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Provisional population totals, census of India 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

Retrieved 26 Solo 2006. Bengal's TFR of 1. Among men, western dress has greater acceptance. The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting along the Bay of Bengal. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region. Other folk music forms include and. Met 26 January 2012. In the 2nd century BCE, the region was conquered by the emperor. Provisional population totals paper 1 of 2011 India: series 1.

Retrieved 25 August 2006. Heavy rainfall of above 250 centimetres 98 in is observed in the , , and. Retrieved 21 July 2014. Other notable figures include , whose compositions form the genre of , , whose works on contemporary social practices in Bengal are widely acclaimed, and , who is considered one of the leading lights of modern fiction.

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With over inhabitants as of 2011 , it is India's state. It has an area of 88,752 km 2 34,267 sq mi. A part of the ethno-linguistic region, it borders in the east, and and in the north. It also borders the Indian states of , , , , and. The state capital is Calcutta , the. As for geography, West Bengal includes the , the , the , and the coastal. The main ethnic group are the , with forming the demographic majority. Ancient Bengal was the site of several major. In the 2nd century BCE, the region was conquered by the emperor. In the 4th century CE, it was absorbed into the. From the 13th century onward, the region was ruled by several , powerful , and landlords, until the beginning of in the 18th century. The cemented their hold on the region following the in 1757, and Calcutta served for many years as the capital of. The early and prolonged exposure to British administration resulted in an expansion of Western education, culminating in developments in science, institutional education, and social reforms in the region, including what became known as the. A hotbed of the through the early 20th century, Bengal during India's independence in 1947 along religious lines into two separate entities: West Bengal, a state of India, and , a province of which later became independent. Between 1977 and 2011 the state was administered by the world's longest elected government. The state's cultural heritage, besides varied folk traditions, includes authors in literature, such as Nobel laureate. West Bengal is also known for its enthusiasm for the sport of , as well as cricket. Main article: The origin of the name Bangla and Bongo in is unknown. The Bengali word Bongo might have been derived from the ancient or Banga. Although some early mentions the name Vanga, the region's early history is obscure. At the end of over the , the region was along religious lines into east and west. The eastern part came to be known be as , the eastern wing of newly born Pakistan and the western part came to be known as West Bengal, which continued as an. In 2011 the proposed a change in the official name of the state to PaschimBanga : পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Pôshchimbônggô. This is the native name of the state, literally meaning western Bengal in the native Bengali language. Despite the Trinamool Congress government's efforts to forge a consensus on the name change resolution, the , the , and the opposed the resolution. However, the central government has turned down the proposal stating that the state should have one single name for all languages instead of three and also the name should not be the same as that of any other territory pointing out that the name 'Bangla' may create confusion with neighboring. Coin of the King , who created the first separate political entity in , called the. The region was a part of the , according to the Indian epic. Several realms were present in the Bengal region, including , , , and the. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is a mention by the around 100 BCE of a land named , which was located at the mouths of the. Bengal had overseas trade relations with Burma, Lower Thailand, the Lower , and. According to the Sri Lankan chronicle , c. The kingdom of was formed in the 7th century BCE, consisting of the regions now comprising and. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of the lives of , founder of , and , founder of. It consisted of several , or kingdoms. Under , the of Magadha in the 3rd century BCE extended over nearly all of , including and parts of. From the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the. The was an imperial power during the on the , which originated in the region of. Two kingdoms — Vanga or Samatata, and Gauda — are mentioned in some texts to have appeared after the end of the Gupta Empire although details of their ascendancy are uncertain. The first recorded independent king of Bengal was , who reigned in the early 7th century. Shashanka is often recorded in Buddhist annals as an intolerant Hindu ruler who is noted for his persecution of the Buddhists. Shashanka murdered Rajyavardhana, the Buddhist king of Thanesar, and is noted for destroying the Bodhi tree at , and replacing Buddha statues with Shiva. After a period of anarchy, : 36 the ruled the region for four hundred years starting in the 8th century. It was followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu. Some areas of Bengal were invaded by of the between 1021 and 1023. Later, occasional reinforced the process of conversion by building , , and. Between 1202 and 1206 , a military commander from the , overran and Bengal as far east as , , and the. Although he failed to bring Bengal under his control, the expedition defeated , whose two sons moved to a place then called present-day , where their diminished dominion lasted until the late 13th century. Medieval and early modern periods Firoz Minar at was built during the. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region. The region was ruled by dynasties of the and feudal lords under the for the next few hundred years. The Bengal Sultanate was interrupted for a period of twenty years by a Hindu uprising under. In the 16th century, Mughal general conquered Bengal. Administration by governors appointed by the court of the gave way to semi-independence under the of , who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in. Several independent Hindu states were established in Bengal during the Mughal period, including those of of and of. The in northern Bengal flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries; it weathered the Mughals and survived until the advent of the British colonial era. Several European traders reached this area late in the 15th century. The defeated , the last independent Nawab, in the in 1757. The company gained the right to collect revenue in Bengal province in 1765 with the signing of the treaty between the East India company and the Mughal emperor following the in 1764. The was established in 1765; it later incorporated all British-controlled territory north of the now , from the mouths of the Ganges and the to the and the. The claimed millions of lives due to tax policies enacted by the British company. Calcutta, the headquarters of the East India company, was named in 1773 as the capital of British-held territories in India. The failed started near Calcutta and resulted in a transfer of authority to the , administered by the. The and the socio-cultural reform movements significantly influenced the cultural and economic life of Bengal. Between 1905 and 1911 an was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones. Bengal suffered from the in 1943, which claimed 3 million lives during World War II. Bengalis played a major role in the , in which such as and were dominant. Armed attempts against the from Bengal reached a climax when news of leading the against the British reached Bengal. The Indian National Army was subsequently routed by the British. Indian independence and afterwards When India in 1947, was along religious lines. The western part went to the and was named West Bengal , while the eastern part went to the as a province called later renamed in 1956. The latter became the independent nation of in 1971. In 1950 the Princely State of Cooch Behar merged with West Bengal. In 1955 the former of , which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal; portions of Bihar were also subsequently merged with West Bengal. Both West and East Bengal experienced large influxes of refugees during and after in 1947. Refugee resettlement and related issues continued to play a significant role in the politics and socio-economic condition of the state. The was designated a in 1999. During the 1970s and 1980s, severe power shortages, strikes, and a violent movement damaged much of the state's infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. The of 1971 resulted in the influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent. The Left Front, led by the , governed the state for the next three decades. The state's economic recovery gathered momentum after were introduced in the mid-1990s by the. This was aided by the advent of and. Starting in the mid-2000s, armed activists conducted minor terrorist attacks in some parts of the state while clashes with the administration took place at several controversial locations over the issue of industrial land acquisition, which became a decisive reason behind the defeat of the ruling Left Front government in the 2011 assembly election. Although the economy was severely damaged during the unrest in the 1970s, the state has managed to revive its economy, steadily throughout the years. The state has shown improvement regarding and educational infrastructure. Significant strides have been made in reducing unemployment. Though the state suffers from substandard healthcare services, a lack of socio-economic development, poor infrastructure, unemployment, and civil violence. Many areas remain flooded during the heavy rains brought by a. West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the in the north to the in the south. The state has a total area of 88,752 square kilometres 34,267 sq mi. The in the northern extreme of the state is a part of the eastern mountain range. In this region is , which, at 3,636 m 11,929 ft , is the highest peak in the state. The narrow separates the hills from the , which in turn transitions into the towards the south. The intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and the. A small coastal region is in the extreme south, while the forests form a geographical landmark at the Ganges delta. The main river in West Bengal is the Ganges, which divides into two branches. One branch enters Bangladesh as the , or Pôdda, while the other flows through West Bengal as the and. The over the Ganges feeds the Hooghly branch of the river by a feeder canal, and its has been a source of lingering dispute between India and Bangladesh. The , , , and rivers are in the northern hilly region. The western plateau region has rivers such as the , , and. The Ganges delta and the Sundarbans area have numerous rivers and creeks. At least nine districts in the state suffer from , and as of 2017, an estimated 1. The main seasons are summer, the rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with the highest daytime temperature ranging from 38 °C 100 °F to 45 °C 113 °F. At night, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. In early summer, brief and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor'westers, often occur. West Bengal receives the of the that moves in a southeast to northwest direction. Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. Heavy rainfall of above 250 centimetres 98 in is observed in the , , and. During the arrival of the monsoons, low pressure in the Bay of Bengal region often leads to the formation of storms in the. Winter December—January is mild over the plains with average minimum temperatures of 15 °C 59 °F. A cold and dry northern wind blows in the winter, substantially lowering the humidity level. The Darjeeling Himalayan Hill region experiences a harsh winter, with occasional snowfall. Reserves and protected and unclassed forests constitute 59. Part of the world's largest forest, the is located in southern West Bengal. West Bengal State Symbols Title Symbol Image State animal State bird State flower State tree From a viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the and the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans. The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain, combined with favourable rainfall, makes this region especially fertile. Much of the vegetation of the western part of the state has similar species composition with the plants of the plateau in the adjoining state of Jharkhand. The predominant commercial tree species is Shorea robusta, commonly known as the. The coastal region of exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is the. A notable tree from the Sundarbans is the ubiquitous sundari Heritiera fomes , from which the forest gets its name. The distribution of vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and. For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, the , are densely wooded with sal and other tropical evergreen trees. Above an elevation of 1,000 metres 3,300 ft , the forest becomes predominantly subtropical. In Darjeeling, which is above 1,500 metres 4,900 ft , temperate forest trees such as , , and predominate. Extant wildlife include , , deer, , , tiger, and , as well as many bird species. Migratory birds come to the state during the winter. The high-altitude forests of Singalila National Park shelter , , , , , , , and. The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project devoted to conserving the endangered although the forest hosts many other endangered species such as the , river , and estuarine crocodile. The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting along the Bay of Bengal. Recognising its special conservation value, the Sundarbans area has been declared a. See also: and West Bengal is governed through a of , a feature the state shares with other Indian states. There are two branches of government. The legislature, the , consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, who are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker's absence. The is composed of the and a system of lower courts. The Governor is the appointed by the. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. The Assembly is with 295 , or MLAs, including one nominated from the community. Terms of office run for five years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. Auxiliary authorities known as , for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. The state contributes 42 seats to the and 16 seats to the of the. The main players in the are the , the , and the alliance led by the or CPI M. Following the , the All India Trinamool Congress and Indian National Congress coalition under of the All India Trinamool Congress was elected to power getting 225 seats in the legislature. Prior to this, West Bengal was ruled by the Left Front for 34 years 1977—2011 , making it the world's longest-running democratically elected communist government. Banerjee was re-elected as Chief Minister in the in which Trinamool Congress won an absolute majority. The state has one autonomous region, the. A hut in a village in the Hooghly district As of 2017, West Bengal is divided into. District Population Growth rate Sex ratio Literacy Density per square Kilometer 10,009,781 12. Each district is subdivided into sub-divisions, governed by a , and again into blocks. Blocks consists of village councils and town municipalities. The capital and largest city of the state is — the and the in India. Other with 2011 populations over 250,000 are , , , , , , and. Tourism, especially from Bangladesh, is an important part of West Bengal's economy. As of 2015 , West Bengal has the sixth-highest in. GSDP at current prices base 2004—2005 has increased from 208,656 crores in 2004—05 to 800,868 crores in 2014—2015. GSDP percent growth at current prices has varied from a low of 10. The growth rate was 13. The state's per capita income has lagged the all India average for over two decades. As of 2014—2015, per capita NSDP at current prices was Rs 78,903. Per capita NSDP growth rate at current prices has varied from 9. The growth rate was 12. In 2015—2016, percentage share of Gross Value Added GVA at factor cost by Economic Activity at constant price base year 2011—2012 was Agriculture-Forestry and Fishery — 4. It has been observed that there has been a slow but steady decline in the percentage share of industry and agriculture over the years. Agriculture is the leading economic sector in West Bengal. Rice is the state's principal food crop. Rice, potato, , sugarcane, and wheat are the top five crops of the state. The Durgapur—Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of steel plants. Important manufacturing industries are engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches, and wagons. The Durgapur centre has established a number of industries in the areas of tea, sugar, , and. Natural resources like tea and jute in and nearby parts has made West Bengal a major centre for the jute and tea industries. Years after independence, West Bengal is dependent on the central government for help in meeting its demands for food; food production remained stagnant, and the bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant increase in food production since the 1980s, and the state now has a surplus of grains. The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9. In contrast, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate. Freshly sown saplings of rice in a ; in the background are stacks of sticks. In the period 2004—2010, the average GSDP growth rate was 13. The agricultural sector in particular rose to 8. Many major industries such as the Uttarpara Hindustan Motors car manufacturing unit, the jute industry, and the Haldia Petrochemicals unit experienced shutdowns in 2014. In the same year, plans for a 30,000 crore Jindal Steel project was mothballed. The tea industry of West Bengal has also witnessed shutdowns due to financial and political reasons. The tourism industry of West Bengal took a hit in 2017 due to the. However, over the years due to effective changes in the stance towards industrialization, ease of doing business has improved in West Bengal. Steps are being taken to remedy this situation by promoting West Bengal as an investment destination. A leather complex has been built in Calcutta, smart cities are being planned closed to Kolkata and major roadway projects are in the offing to revive the economy. West Bengal has been able to attract 2% of the in the last decade. As of 2011, the total railway route length is around 4,481 km 2,784 mi. The NFR serves the northern parts of the state. The is the country's first underground railway. The , part of NFR, is a UNESCO. Kolkata is a major river port in eastern India. The manages the Kolkata and the docks. There is passenger service to on the and service to and abroad, operated by the. Ferries are a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarbans area. Kolkata is the only city in India to have as a mode of transport, and these are operated by the. Several government-owned organisations operate bus services in the state, including the , the , the , the , and the. There are also private bus companies. The railway system is a nationalised service without any private investment. Hired forms of transport include metered taxis and , which often ply specific routes in cities. In most of the state, , and in Kolkata, and , are used for short-distance travel. The , and non-Bengali minorities are scattered throughout the state; various indigenous ethnic Buddhist communities such as the , , , , and ethnic can be found in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. Native speakers are found in. The Darjeeling district also has a large Nepali immigrant population, making Nepali a widely spoken language in this region. West Bengal is also home to indigenous tribal such as , , , , , , and. There are a small number of primarily in the state capital, including , , , , , , , , , , , and. India's sole is in eastern Kolkata. As per West Bengal government the official languages are , , , , , , , and. As of 2001, in decreasing order of number of speakers, the languages of the state are: Bengali, , , , and Nepali. Although are the predominant community, the state has a large minority population. Christians, Buddhists, and others form a minuscule part of the population. As of , is the largest religion, with adherents representing 70. Buddhism remains a prominent religion in the Himalayan region of the Darjeeling hills, and almost the entirety of West Bengal's Buddhist population are from this region. The state contributes 7. The Hindu population of West Bengal is 64,385,546 while the Muslim population is 24,654,825, as per the. The state's 2001—2011 decennial population growth rate was 13. The gender ratio is 947 females per 1000 males. The literacy rate is 77. Data of 2010—2014 showed the life expectancy in the state was 70. The proportion of people living below the poverty line in 2013 was 19. A study conducted in three districts of West Bengal found that accessing private health services to treat illness had a catastrophic impact on households. This indicates the importance of public provision of health services to mitigate against poverty and the impact of illness on poor households. The latest Sample Registration System SRS statistical report shows that West Bengal has the lowest amongst all the other Indian states. West Bengal's total fertility rate was 1. Bengal's TFR of 1. The boasts a rich literary heritage that it shares with neighbouring Bangladesh. West Bengal has a long tradition of folk literature, evidenced by the , a collection of Buddhist mystic songs dating back to the 10th and 11th centuries; , a collection of Hindu narrative poetry composed around the 13th century; , a pastoral drama in verse composed by ; , a collection of folk and fairy tales compiled by ; and stories of , a court in medieval. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Bengali literature was modernised in the works of authors such as , whose innovative works marked a departure from the traditional verse-oriented writings prevalent in that period; , a pioneer in who introduced the use of ; and , who reshaped and. Other notable figures include , whose compositions form the genre of , , whose works on contemporary social practices in Bengal are widely acclaimed, and , who is considered one of the leading lights of modern fiction. Other writers include , best known for his work ; , well known for his portrayal of the lower strata of society; , a pioneering novelist; and , , , , , , , , , , and. Music and dance Dance with Rabindra Sangeet A notable music tradition is the Baul music, practiced by the , a sect of mystic. Other folk music forms include and. Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the , a one-stringed instrument. Like other states in northern India, West Bengal also has a heritage in. From the early 1990s, there has been an emergence of of music, including what has been called Bengali Jeebonmukhi Gaan a modern genre based on realism. Bengali dance forms draw from folk traditions, especially those of the tribal groups, as well as the broader. The Bengali film industry is well known for its , and has produced acclaimed directors like who is widely regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, whose films were known for its artistic depiction of social reality, who was one of the most prominent Indian film directors of his time, and. Some contemporary directors include veterans such as , , , , and , and a newer pool of directors such as and. Fine arts Terracotta temple of Bishnupur in Bankura, one of the older examples of the terracotta arts of India There are significant examples of fine arts in Bengal from earlier times, including the terracotta art of Hindu temples and the Kalighat paintings. Bengal has been in the vanguard of modernism in fine arts. The movement had many adherents, including , , , and. After Indian Independence, important groups such as the and the Society of Contemporary Artists were formed in Bengal and came to dominate the art scene in India. Reformist heritage The capital, Kolkata, was the workplace of several social reformers, including , , and. Their social reforms eventually led to a cultural atmosphere that made it possible for practices like , , and , or , to be abolished. The region was also home to several religious teachers, such as , , , and. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes preparations, a favourite among Bengalis. There are numerous ways of cooking fish depending on the fish's texture, size, fat content, and bones. Most of the people also consume eggs, chicken, mutton, and shrimp. Sweets occupy an important place in the diet of Bengalis and at their social ceremonies. Bengalis make distinctive from milk products, including , Chômchôm, Kalojam, and several kinds of. Sweets such as narkol-naru, til-naru, moa, and payesh are prepared during the festivals such as puja. Popular include Aloor Chop, , , , and. Clothing of Bangladesh is very popular in West Bengal. Bengali women commonly wear the , often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear western attire. Among men, western dress has greater acceptance. Particularly on cultural occasions, men also wear traditional costumes such as the with while women wear or sari. West Bengal produces several varieties of cotton and silk saris in the country. Handlooms are a popular way of livelihood to the rural population of the state. Notable handloom saris include tant, , garad, korial, baluchari, tussar, and muslin. Festivals Main article: is the biggest, most popular and widely celebrated festival in West Bengal. The five-day-long colourful Hindu festival witnesses intense celebration across the state. Pandals are erected in various cities, towns and villages throughout West Bengal. The whole city of Kolkata undergoes a transformation during Durga Puja, as it is decked up in lighting decorations and thousands of colourful pandals are set up where effigies of goddess Durga and her four children are worshipped and displayed. The idols of the goddess as brought in from , where idol-makers work round the year fashioning the clay-models of the goddess. Since independence in 1947, Durga Puja has slowly changed into more of a glamorous carnival than a religious festival, where people across diverse religious and ethnic spectrum partake in the festivity. On , the last day of the festival, the effigies are paraded through the streets with riotous pageantry before being dumped into the rivers. It is celebrated with much fanfare in Kolkata as well as in rural Bengal. Images of Jagannath are set upon a chariot and pulled through the streets. Festivals of West Bengal: , and procession in Kolkata. Other major festivals of West Bengal include the Bengali new year, or the festival of lights, , , , , , , , Puja, , , , , , , Maghotsav, , , Raas Yatra, , Puja, , , , , , , and. Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with prayers, alms-giving, shopping, gift-giving, and feasting. Just like Durga Puja, Christmas in Kolkata is an occasion in which all communities and people across religions take part. The state tourism department organises the gala Christmas Festival every year in. The whole of Park Street is decked out in colourful lights, and food stalls sell cakes, chocolates, Chinese cuisines, momo, and various other items. Musical groups from Darjeeling and other states of are invited by the state to perform choir recitals, carols, and jazz numbers. On this day, processions begin at each of the various Buddhist monasteries, or gumpas, and congregate at the Mall, Chowrasta. The Lamas chant mantras and sound their bugles, and students as well as people from all communities carry the holy books or pustaks on their heads. Besides Buddha Purnima, , or , , , , Namsoong or the New Year, and Losoong are the other major festivals of the Darjeeling Himalayan region. Poush mela is a popular winter festival of , with performances of folk music, Baul songs, dance, and theatre taking place throughout the town. Ganga Sagar mela coincides with the , and hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims converge where the river Ganges meets the sea to bathe en masse during this fervent festival. West Bengal schools are run by the state government or by private organisations, including religious institutions. Instruction is mainly in English or Bengali, though is also used, especially in Central Kolkata. The secondary schools are affiliated with the CISCE , the , the , or the. As of 2016 85% of children within the age group of 6 to 17 years attend school 86% do so in urban areas and 84% in rural areas. School attendance is almost universal among the age group of 6 to 14 years, and then drops to 70 percent at the age group 15 to 17 years. There is a gender disparity in school attendance in the age group 6—14 years, more girls than boys are attending school. In Bengal, 71 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years and 81 percent of men aged 15 to 49 years are literate. Only 14 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years in West Bengal have completed 12 or more years of schooling, compared with 22 percent of men. Twenty-two percent of women and 14 percent of men age 15 to 49 years have never been to school. Only 14 percent of women aged 15 to 49 years in West Bengal have completed 12 or more years of schooling, compared with 22% of men. Some of the notable schools in the city are , , , , and , some of which rank amongst the best schools in the country. Many of the schools in Kolkata and Darjeeling are colonial-era establishments housed in buildings that are exemplars of neo-classical architecture. The schools of Darjeeling include , North Point, , and Dow Hill in. West Bengal has eighteen universities. Kolkata has played a pioneering role in the development of the modern education system in India. It was the gateway to the revolution of European education during the. Sir established the in 1794 for promoting oriental studies. People such as , , , and played leading roles in the setting up of modern schools and colleges in the city. The Hindu College was established in 1817. The was established in 1939. The , which is the oldest Christian liberal arts college in South Asia, started its journey in 1830. In 1855 the Hindu College was renamed the Presidency College. In 2010 it was granted university status by the state government and was renamed. The and are prestigious technical universities. Prajna Bhavan, housing the School of Mathematical Sciences and School of RKMVU Other higher education institutes of importance in West Bengal include , , the first , , , the first , the first , , , , , and. In 2003 the state government supported the creation of , , , and. Focus Area — Electro-Physiological and Neuro-imaging studies including mathematical modeling has also been selected under the scheme Centre with Potential for Excellence in a Particular Area. Besides these, the state is home to , , , and all well as established and nationally renowned to cover education needs at the district level and an. Apart from this there is a Deemed university run by the Ramakrishna mission named at Belur Math. There are a number of research institutes in Kolkata. The is the first research institute in Asia. The , , , , , Durgapur, , , , NIBMG , Kalyani, and the are the most prominent. Notable scholars who were born, worked, or studied in the geographic area of the state include physicists , , and ; chemist ; statisticians and ; physician ; educator ; and Nobel laureates , , and. In 2005 West Bengal had 505 published newspapers, of which 389 were in Bengali. Other major Bengali newspapers are , , , , , and. Major English language newspapers include , , , , , , and. Some prominent financial dailies such as , , , and are widely circulated. Vernacular newspapers such as those in , , , , , and are also read by a select readership. Private stations are available only in cities like Kolkata, Siliguri, and Asansol. Broadband internet is available in select towns and cities and is provided by the state-run BSNL and by other private companies. West Bengal, unlike most other states of India, is noted for its passion and patronage of football. Kolkata is one of the major centres for football in India and houses top national clubs such as , and. West Bengal has several large stadiums. The stadium is the home to various cricket teams such as the , the , and the. The final was hosted in Eden Gardens. It is the largest stadium in India by seating capacity. Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000. It has hosted many national and international sporting events like of 1987 and the 2011 FIFA friendly football match between Argentina and Venezuela featuring. In 2008 Legendary German Goalkeeper, played his last farewell match on this ground. The stadium hosted the final match of the. Notable sports persons from West Bengal include former , , Olympic tennis , and chess. Retrieved 26 January 2012. Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, India. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Finance Department, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 8 June 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018. 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