Vernacular Architecture of Bengal Notes

Also known as the Brahmaputra Delta, the Sundarbans Delta, or the Bengal Delta.
A river delta in the Bengal region of South Asia, consisting of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.
World's largest delta and one of the most fertile regions, known as The Green Delta.
Stretches from the Hooghly River on the west to the Meghna River on the east, approximately $354 \, \text{km}$ ( $220 \, \text{mi}$ ) across at the Bay of Bengal.
Principal seaports: Kolkata and Haldia in India, and Mongla and Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Rivers flowing through the Brahmaputra Delta:
- Padma (main distributary of the Ganges)
- Jamuna (main distributary of the Brahmaputra), which merges and then joins the Meghna before entering the sea.

Hostile nature, great rivers and floods, jungles, marshy land, uncertainty of life-systems, health hazards, and mosquitoes constitute Bengal's Geography.
Natural barriers played a vital part in shaping Bengal's history by determining the easiest access for invaders from the North-West.
Periphery Situations:
- North: Koch Bihar, Meghalaya – Garo hills (Hilly Terrain)
- East: Assam, Tripura – Garo hills, Tripura marshes (Hilly Terrain, Jungle, Marshy land)
- West: West Bengal – Rajmahal (More or less plain land with subtle variation of contour)
- South: Bay of Bengal (Sea)
Connection with central and northern India is through a long narrow corridor along the Ganges plain, narrowest near Teligiri.
In the North-West, between the Garo hills and Rajmahal, lies a wide gap called 'the Duars', covering most of the northern districts of Bangladesh.
Through this gap, the Brahmaputra (Yamuna), the Ganges (Padma) and Tista flowed into Bangladesh, along with ancient Himalayan people like Kochas, Mechas, Kambojas, etc.
Rulers from distant places hardly succeeded in Bengal. Good rulers had to integrate into Bengal's culture.
Migrants, missionaries, travelers, and peaceful agricultural settlers were welcomed, and their culture was often absorbed by the locals.
Persistent urge for independence made Bengal a difficult place to rule for outsiders.

West Bengal's climate varies from tropical savanna in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north.
Experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year.
Main seasons:
- Dry Summer (March to May)
- Monsoon (middle of June till the end of September)
- Autumn (October and November)
- Winter (December and ends in February)
Highest daytime temperature range: $38 °C$ ( $100 °F$ ) to $45 °C$ ( $113 °F$ ). At night, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
Minimum temperatures range: $15 °C$ ( $59 °F$ ). A cold and dry northern wind blows in the winter, substantially lowering the humidity level.
In early summer, brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor 'westers, often occur.
West Bengal receives the Indian Ocean monsoon that moves a southeast to northwest direction (from June to September).
Average normal rainfall: $1830 \, \text{mm}$ for the State, $2486 \, \text{mm}$ in Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, $1502 \, \text{mm}$ in Gangetic Region.
During the arrival of the monsoons, low pressure in the Bay of Bengal region often leads to the formation of storms in the coastal areas.
Wind direction: highly dependent on local topography ( $4.9$ to $9.9 \, \text{miles/hour}$ ).
Cloud cover: $12\%$ – $88\%$ .