Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

West Bengal

geography Maturity 7-9 Next article →

West Bengal is a large state in eastern India.

WestBengalDistricts numbered
WestBengalDistricts numbered

It sits right along the Bay of Bengal. To the east, it shares a border with Bangladesh. In the north, it neighbors the countries of Nepal and Bhutan. Several Indian states also touch its borders, including Jharkhand and Odisha.

Pope1880BengalPres2
Pope1880BengalPres2

The state is very crowded with people. In 2023, about 99,723,000 people lived there. This makes it the eighth most populous subdivision in the whole world.

Language Map of West Bengal (2011 Census)
Language Map of West Bengal (2011 Census)

The land in West Bengal has many different looks. You can find the high hills of the Darjeeling Himalayan region.

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

There is also the wide Ganges delta and the Rarh region. Near the sea, you will find the coastal Sundarbans. The state capital is Kolkata, which is a huge city. It is the third-largest metropolis in India.

Salt Lake Stadium - Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata - Calcutta 5
Salt Lake Stadium - Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata - Calcutta 5

Many people here are Bengalis. They have a rich culture with many folk traditions.

Mahisasuramardini - Chhau Dance - Kolkata 2016-03-29 3278
Mahisasuramardini - Chhau Dance - Kolkata 2016-03-29 3278

This region has a very old history. People have lived here for a long time.

Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630
Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630

Stone tools from 20,000 years ago have been found there. Many famous empires once ruled this land. These include the Mauryans and the Guptas. The Gauda kingdom was also a major power.

Asia 800ad
Asia 800ad

Later, the Pala Empire ruled for four hundred years. The region saw many different religions, like Hinduism and Buddhism.

Firoz Minar
Firoz Minar

Trade helped make West Bengal very famous in the past. During the Bengal Sultanate, it was a major trading nation. Europeans even called it the richest country to trade with. Later, the Mughal Empire took control in 1576. Eventually, the British East India Company arrived.

PaddyandjuteBengal
PaddyandjuteBengal

They took control after the Battle of Buxar in 1764. For a long time, Calcutta was the capital of British territories in India. In 1947, the land was split into two parts. One part became West Bengal, and the other became East Bengal.

WestBengalDistricts numbered
WestBengalDistricts numbered

Today, West Bengal is a center for art and learning. It is known for many famous writers and musicians. One very famous person was the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Satyajit Ray with Ravi Sankar recording for Pather Panchali
Satyajit Ray with Ravi Sankar recording for Pather Panchali

The state also has many tourists. It is the third-most visited state in the world. There are even three World Heritage sites to visit.

The economy relies on farming and small businesses. It remains a very important part of India's culture.

375 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (18)
File:Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630.jpg
Sasanka Deva king of Gauda circa 600-630.jpg
File:Asia 800ad.jpg
Asia 800ad.jpg
File:Firoz Minar.JPG
Firoz Minar.JPG
File:Pope1880BengalPres2.jpg
Pope1880BengalPres2.jpg
File:Subhas Chandra Bose NRB.jpg
Subhas Chandra Bose NRB.jpg
File:Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.jpg
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.jpg
File:Kalinagar Floods B.JPG
Kalinagar Floods B.JPG
File:WestBengalDistricts numbered.svg
WestBengalDistricts numbered.svg
File:Wbvillagehut1.JPG
Wbvillagehut1.JPG
File:OberoiGrandHotelKolkata gobeirne.jpg
OberoiGrandHotelKolkata gobeirne.jpg
File:PaddyandjuteBengal.JPG
PaddyandjuteBengal.JPG
File:Language Map of West Bengal (2011 Census).svg
Language Map of West Bengal (2011 Census).svg

+ 6 more

More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.