Cooch Behar City Guide

Cooch Behar district is situated in the north-east corner of West Bengal state of India. It is bounded by the district of Jalpaiguri in the north and north-west, state of Assam in the east (bounded by the districts of Kokrajhar & Dhubri in Assam) and the International Border in the form of Indo-Bangladesh boundary in the south and south-west. Beside this bounded area there are enclaves (called Chhits) which are outlying and detached tracts of land situated inside Bangladesh. There are 110 such Chhits. Cooch Behar is essentially a flat country with a slight south-eastern slope along which the main rivers of the district flow.

Among the tourist attractions in Cooch Behar what strikes first in the mind is the Rajbari or the palace of the 'Koch' Kings and the adjoining Royal buildings. Since the majority of the population is Hindu, this is a pious land with numerous temples. The most notable among these is the Madan Mohan Bari.

Rickshaws are the most widely available public transport in Cooch Behar town. Most of Cooch Behar's residents stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and have their own vehicles, mostly motorcycles and bicycles.

The New Cooch Behar railway station is around 5 km from town and is well connected to almost all major Indian cities including Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati. The rail route is one of the important connecting North-East India with remaining parts of the country. All express and Superfast trains going towards North East have a stoppage here. Another station named Cooch Behar situated inside the town exists but only few pairs of local trains run on this route.

Cooch Behar is headquarters of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, which runs regular bus service to places in West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. Private buses are also available. Most buses depart from the Central Bus Terminus near Cooch Behar Rajbari. Hired vehicles are available from the taxi stand near Transport Chowpathi.

The Cooch Behar Airport has modern passenger facilities but no airlines operate here. Steps are being taken to resume flights.

The nearest operating airport is Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri, about 150 km from Cooch Behar. It is about three hours 45 minutes drive to Bagdogra Airport from Cooch Behar. To make arrangements for a taxi from Airport to Cooch Behar, contact one the taxi operators and travel agents that have counter in the Airport.

Cooch Behar Quick Facts

State: West Bengal
Languages: Bengali, English
STD Code: 03582
Weather: Summer 30°C to 37°C / Winter 5°C to 28°C
Best Season: Winter; October to March
Famous For: Religious and Heritage

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