Shantiniketan and Sriniketan Excursion
Escape the hustle and bustle of Kolkata for a full day on a 12-hour excursion to the small town of Shantiniketan, located approximately 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Kolkata.
Depart at 07:00 from your hotel for the 2.5-hour train journey to Shantiniketan.
The "abode of peace" was initially an Ashram, or hermitage, founded in 1863 by Maharishi Devendranath Tagore, the father of the world-famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore started an experimental place of learning with a classroom under the trees and a group of five pupils. It later became the Visva-Bharati University in 1921.
Visit the university, which attracts pupils from all over the world and aspires to be a spiritual meeting ground, combining Indian traditions with the best of other cultures.
On arrival, proceed directly for lunch and visit the university campus before continuing to the village of Sriniketan. The main attractions at Shantiniketan are the house where Tagore lived and worked, Rabindra Bhavan, China Bhavan (Chinese faculty), Kala Bhavan (College of Arts and Crafts), Patha Bhavan, Sangeet Bhavan (School of Dance and Music), and the prayer hall.
Find some of the poet's personal belongings, paintings, and various editions of his works at Bichitra, or Rabindra Bhavan, a research centre and museum.
Continue to Sriniketan, the location of Tagore's Institute of Rural Reconstruction. Formally inaugurated in February 1922, the chief object of the college was to help villagers solve their own problems instead of having solutions imposed on them from outside.
See the attractive manor house and grounds where the colleges are located before your return to Kolkata.
