We present the hypothesis that the remote forcing is one of the mechanisms that determine the semiannual reversal of the upper ocean circulation in the Bay of Bengal. A simple reduced-gravity ocean model is used to explain the hypothesis. Three numerical experiments have been performed to compare the oceanic responses to a remote forcing, a local forcing, and a combined forcing. It is found that the long Rossby waves excited by the remotely forced Kelvin waves contribute substantially to the variability of the local circulation. This research indicates that equatorial Kelvin waves are one of the major factors determining the circulation in the eastern equatorial Indian Ocean. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1991