

Islam was introduced through trade with the Abbasid Caliphate, but following the Ghurid conquests led by Bakhtiyar Khalji and the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, the Muslim faith spread across the entire Bengal region. The citadel of Gauḍa served as the capital of the Gauḍa Kingdom, the Pala Empire, and the Sena Empire. The region was part of several ancient pan−Indian empires, including the Vangas, Mauryans, and the Guptas. Ancient Bengal was the site of several major Janapadas, while the earliest cities date back to the Vedic period. The area's early history featured a succession of Indian empires, internal squabbling, and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance. The state's main ethnic group are the Bengalis, with the Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority.

West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region, the coastal Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal. The state capital is Kolkata, the third-largest metropolis, and seventh largest city by population in India. It also borders the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Sikkim and Assam. As a part of the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. 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. The population estimate as of 2023 is 102,552,787. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of 88,752 km 2 (34,267 sq mi) as of 2011. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. West Bengal ( / b ɛ n ˈ ɡ ɔː l/, Bengali: Poshchim Bongo, pronounced ( listen), abbr. 16th Committee of Unesco for safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH)įirst in Asia under "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" category
