The East of India is a mostly rural region stretching from Sikkim in the southern Himalayas to the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) is the largest city in the region, which also features the temple cities of Puri of Lord Jagannath fame and Bhubaneswar, both in Odisha.
Bihar is often considered part of East India because of its geography, but it has been included in the Plains to group it with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, to which it is culturally closer.
Here are nine of the most notable cities.
- Bhilai. — major city and often called Steel City because of its steel plants
- Bhubaneswar. — a temple city and capital of Odisha
- Cuttack. — "Silver City" and commercial capital of Odisha
- Darjeeling. — hill station in former British India, famous for its tea
- Jamshedpur. — famous for park and cricket stadium, a industrial city
- Kolkata. (Calcutta) — also known as "City of Joy", the capital of West Bengal is one of the most populous cities in the world and the commercial hub of eastern India.
- Puri. — one of the four sacred dham as per Hinduisim, Lord Jagannath temple, famous sea beach
- Ranchi. — capital of Jharkhand
- Siliguri. — transportation hub for travelers heading to Sikkim and Bhutan
Bhilai. — major city and often called Steel City because of its steel plants
Bhubaneswar. — a temple city and capital of Odisha
Cuttack. — "Silver City" and commercial capital of Odisha
Darjeeling. — hill station in former British India, famous for its tea
Jamshedpur. — famous for park and cricket stadium, a industrial city
Kolkata. (Calcutta) — also known as "City of Joy", the capital of West Bengal is one of the most populous cities in the world and the commercial hub of eastern India.
Puri. — one of the four sacred dham as per Hinduisim, Lord Jagannath temple, famous sea beach
Ranchi. — capital of Jharkhand
Siliguri. — transportation hub for travelers heading to [[Sikkim]] and [[Bhutan]]
- Hazaribagh National Park., Jharkhand — similar to Betla National Park, the park has tigers, panthers and spotted deer. There are several towers from which tourists can view the beautiful and scenic surroundings as well as spot wildlife in their natural habitat
- Kanger Ghati National Park., Chhattisgarh — a dense area with several waterfalls and limestone caves. Several species of animals and a wide tribal population are present in this beautiful park. The diversity of landscapes makes ideal habitats for many species. Wildlife includes tigers, langurs, sloth bears, lizards, snakes, peacocks and parrots to name a few.
- Khangchendzonga National Park. (Kangchendzonga National Park), Sikkim — there are many glaciers located in the park. Animals such as musk deer and snow leopard make their homes here
- Nandankanan Zoological Park., Odisha — a zoo and botanical garden in the capital city (Bhubaneswar). It is home for white tigers and several endangered animals. In addition, one can visit several aquaria, a reptile house and the orchid house
- Sundarbans National Park., West Bengal — the largest mangrove forest in the world, where you might even spot a Bengal tiger
Hazaribagh National Park., [[Jharkhand]] — similar to Betla National Park, the park has tigers, panthers and spotted deer. There are several towers from which tourists can view the beautiful and scenic surroundings as well as spot wildlife in their natural habitat
Kanger Ghati National Park., [[Chhattisgarh]] — a dense area with several waterfalls and limestone caves. Several species of animals and a wide tribal population are present in this beautiful park. The diversity of landscapes makes ideal habitats for many species. Wildlife includes tigers, langurs, sloth bears, lizards, snakes, peacocks and parrots to name a few.
Khangchendzonga National Park. (Kangchendzonga National Park), [[Sikkim]] — there are many glaciers located in the park. Animals such as musk deer and snow leopard make their homes here
Nandankanan Zoological Park., [[Odisha]] — a zoo and botanical garden in the capital city ([[Bhubaneswar]]). It is home for white tigers and several endangered animals. In addition, one can visit several aquaria, a reptile house and the orchid house
Sundarbans National Park., [[West Bengal]] — the largest mangrove forest in the world, where you might even spot a Bengal tiger
Eastern India includes multiple states, and the locally spoken languages vary from one state to another. However, Hindi is used and understood widely, unless one is speaking to someone from a remote Benagli/Odiya/Sikkimese village. Bengali is the primary language in West Bengal. Odia (Oriya) is spoken in Odisha (Orissa). Nepali is the preferred language in Sikkim. People of Gangtok and Darjeeling do understand Bengali and Hindi because these places are tourism destinations. English usage is limited mostly to the urban areas. A dialect of Hindi called Bhojpuri is widely used in Jharkhand.
'Namaste' / 'Namaskar' is the usual way of starting a conversation with someone. 'Bhaiya' / 'Dada' (only in Bengal) is the common way of addressing a man and 'Didi' is used to address a woman. 'Dhanyavad' (meaning 'thank you') is used at the end of any conversation.
Kolkata has a lot of places to visit, including the Victoria Memorial, Howrah bridge, National Museum, Botanical Gardens, Kalighat temple, Alipore Zoo, Dakshineshwar Temple and Belur Math. Bishnupur which has many terracotta temples. Murshidabad has historical importance. Tarakeshwar is another temple town. Digha is the most popular sea beach in Bengal. Further north, Siliguri, Darjeeling and Sikkim are hilly areas. The Himalayan foothills are a treat to view. Seeing the sunrise from the Tiger Hills and Mt. Kanchanjanga is very beautiful.
Odisha has a rich history and was known as Kalinga in ancient ages. Puri is probably the most important tourist destination in the state. Konark, Bhubaneshwar, Cuttack, Sambalpur, Balasore are also good spots to visit in the state. Chilka Lake and Nandakan Zoo are notable attractions. The various architectural beauty from ancient times can be found in Udaygiri, Dhaulagiri, Khandagiri.
Kolkata is famous for its cuisine. The signature food item however would be rosogolla (rasgullah). Sandesh is a close second which is also a sweet. Kolkata is famous for its street food culture and one can find innumerable shops dotting the streets with various food items. Rolls (similar to taco but not exactly so), momos, chowmein, etc are commonly sold items. Bengalis have a liking towards Chinese food but that is not authentic Chinese. They are Indianized version of Chinese foods and surely tasty.
Bengali cuisine typically consists of rice, dal, fish curry, chicken curry, mutton curry, prawns, shukto, dorma, etc.
It is said that a trip to Kolkata remains incomplete if you do not try the Kolkata-style biryani. It is a combination of scented rice with piece(s) of chicken or mutton with potato and sometimes egg. Mishti doi (sweetened yogurt) is the favourite dessert in that region. One may also try other sweet items like pantua, chamcham, chhanabara, chhanaar-jilapi and jalebi. Fuchka is another very popular street food which should be tried. Jhal muri is spiced puffed rice. Shingara (also called samosa), gutki, dalpuri, kochuri, various kinds of chops are some of the best snacks of the region.
Cuisines of Odisha and Jharkhand are very similar to that of Bengal. However, Odiya cuisine, especially from the sea-side region use salt water fish which is very nicely prepared and a must have. Lithi is one snack which is must if you are in Jharkhand.
This is a major tea-growing area of very long standing, so take some time out to have tea from a roadside shop, as they very arguably make the best tea in the world.
Verify the hygiene of eateries, as food-borne illness is a major concern in this area.
- It is popular to take a trip to Nepal in order to enjoy the Himalayan mountains. Trains to the border are available from Kolkata.
- Bangladesh is also just nearby.