In English the district is named as Cooch Behar, whereas in Bengali it is known/named as KochBihar (pronounced as Coach-Bihar), which means the land through which the "Koch" Kings used to travel or roam about ("bihar").
In course of time, Cooch Behar has been transformed from a kingdom to a State and from a State to the present status of a district. Before 28th August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely State ruled by the king of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British Government. By an agreement dated 28th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar ceded full and extensive authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India. The transfer of administration of the state to the Govt. of India came into force on 12th September, 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 19th January, 1950 and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new District in the administrative map of West Bengal.
Utility services
Cooch Behar is a well-planned town, and the municipality is responsible for providing basic services, such as potable water and townsanitation. The water is supplied by the municipality using its groundwater resources, and almost all the houses in the municipal area are connected through the system. Solid waste is collected every day by the municipality van from individual houses. The surface drains, mostly uncemented, drain into the Torsa River. Electricity is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Board, and the West Bengal Fire Serviceprovides emergency services like fire tenders. Most of the roads are metalled (macadam), and street lighting is available throughout the town. The Public Works Department is responsible for road maintenance in the town and on the roads connecting Cooch Behar with other towns in the region. Health services in Cooch Behar include a government-owned District Hospital, a Regional Cancer Centre, and private nursing homes.
Culture
Popular festivals in Cooch Behar include, Durga Puja in October, along with Ras Purnima, when a big fair is organised in the town near the famous Madan Mohan Temple.[26] Cooch Behar Ras melais the oldest in the North Bengal region.[27] Other major festivals celebrated in the region includePohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Diwali, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. During Rathayatra, a small fair is organised at Gunjabari area of the town.
Cooch Behar has a mixture of cultures, similar to those of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Rice and fish are traditional favorites, leading to a common saying that "fish and rice make a Bengali"(machhe bhate bangali). Meat consumption has increased with higher production in recent years.Bhuna Khicuhri (a dish made of rice and dal) and labra (a fully mixed-vegetable preparation) are quite popular and are served during any religious occasion. As in any part of West Bengal, people of Cooch Behar are known to prepare distinctive confections from milk products; popular ones areRôshogolla, Chômchôm Kalakand Sandesh Misti Doi and Kalojam. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa, ilish preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Fast foods, such as Paratha (fried bread), egg roll (flatbread roll with vegetable stuffings and egg), andphuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce), are also widely popular. The momo is another popular snack made from vegetable or meat filling, which is steamed and served with a soup. Another popular snack is Ghatigaram, a variety of Jhalmuri (a mixture made out of flattened rice and other spices).
Inportant Place of Cooch Bihar
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Education
Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. The schools usually use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of national language Hindi is also stressed. The schools are affiliated with theICSE or the CBSE or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Some of the reputed schools in the town include Jenkins School, Sunity Academy, Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Mary’s H.S. School, B.D. Jain Modern School, Cooch Behar Rambhola High School, Maharaja Nipendra Narayan H.S. School, Cooch Behar, Maharani Indira Devi High School and Uchha Balika Vidhyalaya. There are five[28] colleges and a polytechnic in the Cooch Behar town including A.B.N. Seal College, Cooch Behar College, University B.T. & Evening College, Thakur Panchanan Mahila Mahavidyalaya all of which are affiliated with the University of North Bengal, Siliguri and Cooch Behar Polytechnic (Estd. August 1964) a Government Diploma level Institute with 3 yrs.(10+) Civil, Electrical, Mechanical & Automobile Engineering and 2 yrs.(12+) Pharmacy course under West Bengal State Council of Technical Education, Kolkatta
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