Shantiniketan- Monastery of Gurudev.
It is the land of red soil. I have visited many times Shantiniketan. I have never seen such peaceful place anywhere. Here I am sharing some of my experiences with some details about Shantiniketan.
About Shantiniketan:
It is the place of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Thousands of visitors come here every year. It is located near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of Bengal. Shantiniketan is 190-200 km distance from Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.
This land was taken by Rabidranath’s father Maharsi Debendranath Tagore. Previously it was the assets of Sinha family. Lord Satyendra Prossonna Sinha was the owner. Then its name was Bhubandanga. It was so peaceful with the forest of mango tree and seeing this natural silence Maharshi named it as Shantiniketan. Later Rabindranath Tagore made here first a patha Bhavana, a school and then after getting Nobel Prize it became a world famous University.
The university is run still now keeping the ideals of Rabindranath Tagore.
Main streams and parts of Shantiniketan:
One of the best art colleges in India and even in the world is Kala Bhavana, the art college of Shantiniketan.Above this this university has many streams. They are;-
1.Vidya Bhabana- The College of humanities.
2.Shiksha Bhabana- The College of science.
3.Sangeet Bhabana- The institute of dance and music.
4.Vinaya Bhabana- The institute of educations.
5.Rabindra Bhabana- The institute of Rabindra studies and research.
6.Palli-samgathana Bhabana– The institute of rural reconstruction.
7.Palli Shiksha Bhabana- Instiute of agricultural science.
Previously which was Patha Bhabana has been running still now. This bhabana has two schools. One is Mrinalini Ananda Pathsala- which is for Kindergarten label and another is Santosh Pathsala, which is also known as Shiksha Satra and which is for primary and secondary education.
There are more centers also to study about rural craft, social studies, environmental studies etc. Indira Gandhi centre for National Integration is famous here.
Some other facts:
I have already said that it is a famous university in the world. Some famous personalities like, Indira Gandhi-the former Prime minister, Maharani Gayatri Devi-the queen of Coochbehar, Satyajit Roy- the famous film director and the famous Nobel winner economist Amartya Sen were the students of this university. Many famous teacher are also associated with this university.
Shantiniketan is also the home place of Famous economist Amartya Sen.
Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi visited Shantiniketan and went to Kala Bhabana. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Pandit Jawharlal Neheru also visited. Many famous personalities including many presidents also visit here. So this is a historical place also.
Major festivals of Shantiniketan:
Many social and cultural events are happened throughout the year. Doljatra is famous here and many visitors come here to see this festival, which is held in the march every year. Poush Mela is also famous for local arts and crafts and also for cultural Programs. There are many other festivals also like Basanta Utsav, Barsha Mangal, Rabindra jayanti etc. Poush Mela is also famous and attractive fair which is started on seventh day of Poush( Bengali month). Traditional local singers come here to present the folk songs like Boul Sangeet. Many tourists come here in this time to take the taste of this fair.
Some other attractive places:
1.Prayer Hall- It is a hall made by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore with several colored Beljium glasses. Prayers are held on every Wednesday still now by lighting up candles and it gives a beautiful looks in this hall.
2.Dehali- Rabindranath Tagore and his wife Mrinalini Devi used this two storied building to stay when they lived in Shantiniketan.
3.China Bhabana- Famous Indian artist, Nandalal Bose decorated this Bhabana. It is a hall used for Chinese studies and some painting of Rabindra dramas is increasing the look of the hall.
4.Black house- It is a mud made house and bearing the arts of Bengals local traditions.
5.Kala Bhabana- It may be said as museum of many sculptures, fine arts and crafts. It has also a library of books.
Above this Uttarayan complex, Bichitra, Sangeet Bhabana, Kankalitala, Many gardens and parks shopping centers are here.
Some other visiting places nearby:
If you come here to see the creation of Rabindranath Tagore, and want to know the details of Gurudev then you must come here. After visiting Shantiniketan you may go to some nearby places which are also famous in Bengal. They are Bakreswar and Tarapith, Kolkata, Barddhaman, Massenjore etc. These places are nearby and have good transport facilities to go.
How to go there?
The nearest airport is Dumdum airport in Kolkata, which is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. From there Howrah and Sealdah are nearby railway station. There are many trains available here to go to Bolpur and Shantiniketan. From Bolpur it is 2/3 km distance up to Shantiniketan. Roadway connectivity is also good from Kolkata and from all major cities of west Bengal. Local buses, car or Taxi are also available.
Hotels and Foods: There are many hotels nearby Shantiniketan and surrounding area. Bengali foods are famous. Rice, fish curry and posto (Poppy) are famous. There are some restaurants also to serve continental foods.
Conclusion-So come once and visit Shantiniketan. Every year many students come here to take admission also in this university. There is a official website also. You can get much information from this site. To know about Rabindranath Tagore and the cultures of villages any have to come here once and may be a lifetime achievement.
Photos from: Wikipedia.
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