Preparations for the 211-year-old Raas Utsav and mela, one of the biggest events in north Bengal, is on in full swing in Cooch Behar with the administration working round the clock to complete beautification projects worth Rs 30 crore in the town before the festivity.

The Raas Utsav will begin on November 26 this year while the fair will be held from the next day. These will last a fortnight.

“This year the Raas Utsav will begin at the premises of Madan Mohan temple of Cooch Behar on November 26. The fair will start at the Raas Mela ground (adjacent to the temple) on the very next day,” said Rabindranath Ghosh, the chairman of Cooch Behar municipality.

The organisers have requested chief minister Mamata Banerjee to inaugurate the Raas Utsav and the fair.

A number of beautification projects had been taken up by the district administration to revamp the heritage town at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore. These are expected to be completed before the celebration.

At present, the construction of a heritage gate at Khagrabari, located in the northern part of the town, and the beautification work of the surrounding areas of Sagardighi (popularly known as Office Para) and Bairagi Dighi, located in front of Madan Mohan Temple are on in full swing.

“The renovation of the Sabitri Lodge, which was established during the reign of the (Cooch Behar) Maharajas (in the late 19th century), is also in progress. We have targeted to complete all these tasks of beautification and refurbishment before the festival,” a source in the district administration said.

The Madan Mohan temple was built by Maharaja Nripendra Narayan in 1890. However, the popular Raas Utsav and fair will turn 211 years old this year.

The Utsav was started in 1812 by Maharaja Harendra Narayan, at Bhetaguri of Dinhata, who ruled the princely state then.

Traditionally, the Utsav begins on the first full moon after Kali Puja.

The festival is a celebration of Lord Krishna’s Raas Leela and was shifted to Cooch Behar from Bhetaguri in 1828.

In the present day, the Utsav is organised by the Cooch Behar Debottar Trust Board. The fair is organised by Cooch Behar Municipality.

Sources in the civic body said that a circus was also expected to be hosted during the fair where artistes from Calcutta and Mumbai would perform during the 15-day festivity.