Coochbehar Jute Farming Rajbari Palace Heritage Bengal

Coochbehar district on the Bengal-Assam border is the capital of the former princely state of Cooch Behar, whose Rajbari (palace, 1887) modelled after Buckingham Palace is a heritage landmark, and whose maharajas were among British India's most progressive rulers promoting education and women's rights. Coochbehar grows jute as its primary commercial crop on the district's fertile alluvial plains of the Tista and Jaldhaka rivers, with jute fibre sold to the North Bengal retting and fibre markets. The district's North Bengal plains border Bangladesh and share the cultural and agricultural character of the greater Bengal delta — aman paddy cultivation, mustard, jute, and Durga Puja celebrations that reflect the Bengali cultural identity of the district's majority community.