Brief description about important places of Cooch Behar Town

1. A journey to CITY OF BEAUTY ( COB.).
Part I
Tusar Kanti Ghosal M.Sc Ph.D Email: drtkghosal@gmail.com
Dated: 26.11.2018
COOCH BEHAR was a
Princely State ruled by
the feudal Koch Kings
until 20th August,
1949;
Thereafter,COOCHBEHAR
was merged with India
in 19th January, 1950,
and was identified as a
district of West Bengal

2. GEOGRAPHY
India
West BengalCooch Behar district
GEOGRAPHY
Cooch Behar is in the foothills of eastern Himalaya at 26° 22’ N, 89 °29’ E in the north of
West Bengal, India. It is the largest town and district headquarters of Cooch Behar
district with an area of 8.29 km2(3.20 sq mi).

3. COOCH BEHAR TOWN is well known for its well
architectural building namely
(1) D.M. OFFICE and Lansdown hall
(2) MOTI MAHAL or KALYAN BHAVAN
(3) ANANDA ASHRAM or Bungalow of DSP CRIME
(4) BHOLA ASHRAM or Bungalow of theExecutive Enginier of PWD
(5) PARIJAT VILLA or Bungalow of THE DISTRICT & SESSION JUDGE
(6) HEAD POST OFFICE (GPO) or DISTRICT POST OFFICE
(7) CERCIUT HOUSE 1 and 2
(8) CHILARAI BARAC
(9) JENKINS SCHOOL (GOVT.)
(10) VICTORIA COLLEGE (GOVT.) or ABN SEAL COLLEGE
(11) ABN SEAL COLLEGE and JENKINS SCHOOL BOY’S HOSTEL
(12) COOCH BEHAR RAILWAY STATION and MUSEUM
(13) CARMICHACL WARD or MJN HOSPITAL or COOCH BEHAR GOVT.
MEDICAL COLLEGE

4. COOCH BEHAR PALACE
COOCH BEHAR is well known for its palaces and royal buildings;
among them Royal Palace of the Koch Kings called Rajbari. It is also
called as the VICTOR JUBLEE PALACE. This Palace was designed on
the model of Buckingham Palace of London. It was built by the
famous Koch king Maharaja Nripendra Narayan in 1887 AD.

5. COOCH BEHAR PALACE

6. COOCH BEHAR PALACE
Main Gate
Front sideBack side

8. COOCH BEHAR PALACE at NIGHT

9. The most renowned destination of Coochbehar
(i) COOCH BEHAR TOWN
(ii) BANESWAR (10 kms. from Coochbehar town)
(iii) KHOLTA ECO TOURISM SPOT (15 kms. From town)
(iv) MADHUPUR DHAM (7 kms. From town)
(v) AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY (UBKV, Pundibari) (15 kms. From own)
(vi) RASOMATI OF PATLAKHAWA FOREST (20 kms. from town)
(vii) DHULUABARI (6 kms. from town)
(viii) GOSANIMARI (22 kms. from town)
(ix) KAMTESWARI TEMPLE (22 kms. from town)
(x) RAJPAT MOUND (35 kms. from town)
(xi) RASHIK BIL ECO-TOURISM COMPLEX (35 kms. from town)
(xii) NEW COOCH BEHAR RAILWAY STATION (5 kms. from town)

10. COOCH BEHAR PALACE MUSEUM
The MUSUEM was established in 2002and the exhibits are arranged in seven
galleries. Gallery No.1: The Durbar Hall, Gallery No.2 Billiard room, Gallery No.
3 & 4 Ethnic galleries, Gallery No. 5 & 6 Sculptures, Gallery no. 6 sculptures,
Gallery no. 7 Antiquities like royal standard weights, iron dyes for making coins
etc.

11. RAJBARI PARK
This park posses beautiful lawns, flowers and booting options. The
view of the palace from this garden looks awesome. Every Friday
and Saturday the Cultural Dept of W. B. organizes a musical show
with colourful lighting and fountains. The show starts with the fall of
evening and continues till 8 o'clock at night. Now separate entry
tickets is requested to enter into this park.

12. MADAN MOHON TEMPLE
This is a historical temple of Lord Krishna situated on the bank of BAIRAGI DIGHI
of Cooch Behar town. It was constructed under the patronage of king Nripendra
Narayan (1885 to 1889). The temple’s top is dome shaped. A divine structure,
deities include Madan Mohan the kul-devata of the Koch Dynasty, Ma Tara and
Ma Bhavani.

13. MADAN MOHON TEMPLE AT NIGHT

14. BARA DEBI BARI
It is actually a temple of Devi Durga or Maa Bhabani. It was constructed in the line of
European architecture and is located in Debibari (Ward 19) in the Cooch Behar
Town. The temple has the deity of Goddess Maa Bhabani and the place hosts a huge
fair during the time of Durga Puja.

15. Hiranyagarbha Shiva Temple
Situated at the
western side of Sagar
Dighi, Cooch Behar
town (Ward 19).
Inside e temple a
‘Shivalinga’ is
installed. Constructed
during the period of
Maharaja Harendra
Narayan

16. SAGAR DIGHI
It is a large pond situated in the midst of COOCH BEHAR TOWN and one of the
most popular tourist attraction. It attracts a large number of migratory birds in
every winter. Locals including the tourists gave an one squire mile walk around it
in morning and evening.
Before 1971
Resent image

17. VICTOR PALACE
It was King Nripendra Narayan who began the constructionin 1882. The palace was
completed in 1894-95. In the royal time many personalities of the time like social
reformer Keshab Chandra Sen had lived in this palace. After the death of Victor
Nityendra Narayan in England in 1937, the building came to be known as Victor Palace.

18. LANDSDOWN HALL

19. RANI BAGAN
It is another historical site of Cooch Behar town. In the Royal era
this place was used as the cremation centre of the members of the
royal family. Now it is turned as a children park.

20. Sunity Academy
King Nripendra Narayan set up a High School for girls in the year 1881 and named
it Sunity Academy after his wife Sunity Devi, who was the daughter of Keshab
Chandra Sen. It is the first girls school in DOOARS.

21. NORTH BENGAL STATE LIBRARY
It is considered the crown jewel of Cooch Behar Kingdom's cultural heritage.
During the minority reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan, a British Colonel
named Houghten came to Cooch Behar to act as Commissioner (1864–73). He
established the State Library of Cooch Behar in 1870 by purchasing a stock of
books at a London auction.

22. RASH MELA
It is one of the most colorful festivals celebrated in Cooch Behar. It is
long duration (13 -15 days) popular annual festival of Bengal. It is
celebrated in honor of Lord Madan Mohan at Madan Mohan temple
complex.

23. Jenkins School
King Narendra Narayan established Jenkins School to teach English and other
studies. The school was named after General Jenkins, the Agent of the British
Governor General for the North-Eastern India. King Nripendra Narayan had started
constructing a magnificent building for the school near Sagar Gighi in 1879. That
building School was ravaged in a earthquake of 1897 and temporarily shifted to the
palace compound. The present school building (Ward 17) was set up in 1905.

24. A.B.N.SEAL COLLEGE AND BOY’S HOSTEL
A.B.N. Seal College of Cooch
Behar town (Ward 17) was
established in 1888 by King
Nripendra Narayan. The first
Principal of this College was
J.D.Godley. It was formerly
known as Victoria College
under Calcutta University. In
1970, commemorating the
saintly principal Acharya
Brojendra Nath Seal, it was
renamed as ABNS College
(GOVT.) under University of
North Bengal.

25. M.J.N. HOSPITAL and COOCH BEHAR
GOVT. MEDICAL COLLEGE

26. COOCH BEHAR HEAD POST OFFICE

27. Power House, Cooch Behar

28. NIPENDRA NARAYAN PARK
It is bassically an amusement park situated at the heart of Cooch Behar town
(Ward 8). This is biggest park of North Bengal. Major attraction for tourists are
boating in lake, Toy Train, floting ballon etc.

29. NIL KUTHI
It was another historic spot of attraction of this Cooch Behar
town. This kuthi or palace was build inside the AIR PORT Region.
One of the brother of the king Indrajit used to reside in this palace.
It was well connected with Palace by metro tunnel.

30. SAL BAGAN
The Bengali word 'SAL BAGAN means a garden of Sal trees. Though the
garden was named after Sal trees the garden is mostly of Burma Teak
trees. SAL BAGAN is a popular place to the picnickers.

31. TORSHA RIVER BED
It is another spot of Cooch Behar town (Ward 18, 16, 15, 14) that
attracts the nature lovers. Many tourist and locals come here often to
witness the sunrise, sunset and Kanchan Jhangha peak during
winter. Many prefers to take a drive on river side nice road (8 Kms

32. Novelist AMIYA BHUSAN MAJUMDER was born, brought up, and
worked in Cooch Behar. Cooch Behar with its people, culture, and
the river Torsha were a recurrent theme in his novels.

33. Cooch Behar Railway Station
Cooch Behar State Railway built a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) wide narrow gauge railway from the
southern bank of the torsa river (opposite Cooch Behar town) to Gitaldah, a station on the
tracks of Eastern Bengal railway strarted in 01.03. 1894. Cooch Behar town was connected in
1901 after a bridge was built on the Torsa river. It was converted to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)
wide metre gauge in 1910. Northeast Frontier Railway converted the Alipurduar-Bamanhat
branch line to 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) wide broad gauge in 2007.

34. Cooch Behar Rail Museum
First Rail Museum of North Eastern
Frontier Railway. It is adjacent to
Cooch Behar Railway station

35. NEW COOCH BEHAR RAILWAY STATION
Cooch Behar had its first railway when Cooch Behar State Railway constructed the narrow
gauge Geetaldah-Jainti line in 1901. It was subsequently on the metre gauge Alipurduar-
Bamanhat-Golokganj line. When Assam Link Project constructed, it used the longer New
jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road. New Cooch Behar station came up when the broad
gauge New jalpaiguri-New bongaigoan section of Barauni-Guwahati line was laid in 1966. Now
it is an important junction Station. .

36. Dedicated to my didi (sister in law)
Sushree Mitra (Dasgupta)
Her contribution in the field of home science and Psychology will ever remain
Type locality: Jalpaiguri, India Habitat: Garia, Kolkata
Education: Jalpaiguri Govt. School, P.D. Womens College,
University of North Bengal, Jadavpur University
Profession: Psychological councellor
Entrance in the Earth: 1963
Heavenly abode: 19th Nov.’18