Etymology of Cooch Behar

Cooch Behar (, ) is the district headquarters and the largest town of Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The name Cooch-Behar is derived from the name of the Koch tribe that is indigenous to this area. The word "Behar" is the Sanskrit word "bihar" (to travel) which means the land through which the "Koch" Kings used to travel or roam about ("bihar").

The Historical Kamtapur comprises the total North Bengal maximum parts of Assam, some parts of present Bangladesh and few parts of Bhutan.

Historical Evidence

In the olden days a greater part of the Kamrup made up the Koch state. The state of Kamrup was made up of four Pithas. Out of that Cooch Behar was a part of Ratna Pitha. In the beginning of the 16th Century, this state emerged as a powerful kingdom. In the beginning this state was known as Pragjyotish, Lohitya, Kamrup, Kamta, etc. In Bhaskar Verma’s Tamralipi we found the name of ‘Kamrup’. In the travel logs of Hiuen Tsang and Harischaritra we also discover the name of Kamrup. In 1586 British businessman Ralph Fich have stated the name ‘Couch’. In Akbarnama we also found the name of ‘Koch’. Stephen Casilla have stated the name ‘Coch’ and the capital as ‘Biar’. In the 17th Century Von Dan Brooke’s map there is a place mentioned as ‘Ragiawerra Cosbhaar’. In one of the description by a Dutch Sailor we found the name ‘Kosbia’.

In the ‘Bishwakosh’ (Bengali for Encyclopedia) written...
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