West Bengal is a state in eastern India. To its east and northeast, West Bengal borders Bangladesh and the Indian state of Assam; to its south and south-east lie the Bay of Bengal and the state of Orissa; to its west lie Jharkhand and Bihar; to the northwest is Nepal; to the north are Sikkim and Bhutan .

West Bengal is on the eastern bottle-neck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the North to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region to the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya.

West Bengal's climate is transitional between tropical savanna in the southern portions and humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. The most notable phenomenon of the climate is the summer monsoon.
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Siliguri is situated in Darjeeling district, and though it is the district's largest city, the district headquarters is located at Darjeeling. The Indian army has a large base here. The Assam Rifles an Indian paramilitary wing — is located just north of the city and includes an airport within its cantonment area.

Himalaya mountains in the plains. It is the largest town in the area (North Bengal) and connects the hill station towns of Gangtok, Kalimpong and Darjeeling with the rest of India. The Mahananda River flows past Siliguri. Siliguri has three main seasons summer, winter and monsoon.

Culture
The Bangla language boasts a rich literary heritage, which West Bengal shares with neighboring Bangladesh. The earliest literary text in Bangla is the eighth century Charyapada. Bangla literature matured in the nineteenth century. West Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada , Shreekrishna Kirtana, Thakurmar Jhuli or stories related to Gopal Bhar. Bengali literature was rejuvenated by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath Tagore, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Tarashankar Bandopadhyay among others.

Durga Puja in October is the most popular festivals in the West Bengal. Pohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Nobanno, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha are other major festivals. Buddha Purnima, which marks the birth of Gautama Buddha, is one of the most important Buddhist festivals while Christmas, called Bôŗodin (Great day) in Bangla is celebrated by the minority Christian population.

Palaces to Interest

Kolkata

Kolkata is  the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. The city has a population of almost 5 million, with an extended metropolitan population of over 14 million, making it the third-largest urban agglomeration and the fourth-largest city in India.

The city served as the capital in India during the British Raj until 1911. Once the centre of modern education, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India's independence in 1947. Since 2000 however, an economic rejuvenation has arrested the morbid decline, leading to a spurt in the city's growth. Like other large cities, Kolkata continues to struggle with urbanisation problems like poverty, pollution and traffic congestion. A vibrant city with a distinct socio-political culture, Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements.   more Information >>

Darjeeling

Darjeeling is a hill station (a hill town) in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of Darjeeling district, situated in the Shiwalik Hills (or Lower Himalaya) at an average elevation of 2,134 m above sea level. Once ruled by the Kingdom of Sikkim, the Darjeeling region was converted into a hill station by the British East India Company in the 1800s, and came to be known as the "Queen of the Hills." It remained as a part of the state of West Bengal in independent India. The name Darjeeling is a composition of two Tibetan words – Dorje ("thunderbolt") and ling ("place"). Hence, Darjeeling translates as "Land of the thunderbolt.

Darjeeling is famous for its tea industry, which produces blends considered among the world's finest. Once used as a sanitarium for British troops and administrators, the town is now a popular tourist destination. Darjeeling is noted for several western-style public schools attracting students from all over India and neighbouring countries. The town was a major centre of Gorkhaland separatism in the 1980s, resulting in a decrease in tourism-related commerce.

Darjeeling has continued to grow in the recent years and the region's fragile ecology is threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources stemming from growing tourist traffic and rapid urbanization.

Sunderban National Park

The Sunderbans are not easily accessible. To get to the Sunderbans national park in India the nearest airport is Calcutta, the nearest railway station is Canning, and the nearest town is Gosaba. From the park headquarters at Canning take the country motor launch (5 hours) to Sajnekhali.

There are regular bus services from Kolkata (Calcutta) to this place. But the main areas of the sanctuary can only be accessed by riverine waterways. The best and the safest way to visit Sunderbans is on conducted tours. One can also avail the services of the private vessels from Canning, Gosaba or Basanti