Static Awareness: An Insight Into The Indian States (WEST

BENGAL)
Dear Readers,
Today, we are discussing the state WEST BENGAL.

(Sweetest Part of India)

In SBI Clerk Mains, everyone got shocked seeing a good number of static questions other than Current
Affairs and Banking Awareness. Well, this simply means what SBI is expecting and keeping up to the
expectation, you will have to be ready for any kind of challenge. It is quite tough to chose what to
study and what not to. Friends, its not easy to prepare current affairs, banking awareness and static
awareness all at once and that too a week or two before exam. So friends, we are starting a series that
will help you learn static general awareness in a state wise manner. Its classified in this way so that you
can remember all the important things about that state. Today, we are discussing the state
West Bengal.
New horizon, vibrant state, colourful people with their rapidly changing lifestyle, modernisation in one
word metamorphosis this is our new West Bengal. On one hand it has fascinating culture, rich history
and heritage and on the other hand it has modern, techno-savvy, upwardly mobile people. The land of
West Bengal has in it intricately woven stories of many civilisations and settlements which left their
footprint here. With the memory of that rich history West Bengal boasts of different ethnicity, culture,
religion and languages and most importantly the diverse landscape -flanked by the Himalayas as the
top and decorated by the natural beaches and a unique biosphere, the Sunderbans in the south. Let us
unfold the true Bengal its history, its real nature, its culture - the canvas with all colours.

Capital city: Kolkata

Chief Minister: Mamta Banerjee
Governor: Keshari Nath Tripathi
High Court : Kolkata High Court
The Acting Chief Justice: Dr. Manjula Chellur
Number of Districts: 20
Specialty of State: Agricultural Produce
Produce/ Speciality
Rice
Jute
State Population
Wheat

Rank in India
1
1
4
9
National Parks:

Sl.N
o.
1

Name
of Special
Species
National Park (if
any
important)
Sunderban
Sunderban
Tiger
Tiger Reserve Reserve
is one
amongst the initial
nine Tiger Reserves
constituted at the
time of inception
of the Project Tiger
scheme in the year
1973.
Buxa
Tiger Buxa Tiger Reserve
Reserve
(BTR)
lies
in
Alipurduar
subdivision
of
Jalpaiguri district of
West Bengal. Its
northern boundary
runs
along
the
international
border
with
Bhutan.
Gorumara
Gorumara National
National Park Park is a National
Park in northern
West
Bengal
,
India . Located in
the Terai region of
the
Himalayan
foothills, it is a
medium-sized park
with
grasslands

Important Remarks

considering
the
ecological importance
of this area it has been
designated
by
the
UNESCO as a natural
World Heritage Site in
1987.
Buxa Tiger Reserve
created
in
1983
comprises entire forest
area of erstwhile Buxa
Tiger
Division
and
some
territory
of
neighboring
Cooch
Behar Forest Division.

Gorumara
was
a
reserve forest since
1895 . The park was
declared
a
Wildlife
Sanctuary in 1949 , on
account of its breeding
population of Indian
Rhinoceros . It was
declared
an
Indian
National
Park
on

and forests.It is
primarily known for
its population of
Indian Rhinoceros.
Neora Valley Neora
Valley
National
National is situated
in the Kalimpong
subdivision under
Darjeeling District ,
West Bengal spread
over an area of 88
km established in
1986 is one of the
richest
biological
zones in the entire
Northeast.
Singalila
Singalila
National
National Park Park is a national
park
of
India
located
on
the
Singalila Ridge at
an altitude of more
than
7000
feet
above mean sea
level,
in
the
Darjeeling district
of West Bengal . It
is well known for
the trekking route
to Sandakphu that
runs through it.

January 31 , 1994.

The land of elegant

Red Panda in the
pristine
undisturbed
natural habitat with
rugged
inaccessible
hilly terrain and rich
diverse flora and fauna
together
make
the
park
an
important
wilderness zone.
The park was declared
a Wildlife Sanctuary in
1986, and was made
an Indian National Park
in 1992. The region
had long been used as
the trekking route from
Manebhanjhyang
to
Sandakphu
(the
highest peak of West
Bengal ), and Phalut

Important Dams, Rivers and Lakes:

Dams:
Sl.N
o.
1.

Dam

2.

Dangrajho
re Dam
Hanumata

3.

River

Nearest
City
Bankura

Type of dam

__________

Puruliya

Irrigation

Hanumata

Puruliya

Irrigation

Kangsabat Kasai
i
Kumari
Dam

Irrigation

4.

Dam
Lipania
Dam

__________

Puruliya

Irrigation

Rivers:
Sl.N
o.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

River
Ganga
Bhagirath
iJaldhaka
Torsha
Tista
Mechi
Balasan
Mahanan
da
Hooghly

Lakes:
Sl.N
o.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Lake

Located in/near

Motijhil Lake
Mirik Lake
Lal Dighi
Rasikbil Lake

Murshidabad
Darjeeling
Kolkata
Cooch Behar

5.
6.

Senchal Lake
Rabindra Sarobar

Darjeeling
South Kolkata

Important Power generation plants:

Sl.N
o.
1.

Plant/Proje
ct
Sagardighi
Thermal
Power
Project

Type/Categ
ory
Thermal
Power

Remarks (if any)

In the first phase, two
units of 300 MW each
were synchronized on
21.12.2007
and
13.08.2008 respectively.
The Main Plant Package
was awarded to DEC,
China.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Santaldih
Thermal
Power
Station
Bakreswar
Thermal
Power
Project

Thermal
Power

Bandel
Thermal
Power
Station
Kolaghat
Thermal
Power
Station

Thermal
Power

Thermal
Power

Thermal
Power

Santaldih Thermal Power

Station is located in the
district of Purulia, West
Bengal.
Bakreswar
Thermal
Power Project, under The
West
Bengal
Power
Development
Corporation Limited, is
one of the most reliable
and prestigious coal-fired
power plants in West
Bengal and in India as
well
Situated on the western
bank of Bhagirathi River,
Bandel Thermal Power
Station
Situtated at Mecheda 55
Km.(Approx.)
from
Kolkata by South Eastern
Rail or By NH-6.
Airports:

1. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport

2. Bagdogra Airport Siliguri
3. Nazrul Islam Airport Durgapur
4. Malda Airport Malda

Folk Dances:
Sl.N
o.
1.

Folk
Dances
Brita
Dance

2.

Gambhira
Dance

3.

Chhau
Dance

Remarks (if any)

Brita Dance is actually a traditional folk
dance of West Bengal. It is generally
performed by the barren women of the
state, in order to invoke the blessings of the
Gods, so that their wishes for a child are
fulfilled.
Gambhira dance is performed on the song of
the same name. In this dance, there are two
main dancers, who are accompanied by a
chorus
Chhau Dance is one of the most renowned
tribal martial dances of India. The dance is

4.

Santhal
Dance

5.

Tusu
Dance

6.

Lathi
Dance

known as Seraikella Chau in Jharkhand,

Mayurbhanj Chau in Orissa and Purulia
Chhau in West Bengal.
Santhal is one of the most abundantly found
tribes in India. A major chunk of this tribe
can be found in West Bengal and Jharkhand
Tusu dance is basically the celebration of the
arrival of an auspicious and pleasant season.
Groups of girls from the district go to the
riverside every evening, in the Pausa month,
to sing and perform.
Dance is a unique art of expression. Be it
celebration, remorse, anger, love or pain,
dance moves can clearly define every
expression.

Tribes:
Munda Tribe
Chero Tribe
Ho Tribe
Garo Tribes
Lohara Tribe
Mahli Tribe
Mal Pahariya Tribe
Mru Tribe
Oraon Tribe
Paharia Tribe
Kora Tribe
Bhuiya Tribe
Bhutia Tribe

Important Regional Festivals:

Sl.N
o.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Festival
Name
Durga Pooja

Remarks

Durga Pooja is the most important festival

in West Bengal, celebrated with immense
devotion and great pomp and show. This
festival is also known by various names
here, some call it 'Akalbodhan' - the
untimely awakening of Durga, while others
refer to it as 'Durgotsab' - the festival of
Goddess Durga and even 'Maayer Pujo' the worship of the Mother Durga.
Ganga Sagar West Bengal is the state of fairs and
Mela
festivals. A large number of festivities take
place in this state throughout the year.
Amongst them, one of the most famous
fests is the Gangasagar Mela. It is held in
the month of January-February, on the
Ganga Sagar Island, at the mouth of the
river Hooghly in Bengal
Jagaddhatri
The culture of West Bengal is adorned by
Puja
numerous fairs and festivals. Goddess
Durga is one of the most religiously
worshipped deities here and many of the
festivals celebrated in the state are meant
to pay regards to Her only. Jagaddhatri or
Jagadhatri puja is one of the festivals
observed by the devotees of 'Durga' - the
Goddess of Power, who is also called
Jagaddhatri i.e. 'the Protector of the
World'.
Poush Mela
West Bengal is the land of fairs and

5.

6.

7.

8.

festivals.
Innumerable
festivals
are
celebrated throughout the year in the
state. Apart from traditional festivals, like
Durga Pooja and Diwali, harvest festivals
like Jhapan and tourism festival like Teesta
Tea and Tourism Festival are observed
here. Another festival that Bengali people
relish is the 'Cultural Festival of Poush'
Saraswati
Maa Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of
Puja
Learning. She is worshipped in almost all
the parts of the country with equal
devotion. Saraswati Pooja is observed on
'Vasant Panchmi', which falls in the
Phalgun month (January-February as per
the Gregorian calendar).
Teesta Tea & Teesta Tea & Tourism Festival, as the very
Tourism
name suggests, aims at promoting the
Festival
prospects of tourism in the state. The
festival is extremely entertaining and sees
the
organization
of
many
cultural
activities, water sports, food fte, toy train
ride, and film festivals.
Vishnupur
Vishnupur, situated in the Bankura district
Festival
of West Bengal, is the seat of ancient
culture of Bengal. Adorned by magnificent
art and architecture, this city tells the tale
of the golden era of the state.
Naba Barsho Naba Barsho, also known as Poila
Baishakh, marks the beginning of New
Year in Bengal. It is celebrated on the first
day of Baishakh, as per the Hindu
calendar. According to the Gregorian
calendar, it falls either on April 14 or 15.
Important Temples/Archeological Monuments/Sites:

Sl.N
o.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Temple/
Archeological Located in/near
Monument/ Site
Kalighat Kali Temple
Kolkata
Chandraketu's Fort
24
Parganas
(North)
Lalji Temple
Bankura
Nil Kuthi Mound
Murshidabad
Dutch Cemetery
Murshidabad
Qutub Shahi Masjid
Malda
Ramakrishna Math
Kolkata
Victoria Memorial
Kolkata
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Kolkata
Rasmancha
Bankura
Ancient site
Burdwan
Gate of Old Fort
Bankura
Stone chariot
Bankura
Rudreswar Temple
Burdwan
Mounds
Dinajpur (West)
Baisgazi Wall
Malda
Firoz Minar
Malda
Dutch Cemetery
Murshidabad
Nil Kuthi Mound
Murshidabad
Tamluk Rajbati
Purba Medinipur
John Pierce Tomb
Midnapore
Metcalfe Hall
Kolkata
Beth-el-Synagogue
Kolkata
Two stone pillars
Malda
Bhavaniswar Mandir
Murshidabad

Nick Names/Special Titles of Cities:

Sl.N
o.
1.
2.
3.
4.

City

Nick Name

Asansol
Darjeeling
Durgapur
Kolkata

5.

Malda

Land of Black Diamond

The Queen of the Hills
Ruhr of India
City of Joy
City of Palaces
Cultural Capital of India
Gateway of Eastern India
Heaven of the Aged
Mango City

6.

Siliguri

Gateway to the Dooars

City of Hospitality

Sport Stadiums/Arena:
Sl.N
o.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Stadium/Aren
a
Salt Lake
Stadium
Eden Gardens
Rabindra
Sarobar
Stadium
Kanchenjunga
Stadium

SportPurpose
___________

City
Kolkata

Cricket
Football

Kolkata
Kolkata

multipurpo
se stadium

Siliguri

Constituency of Cabinet Ministers:

Sl.N

Name

Constituen Ministry

o.
1.

2.

S.S.
Ahluwalia

cy
Darjeeling

Babul Supriyo Asansol

Agriculture
&
Farmers Welfare
Parliamentary
Affairs (MoS)
Heavy Industries
Public
Enterprises (MoS)

Sea Ports in West Bengal

Port Name Haldia Port Also Known As Port of Kolkata
Opened In- 1870
Constructed by- The British East India Company
Operated by- Kolkata Port Trust
Owned by- Kolkata Port Trust, Ministry of Shipping, Government of India
Location- Kolkata (West Bengal)

Interesting, Famous and Amazing Facts About

West Bengal

1. West Bengal is surrounded by a few countries, including the Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.
2. West Bengal is the fourth largest state in India by population
3. West Bengal literacy rate is 77.08%, which is one of the highest literacy rates in India
4. The population density of the state of West Bengal is 1000 per sq. km.
5. During the British Era, Kolkata was the capital of India before the construction of Delhi capital.

6. West Bengal state is the sixth-largest contributor to Indias net domestic product
7. Ram Mohan Roy is considered and regarded as the Father of the Bengali renaissance.
8. West Bengal has given many great leaders and great persons, includes Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose,
Rabindranath Tagore, Khudiram Bose, Matangini Hazra, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, and many more.
9. Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro in India, which was started on October 24, 1984
10. West Bengal has a good number of popular tourist attractions, some of them are, Victoria Memorial,
Eden Gardens, Indian Museum, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Tiger Hill, Howrah Bridge, Peace Pagoda
(Darjeeling), Kalighat Kali Temple, and many more.
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