Cooch Bihar

Cooch Behar, also spelled Koch Bihar or Kuch Behar, town, eastern West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just east of the Torsa River.

The town is an agricultural market centre, has major road and rail connections, and is linked by air with Kolkata. Leather-goods manufacture is an important industry. Once the seat of a princely state, Cooch Behar contains the maharaja’s palace. It has a hospital and a number of colleges affiliated with Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University. Rice, corn (maize), legumes, oilseeds, and tobacco are the chief crops cultivated in the surrounding region. Dispersed forest areas shelter rhinoceroses, tigers, and gaurs (Indian bison). Pop. (2001) 76,874; (2011) 77,935.