Tourism in West Bengal
The state encompasses two broad natural regions: the Gangetic Plain in the south and the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan area in the north.
Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and to a much lesser extent, by the Portuguese and French.
Currently Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan is the brand ambassador of West Bengal Tourism.
The promotional films on West Bengal starring Shah Rukh Khan have been directed by Indian National Award winning filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.
They include various weapons, oil paintings of Dutch, French and Italian artists, marble statues, rare books, old maps, land revenue records and palanquins (mostly belonging to 18th and 19th centuries).
[14] World heritage sites in West Bengal include the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and the Sundarbans National Park.
Neora Valley National Park, which is one of the richest biological zones in the entire Northeast, situated in the Kalimpong subdivision under Darjeeling District, is in West Bengal.
The garden is situated on the west bank of the River Hooghly in Shibpur, Howrah, nearly 8 km from center of city Kolkata.
[21][22] Part of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, is located in southern West Bengal.
[23] The southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.
[27] The high-altitude forests of Singalila National Park shelter barking deer, red panda, chinkara, takin, serow, pangolin, minivet and Kalij pheasants.
[29] They all belong from West Bengal, and their houses and residencies like Shantiniketan and Jorasanko Thakur Bari attract many tourists.
West Bengal also has a long tradition of popular literature, music and drama largely based on Bengali folklore and Hindu epics and Puranas.
Tollygunje in Kolkata is the location of numerous Bengali movie studios, and the name "Tollywood" (similar to Hollywood and Bollywood) is derived from that name.
Kolkata was also the workplace of several social reformers, like Raja Ram Mohan Ray, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda.
These social reforms have eventually led to a cultural atmosphere where practices like sati, dowry and caste-based discrimination or untouchability, the evils that crept into the Hindu society, were abolished.
[36] Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favourite among Bengalis.
There are numerous ways of cooking fish depending on the texture, size, fat content and bones.
Bengalis make distinctive sweetmeats from milk products, including rôshogolla, chômchôm, kalojam and several kinds of sondesh.
Pitha, a kind of sweet cake, bread or dim sum are specialties of winter season.
Popular street food includes aloor chop, beguni, kati roll and phuchka.
The Tibetan ethnic groups like the Lepchas, Bhutias, Gurungs, and Tamangs celebrate new year called Losar in January/February, Maghe Sankranti, Chotrul Duchen, Buddha Jayanti and Tendong Lho Rumfaat, to name a few, which provide the "regional distinctness" of Darjeeling's local culture from the rest of West Bengal.
Wai-Wai is a favourite packaged snack of Darjeeling hills comprising noodles which are eaten either dry or with soup.
Churpee, a kind of hard cheese made from cow or yak's milk, is another popular mini-snack that is both nutritious and a pastime.
People from different sections of the world come to West Bengal for holy pilgrimages as Kolkata is one of the four adi Shaktipeethas.
The campaign started with shortlisting 200 places from all of the Indian states and then inviting the public to cast their vote for their favourites.
