY8C&pg=PA41 |url-status=live}}

File:Pope1880BengalPres2.jpg

Several European traders reached this area in the late 15th{{nbsp}}century. The British East India Company defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. The company gained the right to collect revenue in Bengal subah (province) in 1765 with the signing of the treaty between the East India company and the Mughal emperor following the Battle of Buxar in 1764.{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sirajuddaula |title=Sirajuddaula |access-date = 12 June 2015 |last1=Chaudhury |first1=S |last2=Mohsin |first2=KM |work=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150614191817/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Sirajuddaula |archive-date = 14 June 2015}} The Bengal Presidency was established in 1765; it later incorporated all British-controlled territory north of the Central Provinces (now Madhya Pradesh), from the mouths of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra to the Himalayas and the Punjab. The Bengal famine of 1770 claimed millions of lives due to tax policies enacted by the British company.{{cite web |url=http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fiske/john/f54u/chapter9.html |title=The famine of 1770 in Bengal |access-date = 26 October 2006 |last=Fiske |first=John |work=The Unseen World, and Other Essays |publisher=University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection |location=Adelaide |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061205020541/http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/fiske/john/f54u/chapter9.html |archive-date = 5 December 2006}} Calcutta, the headquarters of the East India company, was named the capital of British-held territories in India in 1773.{{harvnb|Arnold-Baker|2015|p=504}} The failed Indian rebellion of 1857 started near Calcutta and resulted in a transfer of authority to the British Crown,{{Harvnb|Baxter|1997|p=32}} administered by the Viceroy of India.{{Harvnb|Bayly|1987|pp=194–197}}

File:Subhas Chandra Bose NRB.jpg, a leading freedom fighter of India]]

The Bengal Renaissance and the Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform movements significantly influenced the cultural and economic life of Bengal.{{harvnb|Sarkar|1990|p=95}} Between 1905 and 1911 an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones.{{Harvnb|Baxter|1997|pp=39–40}} Bengal suffered from the Great Bengal famine in 1943, which claimed three{{nbsp}}million lives during World War{{nbsp}}II.{{cite book |title=India |last=Wolpert |first=Stanley |author-link = Stanley Wolpert |year=1999 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, California, US |isbn=978-0-520-22172-7 |page=14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nHnOERqf-MQC |access-date = 2 March 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130509231648/http://books.google.com/books?id=nHnOERqf-MQC |archive-date = 9 May 2013}} Bengalis played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar were dominant. Armed attempts against the British Raj from Bengal reached a climax when news of Subhas Chandra Bose leading the Indian National Army against the British reached Bengal. The Indian National Army was subsequently routed by the British.{{harvnb|Chandra|Mukherjee|Mukherjee|Panikkar|1989|p=26}}

When India gained independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. The western part went to the Dominion of India and was named West Bengal. The eastern part went to the Dominion of Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan in 1956), becoming the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971.{{cite web |first=Sirajul |last=Islam |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Partition_of_Bengal,_1947 |title=Partition of Bengal, 1947 |work=Banglapedia |publisher=Asiatic Society of Bangladesh |access-date = 12 June 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702002256/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Partition_of_Bengal,_1947 |archive-date = 2 July 2015}} In 1950 the Princely State of Cooch Behar merged with West Bengal. In 1955 the former French enclave of Chandannagar, which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal; portions of Bihar were also subsequently merged with West Bengal. Both West and East Bengal experienced large influxes of refugees during and after the partition in 1947. Refugee resettlement and related issues continued to play a significant role in the politics and socio-economic condition of the state.Sailen Debnath, West Bengal in Doldrums {{ISBN|978-81-86860-34-2}}; & Sailen Debnath ed. Social and Political Tensions in North Bengal since 1947, {{ISBN|81-86860-23-1}}

File:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.jpg was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.]]

During the 1970s and 1980s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist–Maoist movement by groups known as the Naxalites damaged much of the city's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation and deindustrialisation.—{{citation |last=Banerjee |first=Partha Sarathi |date=5 February 2011 |title=Party, Power and Political Violence in West Bengal |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=46 |issue=6 |pages=16–18 |jstor=27918111 |issn=0012-9976}}
—{{citation |last=Donner |first=Henrike |year=2004 |title=The significance of Naxalbari: accounts of personal involvement and politics in West Bengal |publisher=University of Cambridge |location=United Kingdom |page=14 |url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/21343/1/The_significance_of_Naxalbari_%28LSERO%29.pdf |access-date=13 July 2020 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918082502/http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/21343/1/The_significance_of_Naxalbari_%28LSERO%29.pdf |url-status=live}}
—{{citation |last=Banerjee |first=Debdas |date=20 February 1982 |title=Industrial Stagnation in Eastern India: A Statistical Investigation |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=17 |issue=8 |pages=286–298 |jstor=4370702}}
—{{cite news |title=Murder, most foul – the people of Bengal created the darkness that envelops them |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/opinion/story_9927371.jsp |work=The Telegraph |last=Mukherjee |first=Rudrangshu |access-date=4 March 2012 |date=5 October 2008 |location=Kolkata |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118211018/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081005/jsp/opinion/story_9927371.jsp |archive-date=18 January 2012}} The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 resulted in an influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure.{{Harvnb|Hindle|1996|pp=63–70}} The 1974 smallpox epidemic killed thousands. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), governed the state for the next three decades.{{cite news |first=Soutik |last=Biswas |title=Calcutta's colourless campaign |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |publisher=BBC |date=16 April 2006 |access-date = 15 February 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214053922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4909832.stm |archive-date = 14 February 2012}}

The state's economic recovery gathered momentum after the central government introduced economic liberalisations in the mid-1990s. This was aided by the advent of information technology and IT-enabled services. Beginning in the mid-2000s, armed insurgents conducted minor terrorist attacks in some parts of the state.{{cite web |url=http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2005-07/2005-07-22-voa10.cfm |title=Maoist on rise in West Bengal |access-date = 11 September 2006 |last=Ghosh Roy |first=Paramasish |date=22 July 2005 |work=VOA Bangla |publisher=Voice of America |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071212062125/http://www.voanews.com/bangla/archive/2005-07/2005-07-22-voa10.cfm |archive-date = 12 December 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/MCC.htm |title=Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) |access-date = 11 September 2006 |work=Left-wing extremist group |publisher=South Asia Terrorism Portal |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120212092516/http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/MCC.htm |archive-date = 12 February 2012}} Clashes with the administration took place at several controversial locations over the issue of industrial land acquisition.{{cite news |title=Several hurt in Singur clash |url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/28singur.htm |work=Rediff.com |date=28 January 2007 |access-date = 15 March 2007 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071211194310/http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/jan/28singur.htm |archive-date = 11 December 2007}}{{cite news |title=Red-hand Buddha: 14 killed in Nandigram re-entry bid |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070315/asp/frontpage/story_7519166.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta, India |date=15 March 2007 |access-date = 15 March 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070317192827/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070315/asp/frontpage/story_7519166.asp |archive-date = 17 March 2007}} This became a decisive reason behind the defeat of the ruling Left Front government in the 2011 assembly election.{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |title=Defeat rocks India's elected communists |publisher=Rediff India Abroad |date=13 May 2011 |access-date = 29 July 2014 |last=Bhaumik |first=Subir |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140404051617/http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2011/05/2011513143311330487.html |archive-date = 4 April 2014}} Although the economy was severely damaged during the unrest in the 1970s, the state has managed to revive its economy steadily throughout the years.{{cite news |title=Is West Bengal's economy actually reviving under Mamata Banerjee? |url=https://scroll.in/article/806031/is-west-bengals-economy-actually-reviving-under-mamata-banerjee |url-status = live |website=scroll.in|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161206213236/http://scroll.in/article/806031/is-west-bengals-economy-actually-reviving-under-mamata-banerjee |archive-date = 6 December 2016}}{{cite news |title=West Bengal tax revenue up 19% on greater efficiency |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/west-bengal-tax-revenue-up-19-on-greater-efficiency/ |work=The Indian Express |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904151454/http://indianexpress.com/article/business/economy/west-bengal-tax-revenue-up-19-on-greater-efficiency/ |archive-date = 4 September 2017}}{{cite news |title=Revenue collection: Mamata Banerjee's West Bengal beats rest of India in growth |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/revenue-collection-mamata-banerjees-west-bengal-beats-rest-of-india-in-growth/1199313/ |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152758/http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/revenue-collection-mamata-banerjees-west-bengal-beats-rest-of-india-in-growth/1199313/ |archive-date = 4 September 2017 |newspaper=Financial Express}} The state has shown improvement regarding bandhs (strikes){{cite web |title=Bharat Bandh gets mixed response from India, West Bengal surprises with business-as-usual attitude |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bharat-bandh-draws-mixed-response-from-india/1/821300.html |work=India Today |date=28 November 2016 |access-date = 5 September 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161130090013/http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bharat-bandh-draws-mixed-response-from-india/1/821300.html |archive-date = 30 November 2016}}{{cite news |title=No bandh in Bengal tomorrow : Mamata |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/no-bandh-in-bengal-tomorrow-mamata-116090101229_1.html |publisher=Business Standard|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170904152809/http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/no-bandh-in-bengal-tomorrow-mamata-116090101229_1.html |archive-date = 4 September 2017 |newspaper=Business Standard India |date=September 2016 |agency=Press Trust of India}}{{cite news |title=Zero-strike work culture has resulted in no days loss: Moloy Ghatak |newspaper=The Economic Times |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/zero-strike-work-culture-has-resulted-in-no-days-loss-moloy-ghatak/articleshow/53783890.cms |url-status = live |publisher=India Times |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170910063200/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/zero-strike-work-culture-has-resulted-in-no-days-loss-moloy-ghatak/articleshow/53783890.cms |archive-date = 10 September 2017}} and educational infrastructure.{{cite web |title=Silent Resurrection~I |url=http://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/silent-resurrectioni-1502457879.html |publisher=The Statesman|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170828103410/http://www.thestatesman.com/opinion/silent-resurrectioni-1502457879.html |archive-date = 28 August 2017 |date=24 August 2017}} Significant strides have been made in reducing unemployment,{{cite web |title=Report on Fifth Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (2015–16) |url=http://labourbureaunew.gov.in/UserContent/EUS_5th_1.pdf |publisher=Ministry of Labour and Employment |page=120 |access-date = 24 November 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161125043238/http://labourbureaunew.gov.in/UserContent/EUS_5th_1.pdf |archive-date = 25 November 2016}} though the state suffers from substandard healthcare services,{{cite web |last=Shah |first=Mansi |title=Waiting for health care: a survey of a public hospital in Kolkata |url=http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |publisher=Centre for Civil Society |access-date = 31 January 2012 |year=2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110813070438/http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/Waiting-for-Healthcare-A-survey-of-a-public-hospital-in-Kolkata-Mansi.pdf |archive-date = 13 August 2011}}{{cite web |url=http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Externally_Aided_Projects/HSDI-DFID%20Programme%20Memorandum.pdf |title=West Bengal: health systems development initiative programme memorandum |publisher=Government of West Bengal |access-date = 4 March 2012 |date=15 January 2005 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120313061115/http://www.wbhealth.gov.in/Externally_Aided_Projects/HSDI-DFID%20Programme%20Memorandum.pdf |archive-date = 13 March 2012}} a lack of socio-economic development,{{cite web |title=Impact of social sector development in West Bengal – Midnapore and Birbhum districts |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm_indx.htm |publisher=Planning Commission of India |access-date = 4 March 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120307135928/http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm_indx.htm |archive-date = 7 March 2012}} poor infrastructure,{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100613/jsp/business/story_12560050.jsp |title=ADB pep pill for Bengal |work=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=13 June 2010 |access-date = 4 March 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119151005/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100613/jsp/business/story_12560050.jsp |archive-date = 19 January 2012}} unemployment and civil violence.{{cite news |title=Six killed as farmers and communists clash in West Bengal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/12/india.randeepramesh |work=The Guardian |date=12 November 2007 |access-date = 4 March 2012 |location=London |first=Randeep |last=Ramesh |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130901025553/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/nov/12/india.randeepramesh |archive-date = 1 September 2013}}{{cite news |title=West Bengal political violence continues |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/West-Bengal-political-violence-continues/articleshow/4871906.cms |date=8 August 2009 |work=The Economic Times |location=New Delhi |access-date = 4 March 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180725065905/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/West-Bengal-political-violence-continues/articleshow/4871906.cms |archive-date = 25 July 2018 |url-status = live}} In 2006 the state's healthcare system was severely criticised in the aftermath of the West Bengal blood test kit scam.{{cite web |url=https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22370108/ |title=Unknown vs The State of West Bengal on 14 November, 2014 |website=indiankanoon.org|access-date=19 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119132558/https://indiankanoon.org/doc/22370108/|archive-date=19 November 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/defective-bloodtest-kits-in-west-bengal-8815 |title=Defective blood-test kits in West Bengal|access-date=19 November 2018 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119060108/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/defective-bloodtest-kits-in-west-bengal-8815|archive-date=19 November 2018|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Geography of West Bengal|Climate of West Bengal}}

File:Kalinagar Floods B.JPG.]]

West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The state has a total area of {{convert|88752|km2|sqmi|0}}. The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the northern extreme of the state is a part of the eastern Himalayas mountain range. In this region is Sandakfu, which, at {{convert|3636|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, is the highest peak in the state.{{cite news |title=Top of world in kingdom of cloud |last=Pal |first=Supratim |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070514/asp/ranchi/story_7772890.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=14 May 2007 |access-date = 16 February 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130731124809/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070514/asp/ranchi/story_7772890.asp |archive-date = 31 July 2013}} The narrow Terai region separates the hills from the North Bengal plains, which in turn transitions into the Ganges delta towards the south. The Rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and the western plateau and high lands. A small coastal region is in the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a geographical landmark at the Ganges delta.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vFp8FjOaT8QC |title=Impact of Climate Change on Natural Resource Management-west bengal |language=en |access-date=13 December 2017 |isbn=9789048135813 |last1=Jana |first1=Bipal Kr |last2=Majumder |first2=Mrinmoy |publisher=Springer Science+Business Media |date=27 June 2010 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001159/https://books.google.com/books?id=vFp8FjOaT8QC |url-status=live}}

The main river in West Bengal is the Ganges, which divides into two branches. One branch enters Bangladesh as the Padma, or Pôdda, while the other flows through West Bengal as the Bhagirathi River and Hooghly River. The Farakka barrage over the Ganges feeds the Hooghly branch of the river by a feeder canal. Its water flow management has been a source of lingering dispute between India and Bangladesh.{{cite book |last=Jayapalan |first=N |title=Foreign policy of India |year=2001 |publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7156-898-7 |page=344}} The Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Mahananda rivers are in the northern hilly region. The western plateau region has rivers like the Damodar, Ajay and Kangsabati. The Ganges delta and the Sundarbans area have numerous rivers and creeks. Pollution of the Ganges from indiscriminate waste dumped into the river is a major problem.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/08/04/stories/2006080402921900.htm |title=Alarming rise in bacterial percentage in Ganga waters |access-date = 4 March 2012 |date=4 August 2006 |newspaper=The Hindu Business Line |location=Chennai |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130507072352/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/08/04/stories/2006080402921900.htm |archive-date = 7 May 2013}} Damodar, another tributary of the Ganges and once known as the "Sorrow of Bengal" (due to its frequent floods), has several dams under the Damodar Valley Project. At least nine districts in the state suffer from arsenic contamination of groundwater, and as of 2017 an estimated 1.04{{nbsp}}crore people were afflicted by arsenic poisoning.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/104-cr-hit-by-arsenic-contamination-in-bengal/article17530242.ece |title=1.04 cr hit by arsenic contamination in Bengal |author= |date=19 March 2017 |work=The Hindu|access-date=26 January 2018 |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318215525/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/104-cr-hit-by-arsenic-contamination-in-bengal/article17530242.ece|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=live}}

West Bengal's climate varies from tropical savanna in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, the rainy season, a short autumn and winter. While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India. The highest daytime temperatures range from {{convert|38|to|45|°C|°F|0}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.webindia123.com/westbengal/land/climate.htm |title=Climate |access-date = 5 September 2006 |work=West Bengal: Land |publisher=Suni System (P) Ltd |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060523204949/http://www.webindia123.com/westbengal/land/climate.htm |archive-date = 23 May 2006}} At night, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. In early summer, brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor'westers, often occur.{{cite web |url=http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |title=kal Baisakhi |access-date = 5 September 2006 |work=Glossary of Meteorology |publisher=American Meteorological Society |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060830065710/http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |archive-date = 30 August 2006}} West Bengal receives the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian Ocean monsoon that moves in a southeast to northwest direction. Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. Heavy rainfall of above {{convert|250|cm|in}} is observed in the Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar district. During the arrival of the monsoons, low pressure in the Bay of Bengal region often leads to the formation of storms in the coastal areas. Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average minimum temperatures of {{convert|15|°C|°F|0}}. A cold and dry northern wind blows in the winter, substantially lowering the humidity level. The Darjeeling Himalayan Hill region experiences a harsh winter, with occasional snowfall.{{cite news |title=Under 7-inch snow, Sandakphu a hot favourite among tourists now |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/under-7-inch-snow-sandakphu-a-hot-favourite-among-tourists-now/articleshow/57599065.cms |newspaper=Times of India |access-date = 2 July 2017 |date=12 March 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170820145045/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/under-7-inch-snow-sandakphu-a-hot-favourite-among-tourists-now/articleshow/57599065.cms |archive-date = 20 August 2017}}

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The "India State of Forest Report 2017", recorded forest area in the state is {{convert|16847|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}},{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bengal-green-cover-up-by-just-21-sq-km-aided-by-plantations/articleshow/62894709.cms |title=Bengal green cover up by just 21 sq km, aided by plantations |last=Mukherjee |first=Krishnendu |date=13 February 2018 |work=The Times of India |access-date=7 May 2018 |archive-date=22 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822115039/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bengal-green-cover-up-by-just-21-sq-km-aided-by-plantations/articleshow/62894709.cms |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://fsi.nic.in/isfr2017/west-bengal-isfr-2017.pdf |title=West Bengal |website=fsi.nic.in |access-date=22 August 2019 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713075340/http://fsi.nic.in/isfr2017/west-bengal-isfr-2017.pdf |url-status=live}} while in 2013, forest area was {{convert|16805|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}}, which was 18.93% of the state's geographical area, compared to the then national average of 21.23%.{{cite web |url=http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2013/sfr_forest_cover.pdf |title=Forest cover |work=India state of forest report 2013 |publisher=Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India |access-date = 21 July 2014 |page=17 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140714212158/http://www.fsi.org.in/cover_2013/sfr_forest_cover.pdf |archive-date = 14 July 2014}} Reserves and protected and unclassed forests constitute 59.4%, 31.8% and 8.9%, respectively, of forested areas, as of 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.fsi.nic.in/sfr_2009/westbengal.pdf |title=Forest and tree resources in states and union territories: West Bengal |work=India state of forest report 2009 |publisher=Forest Survey of India, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India |access-date = 4 March 2012 |pages=163–166 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130501210225/http://www.fsi.nic.in/sfr_2009/westbengal.pdf |archive-date = 1 May 2013}} Part of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans in southern West Bengal.{{cite news |first=Sadiq |last=Islam |title=World's largest mangrove forest under threat |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/student.bureau/06/29/sundarbans/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=29 June 2001 |access-date = 31 October 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070822215926/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/fyi/student.bureau/06/29/sundarbans/index.html |archive-date = 22 August 2007}}

From a phytogeographic viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.{{cite book |last=Mukherji |first=S.J. |year=2000 |title=College Botany Vol. III: (chapter on Phytogeography) |publisher=New Central Book Agency |location=Calcutta |pages=345–365}} The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain, combined with favourable rainfall, makes this region especially fertile. Much of the vegetation of the western part of the state has similar species composition with the plants of the Chota Nagpur plateau in the adjoining state of Jharkhand. The predominant commercial tree species is Shorea robusta, commonly known as the sal tree. The coastal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is the Casuarina. A notable tree from the Sundarbans is the ubiquitous sundari (Heritiera fomes), from which the forest gets its name.{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/452 |title=Sundarbans National Park |work=World heritage list |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |access-date = 4 March 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120306224515/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/452 |archive-date = 6 March 2012}}

The distribution of vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and precipitation. For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, the Dooars, are densely wooded with sal and other tropical evergreen trees.{{cite web |url=http://www.webindia123.com/westbengal/land/forest.htm#N |title=Natural vegetation |access-date = 31 October 2006 |work=West Bengal |publisher=Suni System (P) Ltd |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060523204956/http://www.webindia123.com/westbengal/land/forest.htm#N |archive-date = 23 May 2006}} Above an elevation of {{convert|1000|m|ft}}, the forest becomes predominantly subtropical. In Darjeeling, which is above {{convert|1500|m|ft}}, temperate forest trees like oaks, conifers and rhododendrons predominate.

3.26% of the geographical area of West Bengal is protected land, comprising fifteen wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks—Sundarbans National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park and Singalila National Park. Extant wildlife includes Indian rhinoceros, Indian elephant, deer, leopard, gaur, tiger and crocodiles, as well as many bird species. Migratory birds come to the state during the winter.{{cite web |url=http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/indian-states/westbengal/General.htm |title=West Bengal: General Information |access-date = 25 August 2006 |work=India in Business |publisher=Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060819094729/http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/indian-states/westbengal/General.htm |archive-date = 19 August 2006}} The high-altitude forests of Singalila National Park shelter barking deer, red panda, chinkara, takin, serow, pangolin, minivet and kalij pheasants. The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project devoted to conserving the endangered Bengal tiger, although the forest hosts many other endangered species such as the Gangetic dolphin, river terrapin and estuarine crocodile.{{harvnb|West Bengal Human Development Report|2004|loc=Ch. 10: Problems of Specific Regions|pp=200–203}} The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal. Recognising its special conservation value, the Sundarbans area has been declared a Biosphere Reserve.

{{Main|Government of West Bengal|Politics of West Bengal}}

{{See also|List of Chief Ministers of West Bengal}}

West Bengal is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy, a feature the state shares with other Indian states. Universal suffrage is granted to residents. There are two branches of government. The legislature, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, who are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker's absence. The judiciary is composed of the Calcutta High Court and a system of lower courts. Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister although the titular head of government is the Governor. The Governor is the Head of State appointed by the President of India. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. The Assembly is unicameral with 295 members, or MLAs,{{cite web |url=http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/States%5Cwestbengal%5Cwesbengal-w.htm |title=West Bengal legislative assembly |access-date = 28 October 2006 |work=Legislative bodies in India |publisher=National Informatics Centre, India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160313022603/http://legislativebodiesinindia.gov.in/states/westbengal/wesbengal-w.htm |archive-date = 13 March 2016}} including one nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. Terms of office run for five years unless the Assembly is dissolved before the completion of the term. Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats, for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. The state contributes 42 seats to the Lok Sabha{{cite web |url=http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/news_pdf/gazette123.pdf |title=Notification: order no. 18 |author=Delimitation Commission |date=15 February 2006 |publisher=Election Commission of India |location=New Delhi |pages=23–25 |access-date = 11 February 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110813092204/http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/news_pdf/gazette123.pdf |archive-date = 13 August 2011}} and 16 seats to the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament.{{cite web |url=http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/rsat_work/chapter-2.pdf |title=Composition of Rajya Sabha |work=Rajya Sabha at work |publisher=Rajya Sabha Secretariat |location=New Delhi |pages=24–25 |access-date = 15 February 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305020442/http://rajyasabha.nic.in/rsnew/rsat_work/chapter-2.pdf |archive-date = 5 March 2016}}

Politics in West Bengal is dominated by the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress (INC), and the Left Front alliance (led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)). Following the West Bengal State Assembly Election in 2011, the All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress coalition under Mamata Banerjee of the All India Trinamool Congress was elected to power with 225 seats in the legislature.{{cite web |title=Statewise results – West Bengal |url=http://eciresults.nic.in/statewiseS25.htm |publisher=Election Commission of India |access-date = 13 May 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110516052659/http://eciresults.nic.in/Statewises25.htm |archive-date = 16 May 2011}}

Prior to this, West Bengal was ruled by the Left Front for 34 years (1977–2011), making it the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. Banerjee was re-elected twice as Chief Minister in the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election and 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election with 211 and 215 seats respectively, an absolute majority by the Trinamool Congress.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/TMC-registers-strong-wins-in-Bengal-by-elections/article16675192.ece |title=TMC registers strong wins in Bengal by-elections |date=22 November 2016 |work=The Hindu|access-date=4 January 2018 |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161124161817/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/TMC-registers-strong-wins-in-Bengal-by-elections/article16675192.ece|archive-date=24 November 2016}} The state has one autonomous region, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.{{cite web |url=http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=728097 |title=Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Agreement signed |publisher=Outlook |date=18 July 2011 |access-date = 16 March 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120603154514/http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=728097 |archive-date = 3 June 2012}}

{{multiple image

| align = center

| direction =

| title = Main offices in West Bengal

| image1 = Governor's House.jpg

| caption1 = Raj Bhavan, the residence of the governor of the state

| image2 = West Bengal State Legislative Assembly House, Kolkata.jpg

| caption2 = West Bengal Legislative Assembly

| image3 = Calcutta High Court.jpg

| caption3 = Calcutta High Court, highest court in West Bengal

| image4 = Nabanna - HRBC Building with Multistorey Car Park - Sibpur - Howrah 2015-03-09 6834.JPG

| caption4 = Nabanna, temporary office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal

| image5 = Writer's Building & St. Andrew's Church (14653055458).jpg

| caption5 = Writers' Building, West Bengal Government Secretariat

| total_width = 1130

}}

{{Main|List of districts of West Bengal}}

File:WestBengalDistricts numbered.svg

File:Wbvillagehut1.JPG]]

{{as of|2023|11|1|post=,}} West Bengal is divided into 23 districts.{{cite web |url=https://wb.gov.in/government-district-and-localgovt.aspx |title=District Profiles |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170422161508/https://wb.gov.in/portal/web/guest/district |archive-date = 22 April 2017}}

{{notelist}}

Each district is governed by a district collector or district magistrate, appointed by either the Indian Administrative Service or the West Bengal Civil Service.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbja.nic.in/wbja_adm/files/The%2520West%2520Bengal%2520Panchayat%2520Act,%25201973.pdf |title=Section 2 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973 – West Bengal Judicial Academy |publisher=West Bengal Judicial Academy |access-date = 26 January 2018|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161222081452/http://wbja.nic.in/wbja_adm/files/The%20West%20Bengal%20Panchayat%20Act,%201973.pdf |archive-date = 22 December 2016}} Each district is subdivided into sub-divisions, governed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, and again into blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.{{cite web |url=http://www.webel-india.com/blocks%20n%20grampanchayats.doc |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131207132226/http://www.webel-india.com/blocks%20n%20grampanchayats.doc |url-status = dead |archive-date = 7 December 2013 |title=Directory of district, sub division, panchayat samiti/ block and gram panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008 |date=March 2008 |publisher=West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Limited, Government of West Bengal |page=1 |format=DOC |access-date = 15 February 2012}}

The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata—the third-largest urban agglomeration{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |title=Urban agglomerations/cities having population 1 million and above |year=2011 |work=Provisional population totals, census of India 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date = 26 January 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111215163132/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |archive-date = 15 December 2011}} and the seventh-largest city{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |title=Cities having population 1 lakh and above, census 2011 |work=Provisional population totals, census of India 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date = 18 October 2011 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120507135928/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |archive-date = 7 May 2012}} in India. Asansol is the second-largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal.

Major planned cities of West Bengal include Bidhannagar, New Town, Kalyani, Haldia, Durgapur and Kharagpur. Kolkata has some planned neighbourhoods like New Garia, Tollygunge, and Lake Town. Siliguri is an economically important city, strategically located in the northeastern Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck) of India.{{cite news |url=https://thediploma0t.com/2013/11/geographys-curse-indias-vulnerable-chickens-neck/ |title=Geography's Curse: India's Vulnerable 'Chicken's Neck' |author=Ankit Panda |work=The Diplomat |access-date = 10 December 2017 |language=en-US |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171021172825/https://thediplomat.com/2013/11/geographys-curse-indias-vulnerable-chickens-neck/ |archive-date = 21 October 2017}} Other larger cities and towns in West Bengal are Howrah, Chandannagar, Bardhaman, Baharampur, Jalpaiguri, and Purulia etc.{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |title=2011 Census of India |website=censusindia.gov.in|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130723151530/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf|archive-date =23 July 2013|url-status =live}}

{{Main|Economy of West Bengal}}

File:OberoiGrandHotelKolkata gobeirne.jpg in Kolkata. Tourism, especially from Bangladesh, is an important part of West Bengal's economy.]]

{{As of|2015}}, West Bengal has the sixth-highest GSDP in India. GSDP at current prices (base 2004–2005) has increased from Rs 2,086.56 billion in 2004–05 to Rs 8,00,868 crores in 2014–2015,{{cite web |url=http://niti.gov.in/content/gsdp-current-prices-2004-05-series-2004-05-2014-15 |title=GSDP at current prices, 2004–05 series (2004–05 to 2014–15) |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160718072000/http://niti.gov.in/content/gsdp-current-prices-2004-05-series-2004-05-2014-15 |archive-date = 18 July 2016}} reaching Rs 10,21,000 crores in 2017–18.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/centre-accepts-bengal-gdp-has-crossed-rs-10-lakh-crore/articleshow/65252359.cms |title=Centre accepts Bengal GDP has crossed Rs 10L cr |date=3 August 2018 |work=The Times of India|access-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806041003/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/centre-accepts-bengal-gdp-has-crossed-rs-10-lakh-crore/articleshow/65252359.cms|archive-date=6 August 2018|url-status=live}} GSDP per cent growth at current prices varied from a low of 10.3% in 2010–2011 to a high of 17.11% in 2013–2014. The growth rate was 13.35% in 2014–2015.{{cite web |url=http://niti.gov.in/content/gsdp-current-prices-percent-growth-2004-05-2014-15 |title=GSDP at current prices, Percent growth (2004–05 to 2014–15) |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160717122724/http://niti.gov.in/content/gsdp-current-prices-percent-growth-2004-05-2014-15 |archive-date = 17 July 2016}} The state's per capita income has lagged the all India average for over two decades. As of 2014–2015, per capita NSDP at current prices was Rs{{nbsp}}78,903. Per-capita NSDP growth rate at current prices varied from 9.4% in 2010–2011 to a high of 16.15% in 2013–2014. The growth rate was 12.62% in 2014–2015.{{cite web |url=http://niti.gov.in/content/capita-nsdp-current-prices-percent-growth-2004-05-2014-15 |title=Per Capita NSDP at current prices, Percent growth (2004–05 to 2014–15) – NITI Aayog |work=niti.gov.in |access-date = 25 July 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160716175641/http://niti.gov.in/content/capita-nsdp-current-prices-percent-growth-2004-05-2014-15 |archive-date = 16 July 2016}}

In 2015–2016, the percentage share of Gross Value Added (GVA) at factor cost by economic activity at the constant price (the base year 2011–2012) was Agriculture-Forestry and Fishery—4.84%, Industry 18.51% and Services 66.65%. It has been observed that there has been a slow but steady decline in the percentage share of industry and agriculture over the years.{{cite web |url=http://www.dospiwb.org.in/downloads/eco_review_1516.pdf |title=Economic Review 2015–16 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160815122427/http://www.dospiwb.org.in/downloads/eco_review_1516.pdf |archive-date = 15 August 2016}} Agriculture is the leading economic sector in West Bengal. Rice is the state's principal food crop. Rice, potato, jute, sugarcane and wheat are the state's top five crops.{{rp|14}} Tea is produced commercially in northern districts; the region is well known for Darjeeling and other high-quality teas.{{rp|14}} State industries are localised in the Kolkata region, the mineral-rich western highlands, and the Haldia Port region.{{cite web |url=http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/industrial_infrastructure.htm |title=Industrial infrastructure |publisher=West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation |access-date = 5 March 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120405152957/http://www.wbidc.com/about_wb/industrial_infrastructure.htm |archive-date = 5 April 2012}} The Durgapur-Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of steel plants. Important manufacturing industries include: engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons. The Durgapur centre has established several industries in the areas of tea, sugar, chemicals and fertilisers. Natural resources like tea and jute in nearby areas have made West Bengal a major centre for the jute and tea industries.{{cite web |url=https://www.ibef.org/states/west-bengal.aspx |title=About West Bengal State: Tourism, Industries, Agriculture, Economy & Geography |website=IBEF|access-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209223506/http://www.ibef.org/states/west-bengal.aspx|archive-date=9 December 2016}}

Years after independence, West Bengal is dependent on the central government for help in meeting its demands for food; food production remained stagnant, and the Indian green revolution bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant increase in food production since the 1980s and the state now has a surplus of grains.{{harvnb|West Bengal Human Development Report|2004|loc=Ch. 1: Introduction and Human Development Indices for West Bengal|pp=4–6}} The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–1981, declining to 5% by 1997–1998. In contrast, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. The state's total financial debt stood at {{INRConvert|1918350|m}} as of 2011.{{cite news |url=https://m.economictimes.com/default_pwa.cms?article=10453111 |title=Mamata seeks debt restructuring plan for West Bengal |newspaper=The Economic Times |location=New Delhi |date=22 October 2011 |access-date = 4 March 2012}}{{dead link|date=April 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

File:PaddyandjuteBengal.JPG; in the background are stacks of jute sticks.|alt=Brown jute sticks stacked in groups with small green saplings of rice in the foreground]]

In the period 2004–2010, the average gross state domestic product (GSDP) growth rate was 13.9% (calculated in Indian rupee terms) lower than 15.5%, the average for all states of the country.{{cite web |url=http://www.ibef.org/download/West_Bengal_271211.pdf |title=West Bengal |date=November 2011 |publisher=India Brand Equity Foundation |access-date = 6 February 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120517130353/http://www.ibef.org/download/West_Bengal_271211.pdf |archive-date = 17 May 2012}}{{rp|4}}

The economy of West Bengal has witnessed many surprising changes in direction. The agricultural sector in particular rose to 8.33% in 2010–11 before tumbling to −4.01% in 2012–13.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1151016/jsp/opinion/story_48178.jsp |title=Figures matter |work=The Telegraph|access-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203124403/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1151016/jsp/opinion/story_48178.jsp|archive-date=3 February 2018|url-status=dead}} Many major industries such as the Uttarpara Hindustan Motors car manufacturing unit, the jute industry, and the Haldia Petrochemicals unit experienced shutdowns in 2014. In the same year, plans for a 300 billion Jindal Steel project was mothballed. The tea industry of West Bengal has also witnessed shutdowns for financial and political reasons.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/a-year-of-shutdowns-in-bengals-industry/article6737583.ece |title=A year of shutdowns in Bengal's industry |last=Dutta |first=Indrani |date=30 December 2014 |work=The Hindu |access-date=3 February 2018 |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X |archive-date=8 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108113052/https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kolkata/a-year-of-shutdowns-in-bengals-industry/article6737583.ece |url-status=live}} The tourism industry of West Bengal was negatively impacted in 2017 because of the Gorkhaland agitation.{{cite news |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/darjeeling-fears-continuing-gorkhaland-agitation-to-hurt-festive-tourism-business/articleshow/59322627.cms |title=Darjeeling fears continuing Gorkhaland agitation to hurt festive tourism business |last=Sarkar |first=Debasis |date=26 June 2017 |work=The Economic Times|access-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203125752/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/darjeeling-fears-continuing-gorkhaland-agitation-to-hurt-festive-tourism-business/articleshow/59322627.cms|archive-date=3 February 2018|url-status=live}}

However, over the years due to effective changes in the stance towards industrialisation, ease of doing business has improved in West Bengal.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/business/ease-of-doing-business-improves-in-west-bengal/article23281313.ece |title='Ease of doing business improves in West Bengal |newspaper=The Hindu |date=17 March 2018 |access-date=18 March 2018 |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102111444/https://www.thehindu.com/business/ease-of-doing-business-improves-in-west-bengal/article23281313.ece |url-status=live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/business-environment-satisfactory-in-west-bengal-survey-118031700564_1.html |title=Business environment satisfactory in West Bengal: Survey |newspaper=Business Standard India |date=17 March 2018 |agency=Press Trust of India|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318120524/http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/business-environment-satisfactory-in-west-bengal-survey-118031700564_1.html|archive-date=18 March 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/west-bengal-bags-top-spot-in-ease-of-doing-business-heres-the-full-ranking-list/1101880/ |website=The Financial Express |title=West Bengal bags top spot in Ease of Doing Business; Here's the full ranking list |date=17 March 2018|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318120559/http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/west-bengal-bags-top-spot-in-ease-of-doing-business-heres-the-full-ranking-list/1101880/|archive-date=18 March 2018|url-status=live}} Steps are being taken to remedy this situation by promoting West Bengal as an investment destination. A leather complex has been built in Kolkata. Smart cities are being planned close to Kolkata, and major roadway projects are in the offing to revive the economy.{{cite web |url=https://www.ibef.org/states/west-bengal-presentation |title=Industrial Development in West Bengal, GSDP of West Bengal |website=IBEF|access-date=3 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901113112/https://www.ibef.org/states/west-bengal-presentation|archive-date=1 September 2018|url-status=live}} West Bengal has been able to attract 2% of the foreign direct investment in the last decade.{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/node/21542446 |url-access=subscription |date=7 January 2012 |title=The city that got left behind |newspaper=The Economist |language=en|access-date=31 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201020058/http://www.economist.com/node/21542446|archive-date=1 February 2018|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Transport in West Bengal|List of airports in West Bengal}}

File:External view of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.jpg|Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is a hub for flights to and from Bangladesh, East Asia, Nepal, Bhutan and north-east India.

File:Durgapur Xpressway.jpg|Durgapur Expressway

File:SBSTC bus in karunamoyee.jpg|An SBSTC bus in Karunamoyee

File:Sealdah bound metro approaching Central Park.jpg|Kolkata Metro, India's first metro rail system

As of 2011, the total length of surface roads in West Bengal was over {{convert|92023|km|mi|0|abbr=off}};{{rp|18}} national highways comprise {{convert|2578|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}{{cite web |url=http://morth.nic.in/showfile.asp?lid=366 |title=Statewise Length of national highways in India |access-date = 9 February 2012 |work=National Highways |publisher=Department of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways; Government of India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121022105130/http://www.morth.nic.in/showfile.asp?lid=366 |archive-date = 22 October 2012}} and state highways {{convert|2393|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}.{{rp|18}} As of 2006, the road density of the state was {{convert|103.69|km/km2|abbr=off}}, higher than the national average of {{convert|74.7|km/km2|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal |last=Chattopadhyay |first=Suhrid Sankar |date=January–February 2006 |title=Remarkable Growth |journal=The Hindu; Frontline |volume=23 |issue=2 |url=http://www.flonnet.com/fl2302/stories/20060210004209800.htm |url-status = dead |access-date = 15 October 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120319050538/http://www.flonnet.com/fl2302/stories/20060210004209800.htm |archive-date = 19 March 2012}}

As of 2011, the total railway route length was around {{convert|4481|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}.{{rp|20}} Kolkata is the headquarters of three zones of the Indian Railways—Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway and the Kolkata Metro, which is the newly formed 17th{{nbsp}}zone of the Indian Railways.{{cite news |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kolkata-Metro-is-now-the-17th-zone-of-Indian-Railways/articleshow/7186301.cms?referral=PM |work=The Times of India |title=Kolkata Metro is now the 17th zone of Indian Railways |date=29 December 2010 |access-date=26 January 2018 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001156/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kolkata-Metro-is-now-the-17th-zone-of-Indian-Railways/articleshow/7186301.cms?referral=PM |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Geography : Railway Zones |url=http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-geog.html |access-date = 31 August 2007 |work=IRFCA.org |publisher=Indian Railways Fan Club |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070819043943/http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-geog.html |archive-date = 19 August 2007}} The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) serves the northern parts of the state. The Kolkata metro is the country's first underground railway.{{cite web |publisher=Kolkata Metro |url=http://www.kolmetro.com/ |title=About Kolkata Metro |access-date = 1 September 2007 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070820234733/http://www.kolmetro.com/ |archive-date = 20 August 2007}} The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, part of NFR, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.{{cite web |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944 |title=Mountain Railways of India |access-date = 30 April 2006 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060503143242/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/944/ |archive-date = 3 May 2006}}

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum, Kolkata, is the state's largest airport. Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri is a customs airport that offers international service to Bhutan and Thailand, besides regular domestic service. Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, India's first private sector airport, serves the twin cities of Asansol-Durgapur at Andal, Paschim Bardhaman.{{cite web |title=Profile on Kazi Nazrul Islam International Airport |url=http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/newairports/kazi-nazrul-islam-international-airport |access-date = 5 August 2014 |newspaper=Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140808044706/http://centreforaviation.com/profiles/newairports/kazi-nazrul-islam-international-airport |archive-date = 8 August 2014}}{{cite news |last1=Mishra |first1=Mihir |title=Air India operates inaugural flight between Durgapur & Kolkata |url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47329679.cms |access-date = 19 May 2015 |newspaper=The Economic Times |date=18 May 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170802091136/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/47329679.cms |archive-date = 2 August 2017}}

Kolkata is a major river port in eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages the Kolkata and the Haldia docks.{{cite web |url=http://www.kolkataporttrust.gov.in/ |title=Port info: cargo statistics |access-date = 9 February 2012 |work=Kolkata Port Trust |publisher=Kolkata Port Trust, India |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120119114809/http://kolkataporttrust.gov.in/ |archive-date = 19 January 2012}} There is passenger service to Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Cargo ship service operates to ports in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. Ferries are a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarbans area. Kolkata is the only city in India to have trams as a mode of transport; these are operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company.{{cite news |title=Intra-city train travel |url=http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/657741.cms |access-date = 31 August 2007 |work=reaching India |publisher=Times Internet Limited |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071016221039/http://timesfoundation.indiatimes.com/articleshow/657741.cms |archive-date = 16 October 2007}}

Several government-owned organisations operate bus services in the state, including: the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation and the Calcutta Tramways Company.{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/bengal-transport-dept-to-offer-vrs-to-over-4000-employees/article3377172.ece |title=Bengal transport dept to offer VRS to over 4,000 employees |last=Pramanik |first=Ayan |date=2 May 2012 |work=The Hindu Business Line |access-date = 10 December 2017 |language=en |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180126080958/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/bengal-transport-dept-to-offer-vrs-to-over-4000-employees/article3377172.ece |archive-date = 26 January 2018}} There are also private bus companies. The railway system is a nationalised service without any private investment.{{cite web |url=http://www.irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html |title=[IRFCA] Indian Railways FAQ: IR History: Early Days – 1 |website=www.irfca.org |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050307181407/http://irfca.org/faq/faq-hist.html |archive-date = 7 March 2005}} Hired forms of transport include metered taxis and auto rickshaws, which often ply specific routes in cities. In most of the state, cycle rickshaws and in Kolkata, hand-pulled rickshaws and electric rickshaws are used for short-distance travel.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MexGAwAAQBAJ&q=kolkata+autorickshaws&pg=PA221 |title=Sustainability Science for Social, Economic, and Environmental Development |last=Nilanjan |first=Ghosh |date=31 January 2014 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-4666-4996-5 |language=en |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001211/https://books.google.com/books?id=MexGAwAAQBAJ&q=kolkata+autorickshaws&pg=PA221 |url-status=live}}

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{{Historical population

| source = Census of India{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html |title=A-02: Decadal variation in population 1901–2011 |publisher= Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808131957/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html |url-status=live}} [https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/43352/download/47040/19%20A-2%20West%20Bengal.pdf Alt URL]

| 1901 |16940088

| 1911 |17998769

| 1921 |17474348

| 1931 |18897036

| 1941 |23229552

| 1951 |26299980

| 1961 |34926279

| 1971 |44312011

| 1981 |54580647

| 1991 |68077965

| 2001 |80176197

| 2011 |91276115

| 2022 {{estimated}} |98604000}}

According to the provisional results of the 2011 national census, West Bengal is the fourth-most-populous state in India with a population of 91,347,736 (7.55% of India's population). The state's 2001–2011 decennial population growth rate was 13.93%, lower than the 1991–2001 growth rate of 17.8% and lower than the national rate of 17.64%.{{cite web |title=Table 1: Distribution of population, sex ratio, density and decadal growth rate of population: 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_results_paper1_india.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212184630/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_results_paper1_india.html|archive-date=12 February 2012|access-date=16 February 2012 |work=Provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011 India: series 1 |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}} The gender ratio is 947 females per 1,000 males. As of 2011, West Bengal had a population density of {{convert|1029|PD/km2}} making it the second-most densely populated state in India, after Bihar.

The literacy rate is 77.08%, higher than the national rate of 74.04%.{{cite web |title=Table 2(3): Literates and literacy rates by sex : 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_results_paper1_india.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212184630/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/prov_results_paper1_india.html|archive-date=12 February 2012|access-date=16 February 2012 |work=Provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011 India: series 1 |publisher=Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}} Data from 2010 to 2014 showed the life expectancy in the state was 70.2 years, higher than the national value of 67.9.{{cite web |title=Contents 2010–14 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Vital_Statistics/SRS_Life_Table/1.CONTENTS-2010-14.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161113174353/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Vital_Statistics/SRS_Life_Table/1.CONTENTS-2010-14.pdf|archive-date=13 November 2016|access-date=12 January 2017 |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India}}{{cite web |title=Abridged Life Tables- 2010–14 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Vital_Statistics/SRS_Life_Table/2.Analysis_2010-14.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110123124/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Vital_Statistics/SRS_Life_Table/2.Analysis_2010-14.pdf|archive-date=10 January 2017|access-date=12 January 2017 |publisher=Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India |page=5}} The proportion of people living below the poverty line in 2013 was 19.98%, a decline from 31.8% a decade prior.{{cite web |year=2013 |title=Table 162, Number and Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line |url=http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=15283|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407102043/http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/PublicationsView.aspx?id=15283|archive-date=7 April 2014|access-date=20 April 2014 |publisher=Reserve Bank of India, Government of India}} Scheduled castes and tribes form 28.6% and 5.8% of the population, respectively, in rural areas and 19.9% and 1.5%, respectively, in urban areas.

In September 2017, West Bengal achieved 100% electrification, after some remote villages in the Sunderbans became the last to be electrified.{{cite news |date=3 November 2017 |title=Bengal is 100% electrified now |work=The Times of India, Kolkata}}

As of September 2017, of 125 towns and cities in Bengal, 76 have achieved open defecation free (ODF) status. All towns in the districts of: Nadia, North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Bardhaman and East Medinipur are ODF zones, with Nadia becoming the first ODF district in the state in April 2015.{{cite news |last=Chakrabarti |first=Suman |date=6 September 2017 |title=76 Bengal towns free of open defecation |work=The Times of India}}{{cite web |last=Dutta |first=Saptarshi |date=7 September 2017 |title=With 76 Towns And Cities Already Open Defecation Free, West Bengal Aims To Reach The 100% Mark by the End of This Year |url=https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/with-76-towns-and-cities-already-open-defecation-free-west-bengal-aims-to-reach-the-100-mark-by-the-end-of-this-year-11586/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017163154/https://swachhindia.ndtv.com/with-76-towns-and-cities-already-open-defecation-free-west-bengal-aims-to-reach-the-100-mark-by-the-end-of-this-year-11586/|archive-date=17 October 2018|access-date=16 October 2018 |website=NDTV}}

A study conducted in three districts of West Bengal found that accessing private health services to treat illness had a catastrophic impact on households. This indicates the importance of the public provision of health services to mitigate poverty and the impact of illness on poor households.{{cite journal |last=Kanjilal |first=Barun |author2=Swadhin Mondal |author3=Moumita Mukherjee |author4=Debjani Barman |author5=Arnab Mondal |date=October 2008 |title=Catastrophic Health Care Payment: how much protected are the users of public hospitals? |url=http://www.futurehealthsystems.org/publications/fhs-india-research-brief-4-catastrophic-health-care-payment.html|url-status=live |journal=FHS Research Brief |issue=4|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309062513/http://www.futurehealthsystems.org/publications/fhs-india-research-brief-4-catastrophic-health-care-payment.html|archive-date=9 March 2013}}

The latest Sample Registration System (SRS) statistical report shows that West Bengal has the lowest fertility rate among Indian states. West Bengal's total fertility rate was 1.6, lower than neighbouring Bihar's 3.4, which is the highest in the entire country. Bengal's TFR of 1.6 roughly equals that of Canada.{{cite web |date=25 December 2014 |title=Why West Bengal is like Canada, and Bihar like Swaziland |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/1rl0WtFHAUyrXy1KcwGYlK/Why-West-Bengal-is-like-Canada-and-Bihar-like-Swaziland.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724083636/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/1rl0WtFHAUyrXy1KcwGYlK/Why-West-Bengal-is-like-Canada-and-Bihar-like-Swaziland.html|archive-date=24 July 2016}}

Bengalis, consisting of Bengali Hindus, Bengali Muslims, Bengali Christians and a few Bengali Buddhists, comprise the majority of the population.{{cite book |title=Ethnic realignments: a comparative study of government influences on identity |last=Hoddie |first=Matthew |year=2006 |publisher=Lexington Books |isbn=978-0-7391-1325-7 |pages=114–115 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ka0nMJgKbYC |access-date = 16 February 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130510061300/http://books.google.com/books?id=6ka0nMJgKbYC |archive-date = 10 May 2013}} Marwari, Maithili and Bhojpuri speakers are scattered throughout the state; various indigenous ethnic Buddhist communities such as the Sherpas, Bhutias, Lepchas, Tamangs, Yolmos and ethnic Tibetans can be found in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. Native Khortha speakers are found in Malda district.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sl_dDVctycgC&q=angika+in+west+bengal&pg=PA481 |title=International Encyclopedia of Linguistics: AAVE – Esperanto |date=10 March 2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |via=Google Books |isbn=978-0-19-513977-8 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001146/https://books.google.com/books?id=sl_dDVctycgC&q=angika+in+west+bengal&pg=PA481 |url-status=live}}

Surjapuri, a language considered to be a mix of Maithili and Bengali, is spoken across northern parts of the state.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zc77I8CMgTYC&q=surjapuri+west+bengal&pg=PA508 |title=The Handbook of Historical Sociolinguistics |first1=Juan Manuel |last1=Hernández-Campoy |first2=Juan Camilo |last2=Conde-Silvestre |date=15 February 2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |via=Google Books |isbn=978-1-118-25726-5 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001146/https://books.google.com/books?id=zc77I8CMgTYC&q=surjapuri+west+bengal&pg=PA508 |url-status=live}} The Darjeeling Hills are mainly inhabited by various Gorkha communities who overwhelmingly speak Nepali (also known as Gorkhali), although there are some who retain their ancestral languages like Lepcha. West Bengal is also home to indigenous tribal Adivasis such as: Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Bhumij, Lodha, Kol and Toto.

There are a small number of ethnic minorities primarily in the state capital, including : Chinese, Tamils, Maharashtrians, Odias, Malayalis, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Jews, Punjabis and Parsis.{{cite book |editor1-last = Banerjee |editor1-first = Himadri |editor2-last = Gupta |editor2-first = Nilanjana |editor3-last = Mukherjee |editor3-first = Sipra |title=Calcutta mosaic: essays and interviews on the minority communities of Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC |access-date = 29 January 2012 |year=2009 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-81-905835-5-8 |page=3 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130509233321/http://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC&dq |archive-date = 9 May 2013}} India's sole Chinatown is in eastern Kolkata.{{cite book |editor1-last = Banerjee |editor1-first = Himadri |editor2-last = Gupta |editor2-first = Nilanjana |editor3-last = Mukherjee |editor3-first = Sipra |title=Calcutta mosaic: essays and interviews on the minority communities of Calcutta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC |access-date = 29 January 2012 |year=2009 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-81-905835-5-8 |pages=9–10 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130509233321/http://books.google.com/books?id=cSTEOx_Lw9MC&dq |archive-date = 9 May 2013}}

[[File:Language Map of West Bengal (2011 Census).svg|200px|thumb|Languages spoken by district

Bengali

{{legend|#1ee6b2|50–60%}}

{{legend|#00d19b|60–70%}}

{{legend|#009e75|70–80%}}

{{legend|#006b4f|80–90%}}

{{legend|#005239|90–100%}}

Nepali

{{legend|#f6c6e4|30–40%}}

{{legend|#e986c4|50–60%}}

]]

{{Pie chart

|label1=Bengali |value1=86.22

|label2=Hindi|value2=6.97

|label3=Santali |value3=2.66

|label4=Urdu |value4=1.82

|label5=Nepali |value5=1.27

|label6= Others |value6=1.06

|caption=Languages of West Bengal (2011){{cite web |title=Table C-16 – Population by Mother Tongue |url=https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html |website=www.censusindia.gov.in |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date=18 September 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180815035759/https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16.html |url-status=live}}

|color4=#278d27|color2=#f97d09|color1=Red|color3=Yellow}}

The state's official languages are Bengali and English;—{{cite web |url=http://www.nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |title=Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 52nd report (July 2014 to June 2015) |pages=85–86 |publisher=Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India |access-date=16 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115133948/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2016}}
—{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Shiv Sahay |title=Official language status for Urdu in some West Bengal areas |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/official-language-status-for-urdu-in-some-west-bengal-areas/article3274293.ece |access-date=3 June 2019 |work=The Hindu |date=3 April 2012 |language=en-IN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603103658/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/official-language-status-for-urdu-in-some-west-bengal-areas/article3274293.ece |archive-date=3 June 2019 |url-status=live}}
—{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1121211/jsp/bengal/story_16301872.jsp |title=Multi-lingual Bengal |date=11 December 2012 |newspaper=The Telegraph |access-date=25 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325232340/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1121211/jsp/bengal/story_16301872.jsp |archive-date=25 March 2018 |url-status=dead}}
—{{cite news |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/kurukh-language-given-official-status-by-bengal-government/993228 |title=Kurukh language given official status by Bengal government |date=21 February 2017 |newspaper=Outlook |access-date=12 October 2020 |archive-date=22 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122232505/https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/kurukh-language-given-official-status-by-bengal-government/993228 |url-status=live}}
—{{cite magazine |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/kamtapuri-rajbanshi-make-it-to-list-of-official-languages-in-1179890-2018-02-28 |title=Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi make it to list of official languages in |last=Roy |first=Anirban |date=28 February 2018 |magazine=India Today |access-date=30 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330143710/https://www.indiatoday.in/pti-feed/story/kamtapuri-rajbanshi-make-it-to-list-of-official-languages-in-1179890-2018-02-28 |archive-date=30 March 2018 |url-status=live}}
—{{cite news |date=24 December 2020 |title=West Bengal shows 'Mamata' to Telugus |url=https://www.thehansindia.com/andhra-pradesh/west-bengal-shows-mamata-to-telugus-663381 |access-date=31 December 2020 |work=The Hans India |language=en |archive-date=23 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223184833/https://www.thehansindia.com/andhra-pradesh/west-bengal-shows-mamata-to-telugus-663381 |url-status=live}} Nepali has additional official status in the three subdivisions of Darjeeling district. In 2012, the state government passed a bill granting additional official status to Hindi, Odia, Punjabi, Santali and Urdu in areas where speakers exceed 10% of the population. In 2019, another bill was passed by the government to include Kamtapuri, Kurmali and Rajbanshi as additional official languages in blocks, divisions or districts where the speakers exceed 10% of the population. On 24 December 2020, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced Telugu as an additional official language. As of the 2011 census, 86.22% of the population spoke Bengali, 5.00% Hindi, 2.66% Santali, 1.82% Urdu and 1.26% Nepali as their first language.

{{Main|Religion in West Bengal}}

{{Pie chart

|thumb = left

|caption = Religion in West Bengal (2011){{cite web |title=Population by religion community – 2011 |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |website=Census of India, 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-date = 25 August 2015}}

|label1 = Hinduism|color1 = darkorange

|value1 = 70.54

|label2 = Islam|color2 = Green

|value2 = 27.01

|label3 = Christianity|color3 = Blue

|value3 = 0.72

|label4 = Buddhism|color4 = Gold

|value4 = 0.31

|label5 = No religion|color5 = black

|value5 = 0.25

|label6 = Jainism|color6 = brown

|value6 = 0.07

|label7 = Sikhism|color7 = Yellow

|value7 = 0.07

|label8 = Other Religions (inc. Tribal religions, Judaism and Zoroastrianism)|color8 = Grey

|value8 = 1.03

}}

West Bengal is religiously diverse, with regional cultural and religious specificities. Although Hindus are the predominant community, the state has a large minority Muslim population. Christians, Buddhists and others form a minuscule part of the population. As of 2011, Hinduism is the most common religion, with adherents representing 70.54% of the total population.{{cite news |url=http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html |title=Bengal's topsy-turvy population growth |author=B.P. Syam Roy |newspaper=The Statesman |date=28 September 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160910125228/http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html |archive-date = 10 September 2016}} Muslims, the second-largest community, comprise 27.01% of the total population,{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/could-it-take-two-to-tango-with-mamata/article8287103.ece |title=Could it take two to tango with Mamata? |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160229221950/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-opinion/could-it-take-two-to-tango-with-mamata/article8287103.ece |archive-date = 29 February 2016 |newspaper=The Hindu |date=26 February 2016 |last1=Singh |first1=Shiv Sahay}} Three of West Bengal's districts: Murshidabad, Malda and Uttar Dinajpur, are Muslim-majority. Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and other religions make up the remainder.{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/ |title=Data on Religion |access-date = 26 August 2006 |work=Census of India (2001) |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070812142520/http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/ |archive-date = 12 August 2007}} Buddhism remains a prominent religion in the Himalayan region of the Darjeeling hills; almost the entirety of West Bengal's Buddhist population is from this region.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zq2uCwAAQBAJ&q=Most+of+West+Bengal%27s+Buddhist+population+is+from+Darjeeling+hills&pg=PA50 |title=Buddhist Revival in India: Aspects of the Sociology of Buddhism |last1=Ling |first1=Trevor |last2=Axelrod |first2=Steven |date=19 June 1980 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-349-16310-6 |language=en |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001207/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zq2uCwAAQBAJ&q=Most+of+West+Bengal%27s+Buddhist+population+is+from+Darjeeling+hills&pg=PA50 |url-status=live}} Christianity is mainly found among the tea garden tribes at tea plantations scattered throughout the Dooars of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts.

The Hindu population of West Bengal is 64,385,546 while the Muslim population is 24,654,825, according to the 2011 census.{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bengal-beats-India-in-Muslim-growth-rate/articleshow/48675987.cms |title=Bengal beats India in Muslim growth rate |date=26 August 2015 |last=Seni |first=Saibal |work=The Times of India|url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170721165614/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bengal-beats-India-in-Muslim-growth-rate/articleshow/48675987.cms |archive-date = 21 July 2017}}

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{{See also|Bengalis|Culture of West Bengal|Culture of Darjeeling}}

{{Main|Bengali literature|History of Bengali literature}}

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| image1 = Rabindranath Tagore.jpg

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| alt1 = Portrait of Rabindranath Tagore

| caption1 = Rabindranath Tagore is Asia's first Nobel laureate and the composer of India's national anthem.

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| caption2 = Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in introducing Vedanta and Yoga to Europe and the US,{{cite book |last=Georg |first=Feuerstein |author-link = Georg Feuerstein |title=The Yoga Tradition |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |year=2002 |page=600 |isbn=978-3-935001-06-9}} raising interfaith awareness and making Hinduism a world religion.{{cite book |last=Clarke |first=Peter Bernard |title=New Religions in Global Perspective |url=https://archive.org/details/newreligionsglob00clar |url-access = limited |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |page=[https://archive.org/details/newreligionsglob00clar/page/n224 209] |isbn=978-0-7007-1185-7}}

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The Bengali language boasts a rich literary heritage it shares with neighbouring Bangladesh. West Bengal has a long tradition of folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, a collection of Buddhist mystic songs dating back to the 10th and 11th{{nbsp}}centuries; Mangalkavya, a collection of Hindu narrative poetry composed around the 13th{{nbsp}}century; Shreekrishna Kirtana, a pastoral Vaishnava drama in verse composed by Boru Chandidas; Thakurmar Jhuli, a collection of Bengali folk and fairy tales compiled by Dakshinaranjan Mitra Majumder; and stories of Gopal Bhar, a court jester in medieval Bengal. In the 19th and 20th{{nbsp}}centuries, Bengali literature was modernised in the works of authors such as Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, whose works marked a departure from the traditional verse-oriented writings prevalent in that period;{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-192109 |title=Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist |date=30 June 2011 |work=The Daily Star |access-date = 12 December 2017 |language=en |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170906035834/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-192109 |archive-date = 6 September 2017}} Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a pioneer in Bengali drama who introduced the use of blank verse;{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e_dA0RAwd4oC |title=Dictionary of Indian Biography |last=Buckland |first=C. E. |date=1999 |publisher=Cosmo Publication |isbn=9788170208976 |language=en |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001228/https://books.google.com/books?id=e_dA0RAwd4oC |url-status=live}} and Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music. Indian art saw the introduction of Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th{{nbsp}}centuries.{{cite web |url=http://tagoreweb.in/pages/RTagore.aspx |title=TagoreWeb |website=tagoreweb.in |access-date = 12 December 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170628152418/http://tagoreweb.in/pages/RTagore.aspx |archive-date = 28 June 2017}} Other notable figures include Kazi Nazrul Islam, whose compositions form the avant-garde genre of Nazrul Sangeet,{{cite web |url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Kazi_Nazrul |title=Islam, Kazi Nazrul |website=Banglapedia |language=en |access-date = 12 December 2017 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170706165608/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Islam,_Kazi_Nazrul |archive-date = 6 July 2017}} Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, whose works on contemporary social practices in Bengal are widely acclaimed,{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/remembering-sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-the-awara-masiha-on-his-139th-birth-anniversary/ |title=Remembering Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, the 'Awara Masiha' |date=15 September 2015 |work=The Indian Express |access-date = 12 December 2017 |language=en-US |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170612121318/http://indianexpress.com/article/india/remembering-sarat-chandra-chattopadhyay-the-awara-masiha-on-his-139th-birth-anniversary/ |archive-date = 12 June 2017}} and Manik Bandyopadhyay, who is considered one of the leading lights of modern Bengali fiction.{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/news/manik-bandopadhyay-taking-the-road-less-travelled |title=Manik Bandopadhyay Taking the road less travelled |date=22 May 2013 |work=The Daily Star |access-date = 13 December 2017 |language=en |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171213143146/http://www.thedailystar.net/news/manik-bandopadhyay-taking-the-road-less-travelled |archive-date = 13 December 2017}} In modern times, Jibanananda Das has been acknowledged as "the premier poet of the post-Tagore era in India".{{cite book |last=Mookerjea-Leonard |first=Debali |date=2008 |editor=R. Victoria Arana |title=The Facts on File Companion to World poetry, 1900 to the Present |url=https://archive.org/details/factsonfilecompa00aran |url-access = limited |publisher=Facts on File, Inc. |location=New York City |page=[https://archive.org/details/factsonfilecompa00aran/page/n140 128] |isbn=978-0-8160-6457-1}} Other writers include: Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, best known for his work Pather Panchali; Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, well known for his portrayal of the lower strata of society;{{cite book |last1=Sen |first1=Sukumar |title=History of Bengali Literature |edition=3rd |year=1979 |orig-date=1960 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |location=New Delhi |isbn=978-81-7201-107-9 |page=345}} Manik Bandopadhyay, a pioneering novelist; and Ashapurna Devi, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Saradindu Bandopadhyay, Buddhadeb Guha, Mahashweta Devi, Samaresh Majumdar, Sanjeev Chattopadhyay, Shakti Chattopadhyay, Buddhadeb Basu,{{harvnb|Datta|1988|p=1213}} Joy Goswami and Sunil Gangopadhyay.{{harvnb|Datta|1988|p=1367}}{{harvnb|Bardhan|2010|p=}}

{{Main|Music of West Bengal}}

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File:Mahisasuramardini - Chhau Dance - Kolkata 2016-03-29 3278.JPG]]

A notable music tradition is the Baul music, practised by the Bauls, a sect of mystic minstrels.{{cite book |last=Openshaw |first=Jeanne |title=Seeking Bauls of Bengal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AvsQjPPu_okC |date=25 July 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-81125-5 |pages=1–6 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160609180102/https://books.google.com/books?id=AvsQjPPu_okC |archive-date = 9 June 2016}} Other folk music forms include Gombhira and Bhawaiya. Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. Shyama Sangeet is a genre of devotional songs, praising the Hindu goddess Kali; kirtan is devotional group songs dedicated to the god Krishna.{{cite book |last=Guha-Thakurta |first=P. |title=The Bengali Drama: Its Origin and Development |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qaFBDexuKd4C&pg=PA26 |date=5 September 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-38553-7 |page=26}} Like other states in northern India, West Bengal also has a heritage in North Indian classical music. Rabindrasangeet, songs composed and set to words by Rabindranath Tagore, and Nazrul geeti (by Kazi Nazrul Islam) are popular. Also prominent are Dwijendralal, Atulprasad and Rajanikanta's songs, and adhunik or modern music from films and other composers.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GZuAAAAMAAJ |title=Calcutta, the Living City: The past |last=Chaudhuri |first=Sukanta |date=1990 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195625851 |language=en |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170803015752/https://books.google.com/books?id=7GZuAAAAMAAJ |archive-date = 3 August 2017}} From the early 1990s, new genres of music have emerged, including what has been called Bengali Jeebonmukhi Gaan (a modern genre based on realism). Bengali dance forms draw from folk traditions, especially those of the tribal groups, as well as the broader Indian dance traditions. Chhau dance of Purulia is a rare form of masked dance.{{cite web |url=http://purulia.gov.in/distAdmin/departments/dico/chau_dance.html |title=Folk & Culture : Purulia, Famous Folk Dance "Chau" |work=The Official Website of Purulia District |access-date = 11 June 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170603002555/http://purulia.gov.in/distAdmin/departments/dico/chau_dance.html |archive-date = 3 June 2017}}

{{Main|Cinema of West Bengal}}

File:Satyajit Ray with Ravi Sankar recording for Pather Panchali.jpg, a pioneer in Bengali cinema along with Ravi Sankar.]]

West Bengali films are shot mostly in studios in the Kolkata neighbourhood of Tollygunge; the name "Tollywood" (similar to Hollywood and Bollywood) is derived from that name. The Bengali film industry is well known for its art films, and has produced acclaimed directors like Satyajit Ray who is widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century,{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iT_L433p6tIC&q=greatest+filmmakers+of+the+20th+century+Satyajit+Ray&pg=PT33 |title=Book of Knowledge Viii, 5E |author=Tmh |publisher=Tata McGraw-Hill Education |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-07-066806-5|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808220905/https://books.google.com/books?id=iT_L433p6tIC&pg=PT33&lpg=PT33&dq=greatest+filmmakers+of+the+20th+century+Satyajit+Ray|archive-date=8 August 2016}} Mrinal Sen whose films were known for their artistic depiction of social reality, Tapan Sinha,{{cite news |title=Master filmmaker Tapan Sinha dead |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/master-filmmaker-tapan-sinha-dead/411264/2 |date=16 January 2009 |access-date=18 March 2013 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224072607/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/master-filmmaker-tapan-sinha-dead/411264/2 |url-status=live}} and Ritwik Ghatak. Some contemporary directors include veterans such as: Buddhadeb Dasgupta, Tarun Majumdar, Goutam Ghose, Aparna Sen, and Rituparno Ghosh, and a newer pool of directors such as Kaushik Ganguly and Srijit Mukherji.{{harvnb|Gooptu|2013|pp=37–50}}{{harvnb|Gooptu|2010|pp=170–182}}{{cite news |last=Biswas |first=Premankur |date=31 October 2014 |title='Chatushkone' director Srijit Mukherji: I have gained enough confidence as a director |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/play/making-a-mark-8/ |url-status = live |work=The Indian Express |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170311150532/http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/play/making-a-mark-8/ |archive-date = 11 March 2017 |access-date = 27 September 2017}} Uttam Kumar was the most popular lead actor for decades, and his romantic pairing with actress Suchitra Sen in films attained legendary status.{{cite book |last=Chowdhury |first=S. |title=Uttam Kumar: A Life in Cinema |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2021 |isbn=978-93-5435-271-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yD9cEAAAQBAJ |access-date=25 July 2022 |page=209 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001203/https://books.google.com/books?id=yD9cEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live}} Soumitra Chatterjee, who acted in many Satyajit Ray-films, and Prosenjit Chatterjee are among other popular lead male actors. {{As of|2020}}, Bengali films have won India's annual National Film Award for Best Feature Film twenty-two times in sixty seven years, the highest among all Indian languages.

File:'Panchchura' temple, Bishnupur.jpg in Bishnupur, one of the older examples of the terracotta arts of India.]]

There are significant examples of fine arts in Bengal from earlier times, including the terracotta art of Hindu temples and the Kalighat paintings. Bengal has been in the vanguard of modernism in fine arts. Abanindranath Tagore, called the father of modern Indian art, started the Bengal School of Art, one of whose goals was to promote the development of styles of art outside the European realist tradition that had been taught in art colleges under the British colonial administration. The movement had many adherents, including: Gaganendranath Tagore, Ramkinkar Baij, Jamini Roy and Rabindranath Tagore. After Indian Independence, important groups such as the Calcutta Group and the Society of Contemporary Artists were formed in Bengal and came to dominate the art scene in India.{{cite web |url=http://www.contemporaryart-india.com/art_history_art_in_calcutta_bengal.php |title=contemporaryart-india – Art History: Bengal Region |last=Raychaudhuri |first=Baidehi Chatterjee and Roshmi |website=www.contemporaryart-india.com |access-date = 5 July 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170507050409/http://www.contemporaryart-india.com/art_history_art_in_calcutta_bengal.php |archive-date = 7 May 2017}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |title=Atlas of World Art |last=Onians |first=John |date=2004 |publisher=Laurence King Publishing |isbn=978-1-85669-377-6 |language=en |page=304 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001150/https://books.google.com/books?id=O3h2KfXoOPYC |url-status=live}}

The capital, Kolkata, was the workplace of several social reformers, including Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda. Their social reforms eventually led to a cultural atmosphere that made it possible for practices like sati, dowry, and caste-based discrimination, or untouchability, to be abolished.History of the Bengali-speaking People by Nitish Sengupta, p 211, UBS Publishers' Distributors Pvt. Ltd. {{ISBN|81-7476-355-4}}. The region was also home to several religious teachers, such as Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, Prabhupada and Paramahansa Yogananda.

{{Main|Cuisine of West Bengal}}

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Rice and fish are traditional favourite foods, leading to a saying in Bengali, "machhe bhate bangali", that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali".{{cite web |url=http://govdocs.aquake.org/cgi/reprint/2003/1201/12010300.pdf |title=Development of freshwater fish farming and poverty alleviation: A case study from Bangladesh |access-date = 22 October 2006 |author=Gertjan de Graaf, Abdul Latif |publisher=Aqua KE Government |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061101103614/http://govdocs.aquake.org/cgi/reprint/2003/1201/12010300.pdf |archive-date = 1 November 2006}} Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favourite among Bengalis. There are numerous ways of cooking fish depending on its texture, size, fat content and bones.{{cite news |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/living/story/19970915-bengalis-relish-hilsa-fish-as-imports-of-the-bangladeshi-delicacy-grow-830545-1997-09-15 |title=Bengalis relish hilsa fish as imports of the Bangladeshi delicacy grow |access-date = 10 December 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180126080959/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/living/story/19970915-bengalis-relish-hilsa-fish-as-imports-of-the-bangladeshi-delicacy-grow-830545-1997-09-15 |archive-date = 26 January 2018 |url-status = live}} Most of the people also consume eggs, chicken, mutton, and shrimp. Panta bhat (rice soaked overnight in water) with onion and green chili is a traditional dish consumed in rural areas.{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1110804/jsp/northeast/story_14328967.jsp |title=Ferment rice for a healthy morsel |website=www.telegraphindia.com |access-date = 13 December 2017 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170804113510/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1110804/jsp/northeast/story_14328967.jsp |archive-date = 4 August 2017}} Common spices found in a Bengali kitchen include cumin, ajmoda (radhuni), bay leaf, mustard, ginger, green chillies and turmeric.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tgU8AgAACAAJ |title=Bengali Cooking: Seasons and Festivals |last=Banerji |first=Chitrita |publisher=Serif |isbn=978-1-897959-50-3 |language=en |date=December 2006 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001150/https://books.google.com/books?id=tgU8AgAACAAJ |url-status=live}} Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. Bengalis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including Rôshogolla, Chômchôm, Kalojam and several kinds of sondesh. Pitha, a kind of sweet cake, bread, or dim sum, are specialties of the winter season. Sweets such as narkol-naru, til-naru, moa and payesh are prepared during festivals such as Lakshmi puja.{{cite web |url=http://bengalcuisine.in/sweets |title=Sweet Items {{!}} Bengal Cuisine|website=bengalcuisine.in|language=en|access-date=13 December 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213142211/http://bengalcuisine.in/sweets|archive-date=13 December 2017}} Popular street foods include Aloor Chop, Beguni, Kati roll, biryani, and phuchka.{{cite news |first=S |last=Saha |title=Resurrected, the kathi roll – Face-off resolved, Nizam's set to open with food court |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph (Kolkata) |date=18 January 2006 |access-date = 26 October 2006 |location=Calcutta, India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060228160826/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060118/asp/calcutta/story_5733258.asp |archive-date = 28 February 2006}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bangalinet.com/mobile_foodstalls.htm |title=Mobile food stalls |access-date = 26 October 2006 |publisher=Bangalinet.com |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061021122336/http://bangalinet.com/mobile_foodstalls.htm |archive-date = 21 October 2006}}

File:Bangladeshi bride in Jamdani sari.jpg Sari of Bangladesh is very popular in West Bengal.]]

Bengali women commonly wear the sari, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear western attire. Among men, western dress has greater acceptance. Particularly on cultural occasions, men also wear traditional costumes such as the panjabi with dhuti while women wear salwar kameez or sari.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mHcMAQAAMAAJ&q=women+in+west+bengal+prefer+salwar+kameez |title=People of India: West Bengal |last1=Singh |first1=Kumar Suresh |last2=Bagchi |first2=Tilak |last3=India |first3=Anthropological Survey of |date=2008 |publisher=Anthropological Survey of India |isbn=9788170463009 |language=en |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001206/https://books.google.com/books?id=mHcMAQAAMAAJ&q=women+in+west+bengal+prefer+salwar+kameez |url-status=live}}

West Bengal produces several varieties of cotton and silk saris in the country. Handlooms are a popular way for the state's rural population to earn a living through weaving. Every district has weaving clusters, which are home to artisan communities, each specialising in specific varieties of handloom weaving. Notable handloom saris include tant, jamdani, garad, korial, baluchari, tussar and muslin.{{cite web |title=Parinita – Handloom map of West Bengal |date=26 June 2015 |url=http://www.parinita.co.in/blogs/articles/35661569-handloom-map-of-west-bengal |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151022152619/http://www.parinita.co.in/blogs/articles/35661569-handloom-map-of-west-bengal |archive-date = 22 October 2015}}

{{Main|List of festivals in West Bengal}}

Durga Puja is the biggest, most popular and widely celebrated festival in West Bengal.{{cite web |url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/festival-home |title=Durga Puja |access-date = 5 March 2012 |work=Festivals celebrated throughout West Bengal |publisher=Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120116073347/https://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/festival-home |archive-date = 16 January 2012}} The five-day-long colourful Hindu festival includes intense celebration across the state. Pandals are erected in various cities, towns, and villages throughout West Bengal. The city of Kolkata transforms Durga Puja. It is decked up in lighting decorations and thousands of colourful pandals are set up where effigies of the goddess Durga and her four children are displayed and worshipped. The idols of the goddess are brought in from Kumortuli, where idol-makers work throughout the year fashioning clay models of the goddess. Since independence in 1947, Durga Puja has slowly changed into more of a glamorous carnival than a religious festival. Today people of diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds partake in the festivities.{{cite web |title=Durga Puja in India: Largest Open-Air Art Expo |url=http://kolkata.china-consulate.org/eng/zlgxw/t1309532.htm |website=kolkata.china-consulate.org |access-date = 25 December 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225163234/http://kolkata.china-consulate.org/eng/zlgxw/t1309532.htm |archive-date = 25 December 2015}} On Vijayadashami, the last day of the festival, the effigies are paraded through the streets with riotous pageantry before being immersed into the rivers.{{cite news |title=Foreign bloggers and travel writers soak in Kolkata's festive spirit |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Foreign-bloggers-and-travel-writers-soak-in-Kolkatas-festive-spirit/articleshow/49531930.cms |website=The Times of India |date=26 October 2015 |access-date = 25 December 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101213233/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Foreign-bloggers-and-travel-writers-soak-in-Kolkatas-festive-spirit/articleshow/49531930.cms |archive-date = 1 January 2016}}

Rath Yatra is a Hindu festival which celebrates Jagannath, a form of Krishna. It is celebrated with much fanfare in Kolkata as well as in rural Bengal. Images of Jagannath are set upon a chariot and pulled through the streets.{{cite book |title=Footprint Focus-Kolkata and West Bengal |isbn=978-1-909268-41-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aD_-AgAAQBAJ |language=en |last1=Betts |first1=Vanessa |date=30 October 2013 |publisher=Footprint Travel Guides |access-date=11 May 2018 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001158/https://books.google.com/books?id=aD_-AgAAQBAJ |url-status=live}}

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Other major festivals of West Bengal include: Poila Baishakh the Bengali new year, Dolyatra or Holi the festival of lights, Poush Parbon, Kali Puja, Nabadwip Shakta Rash, Saraswati Puja, Deepavali, Lakshmi Puja, Janmashtami, Jagaddhatri Puja, Vishwakarma Puja, Bhai Phonta, Rakhi Bandhan, Kalpataru Day, Shivratri, Ganesh Chathurthi, Maghotsav, Karam festival, Kartik Puja, Akshay Tritiya, Raas Yatra, Guru Purnima, Annapurna Puja, Charak Puja, Gajan, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha and Muharram. Rabindra Jayanti, Kolkata Book Fair, Kolkata Film Festival, and Nazrul Jayanti. All are important cultural events.

Eid al-Fitr is the most important Muslim festival in West Bengal. They celebrate the end of Ramadan with prayers, alms-giving, shopping, gift-giving, and feasting.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&q=Eid-ul-Fitr+in+West+Bengal&pg=PA182 |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis |last1=Chakrabarti |first1=Kunal |last2=Chakrabarti |first2=Shubhra |date=22 August 2013 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-8024-5 |language=en |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001200/https://books.google.com/books?id=QVOFAAAAQBAJ&q=Eid-ul-Fitr+in+West+Bengal&pg=PA182 |url-status=live}}

Christmas, called Bôŗodin (Great day) is perhaps the next major festival celebrated in Kolkata, after Durga Puja. Although Hinduism is the major religion in the state, people show significant passion to the festival. Just like Durga Puja, Christmas in Kolkata is an occasion when all communities and people of every religion take part. Large masses of people go to parks, gardens, museums, parties, fairs, churches and other places to celebrate the day. A lot of Hindus go to Hindu-temples and the festival is celebrated there too with Hindu rituals.{{cite web |title=YSSKendra – Christmas Celebration at Dakshineswar Ashram, December 2016 |url=https://dakshineswar.yssashram.org/article/view/280 |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=dakshineswar.yssashram.org |archive-date=2 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902113328/https://dakshineswar.yssashram.org/article/view/280 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Christmas In Belur Math: রীতিমেনেই বেলুড় মঠে বড়দিন পালন |url=https://www.etvbharat.com/bengali/west-bengal/state/howrah/christmas-celebrate-by-belur-math-monks-old-rituals/wb20211224220302236 |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=ETV Bharat News |date=24 December 2021 |language=bn |archive-date=2 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220902113327/https://www.etvbharat.com/bengali/west-bengal/state/howrah/christmas-celebrate-by-belur-math-monks-old-rituals/wb20211224220302236 |url-status=live}} The state tourism department organises a gala Christmas Festival every year in Park Street.{{cite web |title=West Bengal Tourism |url=http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/parkstreetchristmascarnival |website=www.westbengaltourism.gov.in |access-date = 25 December 2015 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225190848/http://www.westbengaltourism.gov.in/web/guest/parkstreetchristmascarnival |archive-date = 25 December 2015}} The whole of Park Street is hung with colourful lights, and food stalls sell cakes, chocolates, Chinese cuisine, momo, and various other items. The state invites musical groups from Darjeeling and other North East India states to perform choir recitals, carols, and jazz numbers.{{cite web |title=In photos: Glimpses of a Bengali Christmas on Kolkata's Park Street |url=http://scroll.in/article/777409/in-photos-glimpses-of-a-bengali-christmas-on-kolkatas-park-street |website=Scroll.in |access-date = 25 December 2015 |language=en-US |first=Angikaar |last=Choudhury |date=23 December 2015 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151225163820/http://scroll.in/article/777409/in-photos-glimpses-of-a-bengali-christmas-on-kolkatas-park-street |archive-date = 25 December 2015}}

Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Hindu/Buddhist festivals and is celebrated with much gusto in the Darjeeling hills. On this day, processions begin at the various Buddhist monasteries, or gumpas, and congregate at the Chowrasta (Darjeeling) Mall. The Lamas chant mantras and sound their bugles, and students, as well as people from every community, carry the holy books or pustaks on their heads. Besides Buddha Purnima, Dashain, or Dusshera, Holi, Diwali, Losar, Namsoong or the Lepcha New Year, and Losoong are the other major festivals of the Darjeeling Himalayan region.

Each year between July and August at Tarakeswar Yatra held, nearly 10 million devotees come from various part of India bringing holy water of Ganga fin order to offer it to Lord Shiva.

Poush Mela is a popular winter festival of Shantiniketan, with performances of folk music, Baul songs, dance, and theatre taking place throughout the town.

Ganga Sagar Mela coincides with the Makar Sankranti, and hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims converge where the river Ganges meets the sea to bathe en{{nbsp}}masse during this fervent festival.

{{Main|Education in West Bengal|Universities and colleges of West Bengal|List of institutions of higher education in West Bengal|List of schools in West Bengal}}

University of Calcutta 7383.JPG|University of Calcutta, the oldest public university of India

West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata (front entrance, 2006).jpg|The front entrance to the academic block of NUJS, Kolkata

RKMVERI Prajna Bhavan HR.jpg|Prajna Bhavan, housing the School of Mathematical Sciences and School of RKMVU

West Bengal schools are run by the state government or private organisations, including religious institutions. Instruction is mainly in English or Bengali, though Urdu is also used, especially in Central Kolkata. Secondary schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), the National Institute of Open School (NIOS), West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, or the West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education.{{cite web |url=http://mhrd.gov.in/recognized_boards |title=Boards of secondary & senior secondary education in India |publisher=Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India |access-date = 18 April 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120320234548/http://mhrd.gov.in/recognized_boards |archive-date = 20 March 2012}}

As of 2016 85% of children within the 6 to 17-year age group attend school (86% do so in urban areas and 84% in rural areas). School attendance is almost

universal among the 6 to 14-year age group then drops to 70% with the 15 to 17-year age group. There is a gender disparity in school attendance in the 6 to 14-year age group, more girls than boys are attending school.

In Bengal, 71% of women aged 15–49 years and 81% of men aged 15–49 years are literate. Only 14% of women aged 15–49 years in West Bengal have completed 12 or more years of schooling, compared with 22% of men. 22% of women and 14% of men aged 15–49 years have never attended school.{{cite web |url=http://rchiips.org/NFHS/factsheet_NFHS-4.shtml |title=National Family Health Survey |website=rchiips.org|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129010243/http://rchiips.org/NFHS/factsheet_NFHS-4.shtml|archive-date=29 January 2018|url-status=live}}(Select West Bengal to view the pdf format)

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Some of the notable schools in the city are: Ramakrishna Mission Narendrapur, Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission, Sister Nivedita Girls' School, Hindu School, Hare School, La Martiniere Calcutta, Calcutta Boys' School, St. James' School (Kolkata), South Point School, Techno India Group Public School, St. Xavier's Collegiate School, and Loreto House, Loreto Convent, Pearl Rosary School are some of which rank among the best schools in the country.{{cite web |title=India's Best Schools, 2014 |url=http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |website=Rediff.com |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150722053415/http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |archive-date = 22 July 2015}} Many of the schools in Kolkata and Darjeeling are colonial-era establishments housed in buildings that are exemplars of neo-classical architecture. Darjeeling's schools include: St. Paul's, St. Joseph's North Point, Goethals Memorial School, and Dow Hill in Kurseong.{{cite web |url=http://darjeeling.gov.in/edu-institute.html |title=Educational Institute |website=darjeeling.gov.in|access-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706130708/http://darjeeling.gov.in/edu-institute.html|archive-date=6 July 2017}}

West Bengal has eighteen universities.{{cite web |url=http://www.educationobserver.com/resources/universsities/west_bengal.htm |title=UGC recognised Universities in West Bengal with NAAC accreditation status |access-date = 26 October 2006 |publisher=Education Observer |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070109172830/http://www.educationobserver.com/resources/universsities/west_bengal.htm |archive-date = 9 January 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://www.thewbuhs.org/ |title=West Bengal University of Health Sciences |access-date = 26 October 2006 |publisher=West Bengal University of Health Sciences |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061221061019/http://www.thewbuhs.org/ |archive-date = 21 December 2006}} Kolkata has played a pioneering role in the development of the modern education system in India. It was the gateway to the revolution of European education during the British Raj.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DsXLDAAAQBAJ&q=role+of+kolkata+in+education+in+india&pg=PA29 |title=Language Policy and Education in India: Documents, Contexts and Debates |last1=Sridhar |first1=M. |last2=Mishra |first2=Sunita |date=5 August 2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-87824-6 |language=en |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-date=2 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202001209/https://books.google.com/books?id=DsXLDAAAQBAJ&q=role+of+kolkata+in+education+in+india&pg=PA29 |url-status=live}} Sir William Jones established the Asiatic Society in 1794 to promote oriental studies. People such as Ram Mohan Roy, David Hare, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Alexander Duff and William Carey played leading roles in setting up modern schools and colleges in the city.

The University of Calcutta, the oldest and one of the most prestigious public universities in India, has 136 affiliated colleges. Fort William College was established in 1810. The Hindu College was established in 1817. The Lady Brabourne College was established in 1939. The Scottish Church College, the oldest Christian liberal arts college in South Asia, started in 1830. The Vidyasagar College was established in 1872 and was the first purely Indian-run private college in India.{{cite web |url=http://www.vidyasagarcollege.edu.in/history-glory-evolution |title=History, Glory & Evolution |access-date = 1 March 2020 |publisher=Vidyasagar College |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200301131540/http://www.vidyasagarcollege.edu.in/history-glory-evolution |archive-date = 1 March 2020 |url-status = live }} In 1855 the Hindu College was renamed the Presidency College.{{cite web |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/coll.htm |title=List of Affiliated Colleges |access-date = 29 March 2008 |publisher=University of Calcutta |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080201164051/http://www.caluniv.ac.in/coll.htm |archive-date = 1 February 2008}} The state government granted it university status in 2010 and it was renamed Presidency University. Kazi Nazrul University was established in 2012. The University of Calcutta and Jadavpur University are prestigious technical universities.{{cite news |first=P |last=Mitra |title=Waning interest |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050831/asp/careergraph/story_5174502.asp |work=Careergraph |publisher=The Telegraph |date=31 August 2005 |access-date = 26 October 2006 |location=Calcutta, India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070105111639/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050831/asp/careergraph/story_5174502.asp |archive-date = 5 January 2007}} Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan is a central university and an institution of national importance.{{cite web |url=http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/at_a_glance/at_a_glance.htm |title=Visva-Bharati: Facts and Figures at a Glance |access-date = 31 March 2007 |publisher=Visva-Bharati Computer Centre |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070523132100/http://www.visva-bharati.ac.in/at_a_glance/at_a_glance.htm |archive-date = 23 May 2007}}

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Other higher education institutes of importance in West Bengal include: St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (the first IIM), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Indian Statistical Institute, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (the first IIT), Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (the first IIEST), Indian Institute of Information Technology, Kalyani, Medical College, Kolkata, National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research, Kolkata, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kolkata, and West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences. In 2003 the state government supported the creation of West Bengal University of Technology, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, West Bengal State University, and Gour Banga University.{{cite web |url=http://www.naac.gov.in/docs/Analysis-West_Bengal.pdf |title=NAAC accredited higher educational institution s in West Bengal |last=NAAC |website=www.naac.gov.in|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712185317/http://www.naac.gov.in/docs/Analysis-West_Bengal.pdf|archive-date=12 July 2017|url-status=dead|access-date=7 January 2018}}

Jadavpur University (Focus area—Mobile Computing and Communication and Nano-science), and the University of Calcutta (Modern Biology) are among two of the fifteen universities selected under the "University with Potential for Excellence" scheme. University of Calcutta (Focus Area—Electro-Physiological and Neuro-imaging studies including mathematical modelling) has also been selected under the "Centre with Potential for Excellence in a Particular Area" scheme.{{cite web |url=http://www.ugc.ac.in/page/Centres-(CPEPA).aspx |title=University Grants commission ::Centre with Potential for Excellence in Particular Area |work=ugc.ac.in |access-date = 25 July 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160801082819/http://www.ugc.ac.in/page/Centres-%28CPEPA%29.aspx |archive-date = 1 August 2016}}

In addition, the state is home to Kalyani University, The University of Burdwan, Vidyasagar University, and North Bengal University all well established and nationally renowned schools that cover education needs at the district level and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata. Apart from this there is a Deemed university run by the Ramakrishna mission named Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University at Belur Math.{{cite web |url=https://www.ugc.ac.in/stateuniversitylist.aspx?id=35&Unitype=2 |title=University |website=www.ugc.ac.in|access-date=4 January 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913232358/http://www.ugc.ac.in/stateuniversitylist.aspx?id=35&Unitype=2|archive-date=13 September 2017}}

There are several research institutes in Kolkata. The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science is the first research institute in Asia. C. V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery (Raman Effect) done at the IACS. The Bose Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute Durgapur, Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers, National Institute of Research on Jute and Allied Fibre Technology, Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, and the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre are the most prominent.

Notable scholars who were born, worked, or studied in the geographic area of the state include physicists: Satyendra Nath Bose, Meghnad Saha,{{cite web |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Some%20of%20the%20Alumni.htm |title=Some of the distinguished alumni of the University of Calcutta |publisher=University of Calcutta |access-date = 29 January 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111121002631/http://caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Some%20of%20the%20Alumni.htm |archive-date = 21 November 2011}} and Jagadish Chandra Bose;{{cite web |url=http://www.caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Distinguished%20Teacher.htm |title=Some of our distinguished teachers |publisher=University of Calcutta |access-date = 29 January 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111121002802/http://caluniv.ac.in/About%20the%20university/Distinguished%20Teacher.htm |archive-date = 21 November 2011}} chemist Prafulla Chandra Roy; statisticians Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis and Anil Kumar Gain; physician Upendranath Brahmachari; educator Ashutosh Mukherjee;{{cite book |last1=Petitjean |first1=Patrick |title=Science and empires: historical studies about scientific development and European expansion |year=1992 |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Dordrecht, The Netherlands |isbn=978-0-7923-1518-6 |last2=Jami |first2=Cathérine|author2-link=Cathérine Jami |last3=Moulin |first3=Anne Marie |page=62}} and Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore,{{cite book |title=Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901–1967 |year=1999 |publisher=World Scientific |location=Amsterdam |isbn=978-981-02-3413-3 |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1913/tagore.html |editor=Frenz, Horst |access-date = 3 February 2012 |page=134 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120202212053/http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1913/tagore.html |archive-date = 2 February 2012}} C. V. Raman, Amartya Sen,{{cite web |url=http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~phildept/sen.html |title=Professor Amartya Sen |publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College, Harvard University |access-date = 29 January 2012 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120131203559/http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~phildept/sen.html |archive-date = 31 January 2012}} and Abhijit Banerjee{{cite web |url=https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/banerjee/facts/ |title=Abhijit Banerjee Facts |website=nobelprize.org |access-date=17 February 2020 |archive-date=8 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608092317/https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/economic-sciences/2019/banerjee/facts/ |url-status=live}}

In 2005 West Bengal had 505 published newspapers,{{cite web |url=https://rni.nic.in/pii.asp |title=General Review |access-date = 6 March 2012 |publisher=Registrar of Newspapers for India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121231161443/http://rni.nic.in/pii.asp |archive-date = 31 December 2012}} of which 389 were in Bengali. Ananda Bazar Patrika, published in Kolkata with 1,277,801 daily copies, has the largest circulation for a single-edition, regional language newspaper in India. Other major Bengali newspapers are: Bartaman, Ei Samay, Sangbad Pratidin, Aajkaal and Uttarbanga Sambad. Major English language newspapers include The Telegraph, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, The Statesman, The Indian Express and Asian Age. Some prominent financial dailies such as: The Economic Times, Financial Express, Business Line and Business Standard are widely circulated. Vernacular newspapers such as those in Hindi, Nepali, Gujarati, Odia, Urdu and Punjabi also exist.{{cite web |url=http://ficci.in/spdocument/20230/FICCI_Deloitte_MEBC_East_%2520Report_2012.pdf |title=West Bengal Media |publisher=FCCI |access-date = 28 January 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180127174132/http://ficci.in/spdocument/20230/FICCI_Deloitte_MEBC_East_%20Report_2012.pdf |archive-date = 27 January 2018 |url-status = dead}}

DD Bangla is the state-owned television broadcaster. Multi system operators provide a mix of Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English and international channels via cable. Bengali 24-hour television news channels include ABP Ananda, News18 Bangla, Republic Bangla, Kolkata TV, News Time, Zee 24 Ghanta, TV9 Bangla, Calcutta News and Channel 10.{{cite web |url=http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/bengali-news-channel-took-5-months-to-reach-no1-position_242437.html |title=Bengali News Channel took 5 months to reach no.1 position |access-date = 7 September 2006 |publisher=News Center |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100918032628/http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/bengali-news-channel-took-5-months-to-reach-no1-position_242437.html |archive-date = 18 September 2010}}{{cite web |url=http://www.calcuttaweb.com/tvradio.shtml |title=Calcutta : Television, Radio Channels |access-date = 7 September 2006 |publisher=Calcutta Web |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061203061801/http://www.calcuttaweb.com/tvradio.shtml |archive-date = 3 December 2006}} All India Radio is a public radio station. Private FM stations are available only in cities like Kolkata, Siliguri, and Asansol. Vodafone Idea, Airtel, BSNL, Jio are available cellular phone providers. Broadband Internet is available in select towns and cities and is provided by the state-run BSNL and by other private companies. Dial-up access is provided throughout the state by BSNL and other providers.{{cite web |title=The Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report April–June 2017 |url=http://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Performance_Indicator_Reports_28Sep2017.pdf |website=TRAI|access-date=10 October 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007021113/http://www.trai.gov.in/sites/default/files/Performance_Indicator_Reports_28Sep2017.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2017}}

{{Main|Sports in West Bengal}}

File:Salt Lake Stadium - Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata - Calcutta 5.jpg (Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan), Kolkata]]

Cricket and association football are popular. West Bengal, unlike most other states of India, is noted for its passion and patronage of football. Kolkata is one of the major centres for football in India{{cite web |url=http://www.longlivesoccer.com/indiafootball.htm |title=Football in India – A Fact File |access-date = 26 October 2006 |last=Prabhakaran |first=Shaji |date=18 January 2003 |publisher=LongLiveSoccer.com |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061023135720/http://www.longlivesoccer.com/indiafootball.htm |archive-date = 23 October 2006}} and houses top national clubs such as Mohun Bagan Super Giant, East Bengal Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club.{{cite news |url=http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/kolkata-football-infrastructure-is-from-the-past-century-4928776/ |title=Kolkata-football infrastructure is from-the past century |access-date = 28 January 2006 |newspaper=Hindustan Times |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171108211418/http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/kolkata-football-infrastructure-is-from-the-past-century-4928776/ |archive-date = 8 November 2017 |url-status = live}}

File:Netaji Indoor Stadium - Kolkata 2014-08-25 7446-7450 Compress.jpg, Kolkata]]

West Bengal has several large stadiums. Eden Gardens was one of only two 100,000-seat cricket stadiums in the world;{{cite web |url=http://www.cricketweb.net/country/venue.php?CategoryIDAuto=12&VenueIDAuto=26 |title=India – Eden Gardens (Kolkata) |access-date = 26 October 2006 |publisher=Cricket Web |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070531223033/http://www.cricketweb.net/country/venue.php?CategoryIDAuto=12&VenueIDAuto=26 |archive-date = 31 May 2007}} renovations before the 2011 Cricket World Cup reduced the capacity to 66,000.{{cite web |url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/ground/57980.html |title=Eden Gardens |publisher=ESPN Cricinfo |access-date = 4 August 2017 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170708034244/http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/ground/57980.html |archive-date = 8 July 2017}} The stadium is the home to various cricket teams such as the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Bengal cricket team and the East Zone. The 1987 Cricket World Cup final was hosted in Eden Gardens. The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second-oldest cricket club in the world.{{cite news |first=Mukherji |last=Raju |title=Seven Years? Head Start |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050314/asp/opinion/story_4428341.asp |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=14 March 2005 |access-date = 26 October 2006 |location=Calcutta, India |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014559/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050314/asp/opinion/story_4428341.asp |archive-date = 30 September 2007}}

Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is a multipurpose stadium in Kolkata, with a current capacity of 85,000. It is the largest stadium in India by seating capacity.{{cite web |title=Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), Kolkata |url=https://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium=5008920/index.html |website=FIFA.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328105323/http://www.fifa.com/u17worldcup/destination/stadiums/stadium=5008920/index.html|archive-date=28 March 2017}} Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second-largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000. It has hosted many national and international sporting events like the SAF Games of 1987 and the 2011 FIFA friendly football match between Argentina and Venezuela featuring Lionel Messi.{{cite magazine |title=Lionel Messi arrives in Kolkata for the friendly match against Venezuela |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/lionel-messi-in-kolkata-for-venezuela-match-140078-2011-08-31 |magazine=India Today |date=31 August 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180122072043/https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/football/story/lionel-messi-in-kolkata-for-venezuela-match-140078-2011-08-31|archive-date=22 January 2018}} In 2008 legendary German goalkeeper, Oliver Kahn played his farewell match on this ground.{{cite news |title=King Kahn Bows Out in Kolkata |url=http://www.dw.com/en/king-kahn-bows-out-in-kolkata/a-3364291 |publisher=DW.com |date=27 May 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107120535/http://www.dw.com/en/king-kahn-bows-out-in-kolkata/a-3364291|archive-date=7 January 2018}} The stadium hosted the final match of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Notable sports persons from West Bengal include former Indian national cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly, Pankaj Roy, Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes and chess grand master Dibyendu Barua.{{cite book |title=Soccer in South Asia: empire, nation, diaspora |year=2001 |publisher=Frank Cass Publishers |location=London |isbn=978-0-7146-8170-2 |page=71 |last1=Dineo |first1=Paul |last2=Mills |first2=James}}{{cite book |title=The magic of Indian cricket: cricket and society in India |year=2006 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0-415-35691-6 |page=240 |last=Bose |first=Mihir}}{{cite journal |last=Das Sharma |first=Amitabha |year=2002 |title=Football and the big fight in Kolkata |journal=Football Studies |volume=5 |issue=2 |page=57 |url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/2002/FS0502g.pdf |access-date = 5 April 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140211143839/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/FootballStudies/2002/FS0502g.pdf |archive-date = 11 February 2014 |url-status = live}}

{{wide image|Eden Gardens Kolkata.jpg|680px|Panoramic view of the Eden Gardens Stadium during IPL 2008}}

• Bangal
• Bengali language movements in India
• Ghoti people
• List of people from West Bengal
• List of tourist attractions in West Bengal
• Outline of West Bengal

{{reflist|30em}}

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{{Refend}}

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• {{cite journal |last=Sunny |first=C |year=1999 |title=Poverty and social development in west bengal |journal=India Rural Development Report, NIRD |url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm/wbm_ch2.pdf |access-date=8 May 2010 |archive-date=7 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207093342/http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/wbm/wbm_ch2.pdf |url-status=dead}}

; Government

• {{Official website}}
• [https://www.wbtourism.gov.in/ Official tourism site]

; General information

• {{GovPubs|West%20Bengal}}
• {{Britannica|640088|West Bengal}}
• {{Wikiatlas|West Bengal}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|1960177}}

{{Geographic location

|Centre = West Bengal

|North = Sikkim

|Northeast = Chukha, Dagana and Samtse Districts, {{flag|Bhutan}}

|East = Assam
Rangpur and Rajshahi Divisions, {{flag|Bangladesh}}

|Southeast = Khulna Division, {{flag|Bangladesh}}

|South = Bay of Bengal

|Southwest = Odisha

|West = Bihar
Jharkhand

|Northwest = Koshi Province, {{flag|Nepal}}

}}

{{West Bengal topics}}

{{States and territories of India}}

{{Municipalities of West Bengal}}

{{Subject bar|Geography|Asia|India |commons=yes |n=yes |n-search=Category:West Bengal |wikt=yes |b=yes |q=yes |s=yes |s-search=Portal:West Bengal |voy=yes |voy-search=West Bengal |d=yes |d-search=Q1356}}

{{Authority control}}

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