5 Places to Visit When You Are in Cooch Behar

A place is acknowledged by its natives and so does Cooch Beher. Literally connoting as the “Abode of Koch”, this is Bengal’s one unruffled destination. Once a princely seat of the Koch dynasty, Cooch Beher is now home to the Rajbangsi or “The Royal Lineage”. Set in the lower reaches of the Himalaya, Cooch Beher is also the gateway to Bengal’s Dooars. Peppered with glorious heritage, this district of West Bengal is studded with a few gems enough to satiate the craving of the ramblers.

Cooch Behar Rajbari

The main attraction of Cooch Beher is the Rajbari or Palace which is no less an example of colonial architecture. If Kolkata is designated by Victoria Memorial then Cooch Beher Rajbari is the ex-officio designation of the place. Marked by the typical Italian Renaissance architecture, it stands ostentatiously in the centre of a verdant lawn; with the typical dome and a symmetric red-bricked structure supported by the Corinthian pillars. The evening view is worth a mention, as it would blow you off your feet with its implausible lightshow.

 Madan Mohan Temple

Madan Mohan is another name to Lord Krishna and the temple premises hosts the famous Raas Mela in the month of November. The temple premises consist of a natmandir or the main mandir in the centre and a Durga and a Kali Mandir. The Natmandir has a typical Hindu structure with a spreading porch and globular pillars supporting the dome. 

Baneswar Temple

The temple of Lord Shiva with a typical do-chala architecture with a dome supported over a square garvagriha. The interior of the temple steps down to the Shiva Linga, the depth being about 10 ft from the plinth level. Beside the temple, a pond shelters the tortoises which are the main attraction here. The pond is locally called as the Shiv Pukur and the tortoises as Mohan, owing to the Kurma Avatar of Lord Vishnu. [Picture courtesy: TripAdvisor]

Sagar Dighi

Besides being the central executive region of Cooch Behar, Sagar Dighi is also a place of adda for the locals. The lake is surrounded by the administrative buildings all around with the statues of historic personas in the center of all four sides- Maharaja Nripedra Narayan on the north, Mahatma Gandhi in the east side, Rabindranath Tagore on the southern side and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the western side. The evening site is striking, as the dighi mirrors the lighted buildings and the reflections gleam with the sophistication and classiness of the place. 

Mathura Tea Garden and Chilapata Forest

Though this is on the way to Alipurduar, a drive through the greens is a must mention here. Besides being a necessity, it is also a joyride, even to the eyes. The Mathura Tea Garden is an overture to the Chilapata forest which again can be conceived as the prelude to the Buxa National Reserve. There is a strange quietude amidst the caws of the birds and the insects. The still forest would imbibe you up; every now and then you would be looking out through the window and speculating at your luck to spot an elephant. If the cards are in right place, you will happen to see one.

Through the Chilapata Forest

The train to Cooch Behar station would take you through the leafy green tea gardens with the Himalayan range in the backdrop provided the weather is playing it right.

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