‘The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence’ – Rabindranath Tagore
Before you think you have landed up at the wrong place because isn’t this supposed to be a travel post? Well then it still is, because today I intend to take you to a small yet famous town in West Bengal which is the seat of art and culture!
So let’s travel from freezing Manali to the warm Shantiniketan, the land of red soil, the land of art and Baul; the place where Tagore himself lived and the place of the renowned Vishwa Bharati University
Did you know that Shantiniketan was known as Bhuban Danga, named after a famously notorious dacoit from Bengal. It was Rabindranath’s father who bought this small piece of land and named in Shanti Niketan or the abode of peace!
And true to its name not only is it a must visit because of the Vishwa Bharati University but also for the beauty that it is.
How to reach
Shantiniketan can be reached by rail or road from Kolkata. It is about 4 hours from the Indira Gandhi International airport, you can either take a bus or hire a car. I however prefer the train ride, while there are quite a few trains that ply, taking the Howrah-Jalpaiguri Shatabdi is the best bet, which reaches Bolpur (nearest railway station to Shantiniketan) in under 2 hours. From Bolpur you can take taxis or buses to reach Shantiniketan which is just 2-3 kms away.
Where to stay
There are many hotels in Shantiniketan, and can mostly accommodate any last minute travel plans. We stayed at Chhayabrita, an airbnb property. It was spacious, comfortable and surrounded by a lot of greenery.
What to do
The Uttarayan Complex – This is where Tagore lived. It consists of 6 houses, 5 built and used by Tagore – Udyan, Konark, Shyamali, Punashche and Udichi. Uttarayan is a library come museum which houses all of Tagore’s works, pictures, paintings, things he used. It’s a fascinating place.
Vishwa Bharati University – Started as a small school, this was converted to a University post Tagore won the Nobel Prize. This was built basis Tagore’s belief that learning is best done in a natural environment. Hence you will see a lot of classes being held out in the open under the shade of trees. The University is divided into various smaller schools such as Kala Bhavan (one of the best art colleges in the world), Vidya Bhavan (Insitutute of humanities), Shiksha Bhavan (for Science) Sangit Bhavan (For Dence, Drama, Music) etc. The Upsana Griha , a prayer hall made of Belgian glass and white marble is a sight to behold. Just walk around the campus and get to witness some great pieces of art being created by the students.
Sonajhurir Haat – This is the Saturday market on the banks of the Kopai river. Visit this place to buy a variety of handicrafts – Pottery, terracotta jewellery, batik prints etc. but like all places you will need to bargain. There are also Baul Singers (local folk) and folk dancers who will keep you entertained.
Where to eat
There are a lot of local Cafes around to sit and idle your time away. The food you get here is however typically Bengali. I have heard a lot about Bonolakshmi, however we couldn’t eat there because you apparently need to book a day in advance!
Shantiniketan is about a leisurely trip on a weekend, go there with a time on your hand, walk the red soil, soak in the sun and art and sway to some soulful folk music and come back with the lesson of living in harmony with nature before travelling to the next destination with Preeti
This post is a part of the #XploreBharat BlogTrain hosted by
Aditi, Esha, Maheshwaran, Preeti, Saba, Pragun, Sanjota, Sudip, Suhasini andSupriya
Finally a big shout out to our sponsors KAIV and FABZANIA for taking this Blog Train experience even further.
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The festival of colours is here…and I am reading your post. Hope to attend the Shantiniketan Dol Utsav someday.
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Wonderful post. Have always known about the place (who doesn’t?), but never in this detail.
Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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Thank you
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Thanks for such a detailed virtual tour. This place is there in my bucket list for so long. Will visit it one day
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Thank you
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Have read a lot about Rabindra Nath Tagore and this place but never had the chance to visit it. Thanks for this insightful post. Had missed it somehow..
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Thanks for reading… Glad you liked it
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This is a must visit for every Tagore literature disciple. The post almost depicted the amibance of Shantiniketan.
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Thank you.. So so glad you liked it
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I have heard a lot about this place. would like to make a visit to Shantiniketan someday to know more about the place and stories associated.
#xplorabharat #poseinstylereads
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I am sure you will live this place
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Thanks for the post…I have heard so much about Shantiniketan – so glad to read all about it and enjoy it!
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Thank you
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Your blog gave a boost to my hearts desire to be at shanti niketan artist once.thank for details about the place.
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So glad it had that effect… Thank you😊
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This is such an enlightening post! A place with so many treasures and never heard before! Glad I read this out!
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Thanks…you are right, apart from people from Bengal or people who specifically choose to study art/music, not many have heard of this place…but plan to visit whenever you are in Kolkata
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I have a desire in my heart to visit Shantiniketan someday as I have heard a lot about it from my friends in Kolkata. These pics look so serene and have really enticed me to go to this peaceful place. Thanks for sharing this wonderful post, Esha.
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Thanks Vartika, glad you liked the post…do visit it when you get a chance, its a wonderful place
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Woow! I have never seen this place
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generally it does not come up on the places to visit list often and I wonder why…its a place full of history, art and nature…
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I have read about Shantiniketan, heard people narrating stories about their visit there, but never visited it myself. Your detailed and helpful post has not ony enticed me to visit it but also helped me add this historical place to my bucket list.
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Thank you…so glad you liked the post
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I’ve seen Shantiniketan only in movies 😞 I’m a great admirer of Rabindranath Tagore, and would love to visit Shantiniketan some day. Thank you for this peek into it 😍
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Its a beautiful place… Must visit…
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I’ve always wanted to visit the beautiful place Shantiniketan but the plan somehow never materialized. Hope to visit the Rabindranath Tagore’s place in near future.
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Hope you visit soon and this post helps you plan it well
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Good post Esha. Definitely on my list next time I visit that part of India. Good followup post to my Kolkata post. So much to learn from Rabindra Nath Tagore.
#ContemplationOfaJoker #Jokerophilia
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Thank you..definitely a must visit
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