Shantiniketan: Soothe Your Eyes With The Greenery

Shantiniketan: Soothe Your Eyes With The Greenery

“Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it”- Rabindranath Tagore

Shantiniketan which  is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal. Its is located about 158km northwest of Kolkata which is almost 4 hours drive from kolkata. Shantiniketan which means the abode of peace dies full justice to its name.  This place is a must visit for everyone who comes to west bengal.

A short invigorating trip to Shantiniketan can definitely detoxify all the stress from your life.The alluring scenery of the green paddy lands and rivers all around can make you euphoric. This place is a perfect fusion of art, culture and natural beauty.

Way to Shantiniketan

HISTORY BEHIND THE PLACE

Shantiniketan is the home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The first Asian to be awarded the Nobel prize in 1913. Many classics of Rabindranath Tagore has been written here. He lived here with his family. some of his family members have died here including his wife, Mrinalini Devi.

A way long back “Shantiniketan” was the name of the guest house of Rabindranath Tagore’s father Debendranath Tagore. Initially, it was a spiritual centre where people from all religions and casts came to perform meditation. Originally it was named as Brahmacharya Ashram. In the year  1863 Rabindranath Tagore founded the Visva Bharati University in  Shantiniketan with the agenda of taking education beyond the confines of the classroom. The  university is a perfect blend of western and traditional eastern system of education. It is a huge campus including different schools like ‘Patha Bhavan’,’china Bhavan’,’Hindi Bhavan’.

Inside Visva Bharati University

WHEN TO GO

The best time to visit here is march during Holi(the festival of colors) which is famously known here as “Vasanta Utsab” and the last weeks of December during “Poush Mela”.Shantiniketan gets flooded with people during this time.

Celebrating “Vasanta Utsab”

Handmade Organic colors

A colorful moment of “Vasanta Utsab”(Holi)

THINGS TO DO

inside the Rabindra Bharati University

·        The main places to visit in Shantiniketan are Visva Bharati University and Uttarayan Complex( where the poet and his family lived).

folk singers

·        If you want to enjoy the natural charm along with the mesmerizing singing performances by the “Bauls”( local folk singers) at the weekends then visit Shantiniketan.

·     Prakriti Bhavan – It is a museum which consists of naturally formed rock and driftwood sculptures.

Handicrafts in the local market

Handcrafted Clay Toys

·        Amar Kutir – It is a handicraft shop selling handmade jewellery box , leather bags.

·        Srijani Shilpa Gram – It is a complex built and maintained by EZCC (Eastern Zonal Culture Centre ) to give you an insight of rural and tribal life and their artforms and culture

HOW TO RACH

·        Shantiniketan Bolpur is the railway station for Shantiniketan.It takes two to three hours by train to reach there from Kolkata.

·        You can also book a private car for yourself to reach there.

It is one of the best places for weekend trips for those who live in West Bengal and its outskirts..