West Bengal popularly known as Bengal, is a state in eastern India. To its east and northeast, West Bengal borders Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam; to its south and south-east lie the Bay of Bengal and the state of Orissa; to its west lie Jharkhand and Bihar; to the northwest is Nepal; to the north are Sikkim and Bhutan.

King Shashanka was the first to establish a sovereign kingdom of Bengal, namely Gour, in 7th Century A.D. After a long reign of Pala, Sena, and Mughal dynasties, the British took control of Bengal. After Indian independence, the Hindu-predominant western regions of Bengal formed the state of West Bengal.

Although West Bengal occupies only 3% of the India's land area, it supports over 8% of the population. Not only is West Bengal a highly populated region of India, it is also one of the fastest growing states of the country.

The exact origin of the word "Bengal" is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from Bang, the name of a Dravidian-speaking tribe that settled here in around 1000 BCE. [1] References to the word Banga or Vanga are seen in ancient Sanskrit epics such as the Mahabharata and Kautilya's Arthasastra.

Bengal was ruled by the Buddhist Pala dynasty from 750 to 1161. The Palas were eclipsed by the Hindu Sena dynasty, who ruled Bengal from 1095 to 1260. Bengal came under Islamic rule starting in the 13th century, and developed into a wealthy centre of trade and industry under the Mughal Empire during the 16th century. European traders had arrived in the late 15th century and eventually the British East India Company controlled the region by the late 18th century, from which the British extended their rule over all of India.

When Indian independence was achieved in 1947, Bengal was partitioned into predominantly Hindu West Bengal and predominantly Muslim East Bengal. On 2 October 1955, Chandannagar, a former enclave of French India which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal state. Certain portions of Bihar state were also merged with West Bengal.

With a total area of 88,853 km², West Bengal is on the eastern bottle-neck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the North to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region to the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya. This region contains Sandakfu (3,630 m)—the highest peak of the state. After a brief Terai region starts the plains. The plains continues into the Ganges delta towards the south. The rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and western plateau and high lands in the western region of the southern part of the state. A small coastal region is on the extreme south, while Sundarbans form the most remarkable geographical landmark of the Ganges delta.

Ganges is the main river, which divides here— one branch entering Bangladesh as Padma or Pôdda and the other branch flows down West Bengal in the name River Bhagirathi and River Hooghly. The hilly region towards the north has rivers like Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, Mahananda, while the western plateau region has rivers like Damodar, Ajay, Kansai etc. The Ganges delta, and especially the Sundarbans area is full of rivers; creeks cover the region like a web.

Also called the cultural capital of India, Bengal is one of the most important cultural hubs of India. Gopal Krishna Gokhale famously said that, "What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow". All 5 Indian Noble Laureates have worked in West Bengal.It is the birthplace of India's only Nobel laureate in literature, Rabindranath Tagore. The world famous film director Satyajit Ray, the only Indian to have won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, was also born here. Apart from this, Bengal gave birth to innumerable well-known poets and writers who have enriched literature ceaselessly. Some prominent members include the above-mentioned Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay and Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Also from West Bengal are the famous Indian playback singer, Kishore Kumar , legendary actor Uttam Kumar as well as the world-famous sitarist Ravi Shankar.

One of the unique identifiers of Bengali Culture is Durga Puja which is known as Akalbodhan in Bangla.Dhoti clad men and women in sarees are seen everywhere in the city, roaming from one pandal to the other and seeking Ma Durga's blessings.

Calcutta (Kolkata), Darjeeling,Sundarbans national Forest, Shantinekatan, Siliguri, Kalimpong