Shantiniketan

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World Heritage partnerships for conservation Ensuring that World Heritage sites sustain their outstanding universal value is an increasingly challenging mission in today’s complex world, where sites are vulnerable to the effects of uncontrolled urban development, unsustainable tourism practices, neglect, natural calamities, pollution, political instability, and conflict. Disclaimer The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website and/or in working documents in order to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels. The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries. Description Santiniketan, popularly known today as a university town, a hundred miles to the north of Kolkata, was originally an ashram built by Debendranath Tagore, where anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could come and spend time meditating on the one Supreme God. Debendranath, who was father of the Poet, Rabindranath, was also known as Maharshi (which means one who is both saint and sage) was a leading figure of the Indian Renaissance. In a trust deed pr...

What is so special about Shantiniketan? Is it the love for the Bard that lures people into the land of rangamati (red soil) and Palash ful (flame of the forest flower)? Or is it the serenity and simple beauty of the place that attracts travellers like us to go back there time and again? I had wanted to visit Bolpur – Shantiniketan since the time I started understanding Sahaj Path and could recite “ Pujarini” and “ Karna-Kunti Sangbad” at one go. For the uninitiated, Pujarini and Karna-Kunti Sangbad are two very famous Bengali poem pieces written by Rabindra Nath Tagore. But I could only visit Shantiniketan for the first time during one Basanta Utsav (Holi) two years back. Visiting Shantiniketan during the Basanta Utsav is no doubt a great experience. But that was a rushed visit. Our heart longed for another trip to Shantiniketan. And this time we decided to explore the place during the monsoon. We heard Shantiniketan is absolutely mesmerizing when it rains. Well, rains do have that nature to make a place look gorgeous. Only when you have to go for work while it is raining, it does become a bit of a headache! If you arrive at Shantiniketan on a Saturday, then the only thing you should do that day is to go and explore the Khoai Shanibarer Haat (the local Saturday market) at Sonajhuri. As it is the forest of Saal ( Shorea robusta) looks and feels incredibly romantic, the colourful market is set amidst the forest making it even more attractive. Occasionally, we could hear the ...

Architecture Style of Shantiniketan Shantiniketan is an Indian hermitage (ashram), which was founded in 1863 by Devendranāth Tagore, father of the famous poet Rabindranàth Tagore, about 140 km north from the city of Kolkata , to create a quiet shelter for meditating, open to everybody. Rabindranàth Tagore in 1901 later opened here a school to restore the ancient system of Indian education, based on the communion among the teacher and his pupils and the contact with nature. In 1922 Shantiniketan received the title of University focused on a reconciliation of the Eastern civilization to the Western world. Mandir_©https://www.caleidoscope.in/nostalgiphilia/shantiniketan-celebrating-rabindranath-tagore Architectural composition The architectural composition of the entire Shantiniketan complex reflects the idea that Rabindranàth Tagore expressed as a main objective of the school, seeing it as a place “where the whole world can find a nest”: it is composed of a synthesis of elements coming from different sources. The architecture philosophy that lays under all the buildings design is the idea that all the constructions could be re-addressed to simply an arch or a tunnel, with rooms placed on the wings. The central lounge was always the core of the building, around which the other spaces grew organically. The facades of the buildings are never monumental. A stylistic influence that emerges is the one from the local architecture, visible in the surrounding villages, particularly i...

Vishva-Bharati is a residential university (incorporated 1951) with an international student body, hostels, and extensive grounds. It includes separate colleges for fine arts and crafts, Sino-Indian studies, music and dance, research in Asian languages, teacher training, technology, and postgraduate studies and research. Rabindra-Sadana is the university’s museum and academy for the study of Tagore. Shantiniketan also contains Udayana, Tagore’s residence. At nearby Sriniketan, another campus of Vishva-Bharati, is an institution founded in 1922 by Tagore and an associate that is concerned with rural reconstruction, health, social welfare, and the revival of ancient arts and handicrafts. Many outstanding Indian painters have studied there. This article was most recently revised and updated by