Millions of people were evacuated in anticipation of the storm, which originated in the Bay of Bengal.
The storm, the first super cyclone to form in the area since 1999, is forecast to cause deadly storm surges, severe flooding and mudslides.
Covid-19 and social-distancing measures have made mass evacuations more difficult for authorities.
Cyclone Amphan began hitting the Sundarbans, a mangrove area around the India-Bangladesh border, on Wednesday afternoon and is forecast to move north and north-eastwards near the major city of Kolkata in India's West Bengal state.
Amphan is expected to move further into Bangladesh on Thursday, and later Bhutan.
The storm was the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since one in 1999 that killed thousands of people but its winds have since weakened slightly, according to BBC Weather.
The eye of the storm was forecast to be fully over land by 18:30 local time (13:00 GMT), with wind speeds of 150-160km/h (93-99mph) and gusts of up to 175km/h.
A Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer helping villagers to evacuate became the first fatality after the boat he was in capsized in strong winds, the organisation said.
"At least 50 people took shelter in my concrete-built house," Bangladeshi prawn farmer Abdur Rahim, who lives on the edge of the Sundarbans, told the AFP news agency.
"There is panic. The women are worried... A few months ago Cyclone Bulbul smashed our village, destroying at least 100 homes. We hope Allah will save us this time."
Why Bay of Bengal is a hotbed of tropical cyclones
When extreme weather and Covid-19 collide
India and Bangladesh have asked for schools and other buildings to be turned into temporary shelters - but they need more space than usual in order to house people while maintaining social distancing.
Police in West Bengal, which along with the state of Orissa (also known as Odisha) is expected to be the worst-hit part of India, told the BBC that people were unwilling to go to the shelters because they were afraid of contracting Covid-19.
Trees have been uprooted and makeshift houses flattened in coastal regions of Orissa, Indian media reports say.
The storm, the first super cyclone to form in the area since 1999, is forecast to cause deadly storm surges, severe flooding and mudslides.
Covid-19 and social-distancing measures have made mass evacuations more difficult for authorities.
Cyclone Amphan began hitting the Sundarbans, a mangrove area around the India-Bangladesh border, on Wednesday afternoon and is forecast to move north and north-eastwards near the major city of Kolkata in India's West Bengal state.
Amphan is expected to move further into Bangladesh on Thursday, and later Bhutan.
The storm was the first super cyclone in the Bay of Bengal since one in 1999 that killed thousands of people but its winds have since weakened slightly, according to BBC Weather.
The eye of the storm was forecast to be fully over land by 18:30 local time (13:00 GMT), with wind speeds of 150-160km/h (93-99mph) and gusts of up to 175km/h.
A Bangladesh Red Crescent volunteer helping villagers to evacuate became the first fatality after the boat he was in capsized in strong winds, the organisation said.
"At least 50 people took shelter in my concrete-built house," Bangladeshi prawn farmer Abdur Rahim, who lives on the edge of the Sundarbans, told the AFP news agency.
"There is panic. The women are worried... A few months ago Cyclone Bulbul smashed our village, destroying at least 100 homes. We hope Allah will save us this time."
Why Bay of Bengal is a hotbed of tropical cyclones
When extreme weather and Covid-19 collide
India and Bangladesh have asked for schools and other buildings to be turned into temporary shelters - but they need more space than usual in order to house people while maintaining social distancing.
Police in West Bengal, which along with the state of Orissa (also known as Odisha) is expected to be the worst-hit part of India, told the BBC that people were unwilling to go to the shelters because they were afraid of contracting Covid-19.
Trees have been uprooted and makeshift houses flattened in coastal regions of Orissa, Indian media reports say.
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