West Bengal
This state is the birth place of Nobel lauret poet Dr Rabindranath Tagore who composed the Indian national anthem. It is also the birth place of other well known personaities like swamy Ramakrishna Paramahimsa , Swamy Vivekananda Dr Jagadish Chandra Bose - an eminent scientist and Mr Subash Chandra Bose the freedom fighter and others.

The main language spoken here is Bengali.

Agriculture is the main occupation of about 60% of the population. The crops grown here are pulses, oilseeds, barley, betel leaves, tobacco, sugar cane etc. About 14% of the total area is forest.

Sight seeing:
Calcutta is the Capital city of West Bengal. The city is more than 300 years old. It is a cosmopolitan city with tall buildings and many monuments. It has a population of over 10 millions. As one approaches Calcutta the famous Howrah bridge becomes visible. It is only one of its kind in the whole of Asia. This bridge is 467 meters long spanning the Hoogly river.

Places of interest include Belur mutt - the place where the sage Ramakrishna Paramahamsa lived . Across the river is the famous botanical garden. Victoria memorial, The Birla planeterium, the marble palace and the Kali temple are also of interest.

Darjeeling is a very popular hill station. It is sorrounded by tea plantations and many monastries. One of the attractions here is the toy train which operates up the steep mountain side from Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. It has a population of over 90 thousand and the city is synanimous with tea. Many people here speak Nepali language. A majority of the inhabitants are Hindus. The best time to visit Darjeeling is between April and mid- june and Spetember and November. About 11 km from Darjeeling is the Tiger hill - the highest spot in the area at a height of 2590 meters. It is well known for its scenic view over Kanchenjunga and other peaks. Close to Tiger hills is Henchal lake with its scenic beauty, ideal as a picnic spot. The most famous monastry here is the Ghoom monastry which is about 8 km from Darjeeling. The Himalayan mountaneering institue is about 2 km from the town.

The pasenger ropeway here is 5km long and connects Darjeeling with Singla bazaar at the bottom of the valley. It is the first ropeway to be constructed in India. Darjeeling offers a variety of treks. Some of the treks offer an excellant view of Kanchenjenga and the Mount Everest. The best time for trekking is in April,may,October and November.

Specialities: Handicraft, carpets , woolen , wood carvings and leather works. Flowers, cactisilks , Tibetian jewellery , tapestry bags , copper ware scrolls and paintings.

The tourism department of the Govt. of India offers conducted tours.

For more information:
The Government of India
Tourist office
"Embassy"
4, Shakespear Sharani
Calcutta 700 071
Tel: 242 14 02

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