About 212 km north of Kolkata is Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Santiniketan. His vision became what is now a university town — Visva-Bharati University. Established in 1921 with the financial backing of the Maharajah of Tripura, the Visva-Bharati was established with the idea of giving its students the best of eastern and western teachings. Tagore envisioned a center of learning which would have the best of both the east and the west. His Nobel Prize (1913) not only enhanced the pride of India but also the prestige of Santiniketan.
The concept of open-air education, as opposed to being cloistered in the four walls of a classroom, became a reality here. Eminent personalities from all over the world visited and taught at Visva-Bharati, which counts Indira Gandhi, Satyajit Ray, and Amartya Sen among its illustrious students. Kala Bhavana, the art college of Santiniketan, is still considered one of the best art colleges in the world.
Santiniketan also has some splendid sculptures, frescoes, murals and paintings of Rabindranath, Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar, Binod Bihari Mukhopadhaya and others. Santiniketan is also famous for its fairs and festivals like Poush Mela (December), Joydev Mela (January), Basanta Utsav (March) and the famous mystic Baul singers.
Listing image: By Biswarup Ganguly/Wikimedia commons
BEST PLACES TO STAY IN SANTINIKETAN
There are quite a few hotels near Santiniketan that offer decent service to the customers. Guest houses are also available near Santiniketan for those who are budget conscious.
Photograph courtesy: Subhadip Thakur/Creative Commons
BEST TIME TO VISIT SANTINIKETAN
The average minimum and maximum temperature of Santiniketan is as given below. The best time to visit Santiniketan is also specified.
