A trip to Bolpur Santiniketan

Santiniketan the nature's destination is knowingly located at Bolpur, District-Birbhum in West Bengal, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has established Viswa Bharati University in santiniketan has played a decisive role in Bengal's modern art and culture And I always wished to see the houses where the great poet lived and where he studied and taught his students. Every time we planned, every time it was postponed and the jinx continued for the past 5 years. However, we finally made it this year in January (23-25). It was a refreshing family trip which was decided overnight. Planning doesn’t always work! 

How to go:

We boarded Santiniketan Express that departs from Howrah at 10:05 am everyday. The train reached Bolpur-Shantiniketan around 12:35 pm. There is a train from Sealdah – Sealdah-Rampurhat Passenger, which can also reach you comfortably to Bolpur, but it takes longer than the Howrah-Santiniketan Express dedicated for tourists only. The car from Baul Monn Resort was waiting outside the station.

When to go:

In late January the nights were cold and days were pleasant in Shantiniketan. So, I think this is the best time to visit the place if you want a quiet holiday or relaxing weekend trip. Poushmelawas just over and there were fewer crowds. If the festivals are main attraction for you then you should visit Shantiniketanin December during Poush Mela or in March to get the flavor of Holi in the form of Vasanta Utsab celebrated in the Visva Bharati university ground.

We reached the hotel by 1:30 and set out to explore the area by 2:30 pm after lunch. Our first stop was Prakriti Bhavan Nature Art Museum, India’s only nature art museum.

The museum houses impressive collections of naturally formed rock and driftwood sculptures. The sculptures, mostly collected from Deccan Plateau are placed in the outdoor garden while the wooden items are on display inside the museum building. These natural sculptures resemble animals, humans, gods and goddesses. A visit to Prakriti Bhavan will let loose your imagination for sure. Do you see Rabindranath Tagore in this natural rock sculpture? 

Kopai River

I had seen photos of Kopai River on the web and so I had doubt about it. The dusk was falling when we reached by the river. And as I expected it was sheer disappointment. There was no water, only grass and pebbles scattered along the riverbed. Our driver said that during monsoon the river overflows the bridge.

The Shilpagram is a wonderful place to be with beautifully decorated tribal huts all around, depicting the lifestyle of various indigenous tribes from different parts of India. The place gives you quick insight of tribal life and their art and culture. This complex is developed and maintained by EZCC (Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre). They also organize cultural programmes and concerts in the outdoor arena in SRIJANI.