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About Santiniketan Tourism
Recognised as one of India's most prestigious centres for higher education, the small university town of Santiniketan is situated about 180 km north of Kolkata.
It primarily came into prominence when the Nobel laureate, Rabindranath
Tagore, founded the university, known as Visva Bharati, here in 1921.
Today, its vast campus grounds, open-air classes and tranquil
atmosphere attract hundreds of visitors, as does the fact that
Rabindranath penned several of his literary classics on these very
grounds.Interestingly, Santiniketan,
which means 'abode of peace,' was initially named after a local dacoit
and known as Bhubandanga. This was changed by the Tagore family, who
owned the town, and subsequently Rabindranath's father established an
ashram here, inviting people from all over the world for meditation and
prayers. Soon after, Rabindranath opened a school and then a university
here, which were modelled on the gurukul system of education and promoted learning in a natural setting.
Sightseeing Highlights:
The main highlight in Santiniketan is, undoubtedly, the Visva Bharati University and it?s various departments, such as Kala Bhawan, one of the best
Reviews on Santiniketan travel(What people have to say)
Santiniketan Guide - Rabindranath Tagore started an open-air school at Shantiniketan that gradually developed into an international university named Visva Bharati.
The Voice of Santiniketan - Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate of 1913 was introduced to the West primarily through the collection of English translation of some of his poems/songs captioned as Gitanjali.
Official Websites
Government of West Bengal - West Bengal Government portal covering diverse topics including health, tourism, culture, climate, Tenders and e-Governance.
West Bengal Tourism - West Bengal Tourism Government portal - Official website of Dept. of Tourism, covers West Bengal Entry formalities, Places of Interest in West Bengal, List of Tourist Guides in West Bengal and Transportation in West Bengal.