Shantiniketan is a popular getaway about 212km from Kolkata. It is easily reachable by road and well-connected to Kolkata by bus. The Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata is the nearest airport and Bolpur is the nearest railhead.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
There is much beauty in the design of the Visva Bharati Complex (Tel: 03463-262751-56). Shantiniketan Griha is the first building that Rabindranath Tagore’s father, Debendranath, built in 1863. The Upasana Griha (prayer hall) has colourful stained-glass work – a cross between Gothic church and Gujarati styles. Patha Bhavan, a building with lively fresco paintings by Nandalal Bose, was built in 1899.
China Bhavan has priceless archives, manuscripts and books. Hindi Bhavan has a huge library and paintings by Binod Behari Mukhopadhyay. Kala Bhavan houses iconic sculptures by Ramkinkar Baij and Somenath Hore. In the Uttarayan complex, visit the most attractive of Tagore’s houses, Shyamali. Tagore hosted Mahatma Gandhi in this house. Don’t miss the Tagore Museum (Rabindra Bhavan) in Vichitra.