West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of as of 2011. The population estimate as of 2023 is 102,552,787. West Bengal is the fourth-most populous and thirteenth-largest state by area in India, as well as the eighth-most populous country subdivision of the world. As a part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. It also borders the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata, the third-largest metropolis, and seventh largest city by population in India. West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region, the coastal Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal. The state's main ethnic group are the Bengalis, with the Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority.The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. Ancient Bengal was the site of several major Janapadas, while the earliest cities date back to the Vedic period. The region was part of several ancient pan−Indian empires, including the Vangas, Mauryans, and the Guptas. The citadel of Gauḍa served as the capital of the Gauḍa Kingdom, the Pala Empire, and the Sena Empire. Islam was introduced through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate, It was absorbed into the Mughal Empire in 1576. Simultaneously, some parts of the region were ruled by several Hindu states, and Baro-Bhuyan landlords, and part of it was briefly overrun by the Suri Empire. Following the death of Emperor Aurangzeb in the early 1700s, the proto-industrialised Mughal Bengal became a semi-independent state under the Nawabs of Bengal, and showed signs of the first Industrial Revolution. The region was later annexed into the Bengal Presidency by the British East India Company after the Battle of Buxar in 1764. From 1772 to 1911, Calcutta was the capital of all of East India Company's territories and then the capital of the entirety of India after the establishment of the Viceroyalty. From 1912 to India's Independence in 1947, it was the capital of the Bengal Province.
The region was a hotbed of the Indian independence movement and has remained one of India's great artistic and intellectual centres. Following widespread religious violence, the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted on the Partition of Bengal in 1947 along religious lines into two independent dominions: West Bengal, a Hindu-majority Indian state, and East Bengal, a Muslim-majority province of Pakistan which later became the independent Bangladesh. The state was also flooded with Hindu refugees from East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) in the decades following the 1947 partition of India, transforming its landscape and shaping its politics. The early and prolonged exposure to British administration resulted in an expansion of Western education, culminating in developments in science, institutional education, and social reforms in the region, including what became known as the Bengali Renaissance. Several regional and pan−Indian empires throughout Bengal's history have shaped its culture, cuisine, and architecture. Post-Indian independence, as a welfare state, West Bengal's economy is based on agricultural production and small and medium-sized enterprises. The state's cultural heritage, besides varied folk traditions, ranges from stalwarts in literature including Nobel-laureate Rabindranath Tagore to scores of musicians, film-makers and artists. For several decades, the state underwent political violence and economic stagnation after the beginning of communist rule in 1977 before it rebounded. In 2023–24, the economy of West Bengal is the sixth-largest state economy in India with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of , and has the country's 20th-highest GSDP per capita of as of 2020–21. Despite being one of the fastest-growing major economies, West Bengal has struggled to attract foreign direct investment due to adverse land acquisition policies, poor infrastructure, and red tape. It also has the 26th-highest ranking among Indian states in human development index, with the index value being lower than the Indian average. The state government debt of , or 37.67% of GSDP, has dropped from 40.65% since 2010–11. West Bengal has three World Heritage sites and ranks as the eight-most visited tourist destination in India and third-most visited state of India globally. Provided by Wikipedia
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1Published 1855### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta, T. Jones, 1855.lxiv, 83 p.“...Bengal (India)...”
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2by Grierson, George Abraham, Sir, 1851-1941### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>
Published 1883[Calcutta], 1883.1 online resource (iv, 45, 75, 12 pages, 7 folded leaves) : tables, maps.“...Bengal (India)...”
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3by Banerjee, Joydev### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>
Published 1968Calcutta, Eastern Law House [1968]1 online resource (xix, 202, [4], 97, 120 pages) : forms.“...Bengal (India)...”
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4Published 1884### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>[Calcutta, 1884]7, 20-39, 85-162, 165-172 p.“...Bengal (India)...”
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5by Banerjee, Joydev### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>
Published 1968Calcutta, Eastern Law House [1968]xix, 202, [4], 97, 120 pages forms 23 cm.“...Bengal (India)...”
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6Calcutta, Bengal Secretariat Press.16 v.“...Bengal (India)...”
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7Published 1875### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta : Thacker, Spink, 1875.xvii, 141, 772 p. ; 25 cm.“...Bengal (India)...”
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8Published 1913### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta : Bengal Secretariat Book Depôt, 1913-1915.1 online resource (4 volumes)“...Bengal (India)...”
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9Published 1881### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta, Bengal Secretariat Press, 1881.[1]-27, [129-193], [205-237], [245-285] p.“...Bengal (India)...”
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10Calcutta, Bengal Govt. Press.v.“...Bengal (India)...”
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11Alipore [etc.] Bengal Govt. Press.v.“...Bengal (India)...”
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12Published 1855### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta, T. Jones, 1855.222 p.“...Bengal (India)...”
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13Calcutta, Bengal Secretariat Book Depot [etc.]v. maps (part fold.)“...Bengal (India)...”
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14Calcutta, Printed at the Bengal Secretariat Office.v. maps (part fold.)“...Bengal (India)...”
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15Calcutta : Bengal Secretariat Book Depot [etc.]v. maps (part fold.)“...Bengal (India)...”
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16Alipore [etc.], Supt., Govt. Print., Bengal.v.“...Bengal (India)...”
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17by Sarkar, Shibsankar### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>
Published 1970Calcutta, Eastern Book Agency, 1970.120 p. forms. 25 cm.“...West Bengal (India)...”
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18by Chakravortty, Harasit### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>
Published 1974Calcutta : Law Chamber, 1974.218, 62 p. ; 22 cm.“...West Bengal (India)...”
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19Published 1975### CRL customization ### ?> ### Add publisher and desc details ### ?>Calcutta : Eastern Law House, 1975.21, 296, xii p. : forms ; 23 cm.“...West Bengal (India)...”
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20[Calcutta : Bengal Secretariat Press]Online version of the print publication.Also issued in microfiche.“...Bengal (India)...”
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