Santiniketan
Introduction And History :Santiniketan is a town located in Bolpur in West Bengal, which means ‘Adobe of peace’. It is mainly famous for because of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town called ‘Visva-Bharati’ University. This is the place where Tagore lived and written many of his classical work in literature. In 1863 Tagore’s father founded this place as an Ashram and 40 years later, Rabindranath started an open-air school at Shantiniketan that gradually developed into this international university. It also became a spiritual centre where people from all religions were invited to join for meditation and prayers.
What To See : Shantiniketan offers multiple tourist attractions as a part of its rich culture. China Bhavan, Chhatimtala, Kala Bhavan, Patha Bhavan, Prayer Hall,Bichitra, Sangeet Bhavan and Uttarayan Complex are some of the attractions. It is also famous for various festivals like Poush Mela, Maghotsab, Basanta Utsab, Varsha Mangal and Sharodutsab. Travellers can visit this place except August, which happens to be a heavy rain month out there.
Accomodations :As this place attracts lot of tourists every year, there are multiple options for accommodation. There are tourist lodges and cottages run by the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation and Visva Bharati itself has a guesthouse. Multiple private hotels are available at Bolpur, which can offer accommodation starting from 350 rupees per day.
Mode Of Transport : Kolkata is the nearest Airport, which is 136 Kilometres away. Multiple trains connect Bolpur with Kolkata and the Shantiniketan is just 2 Kilometres from the station. Ample direct buses are available from Kolkata on a daily basis. Local travel is primarily by cycle rickshaw.
Timings: Shantiniketan has got the following timings:
• Winter: 1400 to 1630 hours
• Summer: 1430 to 1730 hours
• During vacations: 0730 to 1100 hours
Related links:
• NITPU official site: http://www.wb.nic.in/
• Tourist information: http://www.santiniketan.com/
See also (Nearby places): Fullora, Nalhati, Kankalitala,Bakreshwar, Massanjore, Kendubilwa, Nanoor and Tarapith are some of the nearby tourist attractions.
