Located about 210 km north of
Kolkata, Shantiniketan is a university town near Bolpur in
Birbhum District,
West Bengal. It was established as an
ashram
by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, the father of
Rabindranath Tagore, in 1863. Rabindranath started an open-air school in 1901 that gradually developed into Visva Bharati University in 1921. This university attracts pupils from all over the world and aspires to be a spiritual meeting ground in a serene environment.
The main attractions include the various buildings of the Visva Bharati campus such as Uttarayan Complex, Kala Bhavan and Sangeet Bhavan. In addition, Nandan Museum, Chatimtola,
Sriniketan, Deer Park, and
Kankalitala are worth visiting.
Shantiniketan is also famous for its various festivals such as Rabindra Janmotsav, Briksharopan, Paus Mela, Maghotsav, Vasanta utsav, Varshamangal and Sharodutsav.
Regular buses ply regularly on the Kolkata-Shantiniketan route. The nearest railway station is at Bolpur (2 km). Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the closest airbase.
