Southwest Bengal is a region in West Bengal, consisting of the districts of Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur.

Cities

Kurumbera Fort

• 1 Belpahari (বেলপাহাড়ি Belpāhāṛi) — a forest paradise at the foothills
• 2 Chandrakona (চন্দ্রকোণা Candrakoṇā) — temple town, home to Prayag Film City
• 3 Jhargram (ঝাড়গ্রাম Jhāṛgrām) — famous for its forests and undulating topography
• 4 Kharagpur (খড়গপুর Khaṛagpur) — railway and indistrial city, home to the oldest Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)
• 5 Midnapore (মেদিনীপুর Medinīpur) — headquarters of Paschim Medinipur

Other destinations

• 1 Kurumbera Fort (কুড়ুমবেড়া Kuṛumbeṛā) — a fort built during the rule of Odia king Kapilendra Deva of Gajapati dynasty. It contains remnants of a temple and a mosque.
• 2 Moghalmari (মোগলমারি Mogalmāri) — an archaeological site with a Buddhist monastery dated between 6th to 12th century

Understand

Southwest Bengal is an emerging educational and economic hub of West Bengal. Kharagpur, its largest city, is a railway and an industrial town, and it is home to the oldest Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

Southwest Bengal, along with Purba Medinipur, was once an epicentre of political movements during the British Raj. It was the birthplace of Khudiram Bose, a young freedom activist who was hanged in 1908.

Geography

Southwest Bengal is diverse in landscape. The road from Bankura to Balasore cuts across the region and divides it into two natural divisions. To the east of this road, the soil is fertile alluvial and the area is flat. To the west, the Chota Nagpur Plateau gradually slopes down creating an undulating area with laterite rocks and soil.

Talk

The Manbhumi dialect of Bengali is prevalent in this region. In particular, the word "বটে" (BAW-tteh, meaning "okay") is used in Manbhumi more often than in any other Bengali dialect.

Besides, Odia is another common language in the region, especially along the border with Odisha.

Get in

By train

Kharagpur is the major railway junction to arrive in this region. Local trains to different destinations in Southwest Bengal depart from here.

Stay safe

Southwest Bengal is a part of the Jungle Mahal (জঙ্গলমহল Jaṅgalmahal) region, which was infamous for the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency. So, try to avoid stepping outside hotels or lodges at dark night.

Go next

• Odisha — Southwest Bengal's southern neighbour is famous for beaches and pilgrimage sites.