Bengal, Partition Of

(1905) Division of Bengal carried out by Lord Curzon, the British viceroy in India. The British province of Bengal, which also included Bihar and Orissa, had by the beginning of the 20th century grown too large to handle under a single administration.

Curzon chose to unite eastern Bengal with Assam, leaving western Bengal with Bihar and Orissa. The partition went through despite widespread protests, unrest, and boycotts, but in 1911 eastern and western Bengal were reunited. Assam resumed its old status, and Bihar and Orissa were separated to form a new province.