What does the name Cooch Behar mean?
Cooch Behar means land of the Koches. Cooch is a corrupted form of Koch, the name of the Koch tribal people, and Behar derives from vihara, meaning land.
Questions about Cooch Behar district
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Cooch Behar become part of West Bengal?
Cooch Behar became part of the state of West Bengal on the 19th of January 1950. Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan had formally transferred authority to the Dominion Government of India on the 12th of September 1949.
Why is Cooch Behar district unique among all Indian districts?
Cooch Behar is the only district in India where Scheduled Castes make up a majority of the population. According to the 2011 census, Scheduled Castes accounted for 50.17% of the district's population of 2,819,086.
What were the Cooch Behar-Bangladesh exclaves and how were they resolved?
Cooch Behar contained 92 Bangladeshi exclaves totaling 47.7 km2, while India held 106 exclaves inside Bangladesh totaling 69.5 km2. These fragmented territories originated from disputes between the Raja of Cooch Behar and the Maharaja of Rangpur. They were resolved through the India-Bangladesh land agreement.
What is Kalonunia rice and why does it have a Geographical Indication tag?
Kalonunia is a rice variety widely cultivated in Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar districts of West Bengal. It received Geographical Indication status on the 2nd of January 2024, making it the 26th GI-tagged product from West Bengal and restricting use of the name to rice grown in that region.
Who was Maharaja Nripendra Narayan of Cooch Behar?
Maharaja Nripendra Narayan is remembered as the architect of modern Cooch Behar town. He commissioned the Victor Jubilee Palace, modeled on Buckingham Palace, which was built in 1887. In 1878, he married the daughter of Brahmo preacher Keshab Chandra Sen, a union credited with sparking a renaissance in Cooch Behar state.