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A Beauty called Cooch Behar – Part 1
Of ancient cities and timeless traditions
Of gentle weaves and mellow sunsets
Of wired fences cutting through common grounds
Of sweetmeats and sweeter people
And paddy fields that embrace two nations..
The Romance of a bygone era sweeps through
A forgotten trail
Of living past
Glimpses into a soul in slumber
Dreamlike beauty
So real... yet just beyond what can be grasped...
Respect for the Continuum
Tribute to what was
To the freshness of what is...
November before last.
Cyclone Bulbul raged the whole night
And yet we were determined to set out on our trip back to history...
Something that I did quite a few times that year, traversing this ancient land of Bengal, soaking in her rich heritage.
That November, the destination was Cooch Behar.
A princely state during the British era, Cooch Behar traces its history to the ancient Kamarupa Kingdom of Assam. Later the area became a part of the Kamata Kingdom, first ruled by the Khen dynasty from their capital at Kamatapur. The Khens were an indigenous tribe, and they ruled till they fell to Alauddin Hussain Shah, During this time, the Koch tribe became very powerful and proclaimed itself Kamateshwar (Lord of Kamata) and established the Koch dynasty.
However in the course of history, division of the Kamata Kingdom was divided into Koch Behar and Koch Hajo. Koch Behar aligned itself with the Mughal Empire and finally joined the India as a part of the West Bengal, whereas remnants of the Koch Hajo rulers aligned themselves with the Ahom kingdom and the region became a part of Assam.
Photo credits: Inside 1: outlookindia.com; Inside 1A: cyclone Bulbul - indiatvnrews.com
But on that clear morning, after the heavy rains, as we drove northwards from Bagdogra towards Cooch Behar, paddy fields on both sides were separated by a tall wired fence. West Bengal on one side, Bangladesh on another, we couldn't help but wonder how transient it all is...how time divides... and shapes us all…
Respect for the Continuum Tribute to what was To the freshness of what is... Of streaming morning lights And the making of Nations...
It was a little before partition of India and the resultant division of Bengal, that Shri Krishna Das Banik left his native Dhaka and settled in Cooch Behar.
Photo Credit: Inside 2:cookpad.com; Inside 2A:herzindagi.com
He brought with him the recipe for the delicious “Pranhara" a delectable sweetmeat made of chena (hung curd) and rose water. Krishna Das Banik has three sweet shops in Cooch Behar today and his grandsons continue to feed the town their favorite Pranohara.
Photo Credit: Inside 3:commons.wikimedia.org; Inside 3A: en.wikimedia.org
Cooch Behar town as we see it today is largely the creation of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhoop Bahadur. Maharaja Nripendra Narayan was an infant when he ascended the throne. Like many other fiefdoms in Bengal the administration was carried out by the British in the name of the King. Nripendra Narayan was educated in England and largely influenced by Western liberal thoughts and practices.
He was married to Suniti Devi, the daughter of noted social reformer and one of the founders of Brahmo Samaj, Keshab Chandra Sen. King Nirpendra and Suniti Devi bought enlightenment and progressive values to Cooch Behar. They built schools for girls, hospitals, ashrams and law courts. Their son Jitendra Narayan married Princess Indira Devi, daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda. They too contributed to the modernization and added to the riches of Cooch Behar
It was eventually Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan, the son of Jitendra Narayan and brother of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who had to transfer full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India, effective September 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar became part of the state of West Bengal, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.
Banner Left: realbharat.org; Banner Center: en.wikipedia.org; Banner Right: in.pinterest.com For more information go to www.ipsitaganguli.com
Of gentle weaves and mellow sunsets
Of wired fences cutting through common grounds
Of sweetmeats and sweeter people
And paddy fields that embrace two nations..
The Romance of a bygone era sweeps through
A forgotten trail
Of living past
Glimpses into a soul in slumber
Dreamlike beauty
So real... yet just beyond what can be grasped...
Respect for the Continuum
Tribute to what was
To the freshness of what is...
November before last.
Cyclone Bulbul raged the whole night
And yet we were determined to set out on our trip back to history...
Something that I did quite a few times that year, traversing this ancient land of Bengal, soaking in her rich heritage.
That November, the destination was Cooch Behar.
A princely state during the British era, Cooch Behar traces its history to the ancient Kamarupa Kingdom of Assam. Later the area became a part of the Kamata Kingdom, first ruled by the Khen dynasty from their capital at Kamatapur. The Khens were an indigenous tribe, and they ruled till they fell to Alauddin Hussain Shah, During this time, the Koch tribe became very powerful and proclaimed itself Kamateshwar (Lord of Kamata) and established the Koch dynasty.
However in the course of history, division of the Kamata Kingdom was divided into Koch Behar and Koch Hajo. Koch Behar aligned itself with the Mughal Empire and finally joined the India as a part of the West Bengal, whereas remnants of the Koch Hajo rulers aligned themselves with the Ahom kingdom and the region became a part of Assam.
Photo credits: Inside 1: outlookindia.com; Inside 1A: cyclone Bulbul - indiatvnrews.com
But on that clear morning, after the heavy rains, as we drove northwards from Bagdogra towards Cooch Behar, paddy fields on both sides were separated by a tall wired fence. West Bengal on one side, Bangladesh on another, we couldn't help but wonder how transient it all is...how time divides... and shapes us all…
Respect for the Continuum Tribute to what was To the freshness of what is... Of streaming morning lights And the making of Nations...
It was a little before partition of India and the resultant division of Bengal, that Shri Krishna Das Banik left his native Dhaka and settled in Cooch Behar.
Photo Credit: Inside 2:cookpad.com; Inside 2A:herzindagi.com
He brought with him the recipe for the delicious “Pranhara" a delectable sweetmeat made of chena (hung curd) and rose water. Krishna Das Banik has three sweet shops in Cooch Behar today and his grandsons continue to feed the town their favorite Pranohara.
Photo Credit: Inside 3:commons.wikimedia.org; Inside 3A: en.wikimedia.org
Cooch Behar town as we see it today is largely the creation of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhoop Bahadur. Maharaja Nripendra Narayan was an infant when he ascended the throne. Like many other fiefdoms in Bengal the administration was carried out by the British in the name of the King. Nripendra Narayan was educated in England and largely influenced by Western liberal thoughts and practices.
He was married to Suniti Devi, the daughter of noted social reformer and one of the founders of Brahmo Samaj, Keshab Chandra Sen. King Nirpendra and Suniti Devi bought enlightenment and progressive values to Cooch Behar. They built schools for girls, hospitals, ashrams and law courts. Their son Jitendra Narayan married Princess Indira Devi, daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of Baroda. They too contributed to the modernization and added to the riches of Cooch Behar
It was eventually Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan, the son of Jitendra Narayan and brother of Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who had to transfer full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India, effective September 1949. Eventually, Cooch Behar became part of the state of West Bengal, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.
Banner Left: realbharat.org; Banner Center: en.wikipedia.org; Banner Right: in.pinterest.com For more information go to www.ipsitaganguli.com
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