West Bengal , being a vast and diverse state has always something to offer and its glorious traditions and rich cultural heritage. Besides its cultural heritage, West Bengal also occupies a unique geographical position-an exceptionally varied climate ranging from extreme cold in the Himalayan regions to the heat of plains in the summers. The wealth of cultural tradition extending over thousands of years, the natural surroundings, the architectural masterpieces, the music, dance, paintings, customs, language etc. all make West Bengal a Paradise of India. Uttar Dinajpur right from its birth added a feather to the Map of West Bengal.
The undivided Dinajpur district was part of the Pundra kingdom. The whole of Pundra was part of the Mauryan empire, and Jainism was spread in the region in the fourth century BCE. Their capital was at Pundrabardhan (now in Bangladesh), and two other ancient towns were Gourpur and Kotibarsha, now called Bangarh. Later multiple inscriptions show how the Guptas also controlled Pundra. The district was then under Pala rule from 750 CE. The Senas overthrew the Palas in 1143. In 1204, Bakhtiyar Khilji defeated the Senas and had Bangarh as its capital. After his murder, it was controlled by various governors sent by the Delhi Sultan from Gauda. In 1586, Akbar conquered Bengal and Dinajpur was controlled by the sarkars of Tajpur and Panjara. In 1765, it fell under the rule of the East India Company and was ruled by Murshidabad. In the later part of the 18th century, the district was home to the Sanyasi-Fakir rebellion until the early 19th century. The district remained relatively peaceful all through the rest of the 1800s. In 1905, the people of Dinajpur district protested against the Partition of Bengal. They participated in the Freedom struggle by refusing to pay taxes, doing hartals, and launching agitations. In 1947, the Dinajpur district was split between India and Pakistan with West Dinajpur remaining with India.
The District of Uttar Dinajpur came into existence on 1st April,1992 after the bifurcation of erstwhile West Dinajpur District. The District lies between latitude 25o11′ N to 26o49′ N and longitude 87o49′ E to 90o00′ E occupying an area of 3142 Sq. Km enclosed by Bangladesh on the East, Bihar on the West, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri District on the North and Malda District on the South. Uttar Dinajpur is well connected with the rest of the State through National Highways, State Highways and Railways. NH-31 and NH-34 passes through the heart of the district. The regional topography is generally flat with a gentle southerly slope towards which the main rivers like Kulik, Nagar, Mahananda etc flow.
The District forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the East. The older alluvium is estimated to be Pleistocene age. Uttar Dinajpur is bestowed with a very fertile soil. The soil is very rich in nature due to the alluvial deposition which helps to grow Paddy, Jute, Mesta and Sugarcane etc.
Raiganj on the bank of the river Kulik is the District headquarters, where the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary, the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia is situated. The headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district, Raiganj is a municipal town since 1951 and is one of the major trade centres of North Bengal. The place is well-connected with the rest of the state through National Highways, State Highways and railways. NH-31 and NH-34 pass through the heart of the district. Uttar Dinajpur or North Dinajpur is a district in West Bengal. Created on 1st April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur district, it comprises two subdivisions, Raiganj and Islampur.
