Overview:
Shantiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India. Built originally in 1863 by Debendranath Tagore and later expanded by his son Rabindranath Tagore whose vision became what is now a university town with the creation of the Visva-Bharati University. The town is flanked on either side by the Ajay river and the Kopai stream.
Things to do:
Social and cultural events include Basanta Utsav, Barsha Mangal, Sharodutsav, Nandan Mela, Anandamela, Poush Mela, Magh Mela, and Rabindra Jayanti. Of these, the Poush Mela is a significant attraction. It is a three-day fair (Bengali, mela means a fair), starting on the seventh day of the Bengali month Poush (usually, last week of December). The fair features live music performances and vendors.
Top Attraction:
- Visva-Bharati
- Kala Bhavana
- 5 Tagore’s houses – Punascha, Shamali, Konarka, Udichi and Udayana
- The art gallery and museum
- Tinpahar