West Bengal, first capital of British India. The place of that gave India its first Nobel Laureate. Sounds interesting, right?

West Bengal, a state situated on the east coast of India, is marked by its socio- political and cultural importance. We cannot deny the advantage of its geographical location which starts from the beautiful tea gardens of Darjeeling in the very north Bengal to the splendid mangroves of the Sundarban forest. Travelling to its capital city, Kolkata, the City of Joy and Passion is a different experience where you will find history, art and architecture, literature with the touch of modernism. Still now, in Kolkata you will find an easy life style, delicious Bengali foods and cheap transport.

Many other fascinating facts about this state are discussed below-

The first capital of British India

Kolkata, (in colonial India, it was called Calcutta) was the first capital under the rule of British East India company. The first governor-general of colonial India, Sir Warren Hastings transferred all the important offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta in the year 1772 after they grabbed the power from the Mughal. They took the decision because of some reasons like the convenience of Calcutta port and other communication benefits. Overall, the possibility of improvement in business and industry was very high in Calcutta which was the main reason behind this decision.

The land which has regenerated numerous ideas and movements

West Bengal is the land of renaissance where so many reformative ideas have emerged for the betterment of the mass. Some of the key figures who have contributed in social reformations are Subhas Chandra Bose, Vidyasagar, Rammohun Roy, Swami Vivekananda and others. The Asiatic society, founded in Calcutta in the year 1784 was the central point of all the literary and scientific activities in India.

The first ever University in India

West Bengal was the hub of cultural and intellectual reformation. The oldest institution in India which was the Serampore University was founded in West Bengal around 202 years back. The next name in this list is the University of Calcutta. So many renowned people like Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Swami Vivekananda have graduated from this institution. Even today, the glory and allure of this university doesn’t fade a bit.

Largest Museum and Library

The National Museum of Kolkata, founded in 1814 was the oldest and the largest Museum not only in India but also in the entire Asia.

When it’s about education, the importance of the National Library of Kolkata, which is the largest in India can’t be ignored.

Few more things are also there like the sentiment of Durga Puja, abundance of street food, their unity in diversity which need a good mention. What is your opinion about West Bengal?