About Us

Turning Interest Into Action

About Cooch Behar Archive:

Cooch Behar Archive is an Organization dedicated towards the preservation of Heritage of Northeast India. It aims to spread awareness about Heritage and Culture among the general people. Established in 2013, the Archive received it's Government Registration under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act XXVI of 1961 in the year 2015.

Since its advent, it has served to be one of the finest Organization working on heritage in the Northeastern realm. It has arranged Exhibitions, Heritage Tours, Cultural Functions, Quiz and other Competitions almost on a regular basis and solely wishes to carry on this tradition further. It must be quoted that the is Archive presenting 'Vintage Trophies (Running)' to develop a taste for preserving heritage along with other prizes in our Quiz Competition from it's very begining.

The Archive has celebrated the Birth Centenary of His Highness the Late Maharaja Sir Jagaddipendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, one of the great Rulers of the former Princely State of Cooch Behar. We were fortunate to have Rajkumari Uttara Devi, Her Highness the Maharani of Kotah as the Chief Guest in the Birth Centenary programme mentioned herein and amongst other luminaries His Highness Maharao Brijraj Singh of Kotah and others members of the Royal Family of Kotah were also present. The Archive was concominantly associated with the Birth Centenary celebrations of Shree Harish Chandra Paul, an eminent personality in the folklore cirque of Bengal.

We were bestowed upon by the rare privilege of receiving the reknowned heritage Revivalist, Himmat Bahaddur Kumar Jeetendrasingh Gaekwad of Baroda and Dr. Vinita Kaul Gardner, Associate Editor of India Harmony, House Journal of The India Harmony Foundation, Delhi as our honourable guests at the Annual Programme, 2016, which was presided by the most revered Swami Purnabrahmananda Jee Maharaj, Adhyaksha, of the prestigious Ramakrishna Math, Cooch Behar. The Archive also received the honour of bequething the Titles of "The Prince of Heritage Revival" and "Mentor of Cooch Behar Archive" upon Kr. Jeetendra Singh Jee and Dr. Gardner respectively.

We had also received State Level Representation [Letter dated the 12th of July, 2017, Memo. No. G/ 1642(4)/XXXlV-16(A), From the District Magistrate of Cooch Behar to the President of Cooch Behar Archive] at the meeting, arranged by the West Bengal State Government for declaring Cooch Behar as a 'Heritage City'. It is of great joy that in 2019, Cooch Behar was finally declared as a 'Heritage City' by the West Bengal State Government, the Archive has played a notable role through membership and contribution of information and resources to the Heritage Committee formed by the State Government during the declaration process.

Archive also had the greatest contentment to honour Shree Shanker Kumar Bose, a Numismatist of International fame at the Inaugural session of our Annual Programme, 2018. Recently the Birth Centenary of Maharajkumari Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar, Her Highness the Maharani of Jaipur was celebrated by the Archive.

The Archive has published a Souvenir comemmorating our Programmes already and is now looking forward for the publication of a Quaterly News Letter and a Journal.

It has developed a digital collection of archival materials including rare books, photographs etc. and is trying hard to develop a Digital Library and a Website to share our findings with the World.

It is our earnest endeavour to establish a Museum and an Institution in the near future to provide a stage for further research and increase interest among the people for preserving their National Heritage.