Santiniketan (Bengali: শান্তিনিকেতনŚāntiniketan), also speltShantiniketan, is a town in theBirbhum district ofWest Bengal and a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deeply associated with the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and his brainchild Visva-Bharati University, around 1.2 million people visit Santiniketan for its unique blend of education, culture, and nature.
Santiniketan (SHAHN-tih-nih-keh-tawn) was established by Debendranath Tagore in the second half of the 19th century, and then developed by his son, Rabindranath Tagore, the leading figure of the Bengali Renaissance. It is a unique learning centre in the sense that the education takes place under the canopy of a tree, instead of in a classroom. Distinct from the British colonial approach to education at the time, Santiniketan represents approaches toward a pan-Asian modernity, drawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions of India as well as Japanese, Chinese, Persian, Balinese, Burmese and Art Deco forms. It is considered an example of an enclave of intellectuals, educators, artists, artisans and workers who collaborated and experimented with this modernity.
Santiniketan has produced such diverse personalities as Indira Gandhi (once a Prime Minister of India), Satyajit Ray (an Oscar-winning filmmaker) and Amartya Sen (a Nobel laureate) and has been home to great artists and musicians. Santiniketan is also famous for thebaul culture, where a group of men in saffron robes singing spiritual songs. Several artists are also closely associated with this town other than the Tagore family, including Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij and Benode Behari Mukherjee. Their works can be found throughout the town.
In 1863, Debendranath Tagore took on permanent lease20 acres (8.1 hectares) of land, along with twochātim (ছাতিম) trees from zamindar Bhuban Mohan Sinha. The leased area was a small village and the den of a gang of notorious dacoits. After the leader of the gang surrendered to Debendranath, they started helping him in developing the area. Debendranath built a guest house there and named it Santiniketan (literally the "abode of peace"). Gradually, the whole area came to be known as Santiniketan.
Debendranath's son Rabindranath had once dreamt of a place where "the world would form a single nest", using a combination of education, appreciation of nature, music and the arts. In 1901, he established a residential school in Santiniketan, calledBrahmacaryāśram (ব্রহ্মচর্যাশ্রম). It became an arts centre based on ancient Indian traditions, and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries. In 1921, Tagore established theVisva-Bharati University (বিশ্বভারতীBiśbabhāratī), further strengthening his ideals of education.
The entire Santiniketan area is designated as aUNESCO World Heritage Site in September 2023.
This article covers theUNESCO World Heritage Site of Santiniketan, along with the nearby areas ofBallavpur (বল্লভপুরBallabhpur)Bolpur (বোলপুর),Prantik (প্রান্তিকPrāntik),Sriniketan (শ্রীনিকেতনŚrīniketan).Santiniketan Road is the major artery of the town.
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The climate of Santiniketan is moderately warm, with summer temperatures at around 35–42 °C (maximum) and winter at 10–15 °C (minimum). Summer is felt for three months, March, April and May. December, January and February are the winter months. June, July, August and September see heavy rainfall. The annual average temperature is 26.2 °C. About 1480 mm of rain falls per year, with 76 days seeing the rain.
The nearest airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP IATA) atDurgapur, but flights are infrequent. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) inKolkata is the nearest major airport that is close to Santiniketan.
Santiniketan is two to three hours by train fromKolkata. Vande Bharat Express and Shatabdi Express offer the fastest service. For schedules check withIndian Railways.
There are two railway stations in Santiniketan, namely23.65780487.6981361Bolpur Shantiniketan ER 
(BHP) and23.69443587.6935012Prantik ER . Most express trains stop at Bolpur Shantiniketan.
If you are travelling with a lot of baggage, you may struggle for space even in reserved coaches of express trains. Local trains fromBardhaman orRampurhat can be crowded, depending on whether you are travelling on peak times or not.
Express trains that stop at Bolpur Shantiniketan:
Santiniketan is212 km (132 mi) fromKolkata by road. Good drivers can cover the distance in about 3 hours.
Santiniketan is connected with Kolkata by an excellent 4-lane expressway. From Kolkata, travel to Dankuni and take theDurgapur Expressway (NH 19). It will bypass Saktigarh,Bardhaman and Panagarh. At Panagarh (Darjeeling More), turn right. After crossing the Ajay River, take the road to the right at Ilambazar and proceed towards Bolpur. At the Santiniketan–Sriniketan junction (also called Surul More) take the road to the left.
You can also take NH 114 via Talit, Guskara, Bhedia and Surul More, by taking a right turn from the Durgapur Expressway just after crossing Bardhaman on the right (where the Renaissance Township is on the left) and taking this route via Nababhat More. It saves time and the distance is less from the above route by about 50 km, with the cost of numerous speed bumps on the way.
Another option is to take the Bardhaman-Palitpur stretch of the 2-lane NH 116A by taking a right turn from the Durgapur Expressway at Telipukur. At Palitpur, turn left to take the road leading to Bolpur. Although the route is longer than NH 114, it is far less congested and has fewer speed bumps.
You can also look at themap of the Visva-Bharati campus in Santiniketan.
Electric rickshaws, locally known asṭoṭo (টোটো), are the most convenient and cheap means of transport these days. The older cycle rickshaws are still available and can be availed, though it would cost more. If you are a tourist, don't get on the cycle rickshaws in front of the museum that are manned by persistent teenagers as they will take you on a farcical circulatory route to make you spend more. Choose the older guys. Or just walk around the town.
Hired cars and taxis are not always readily available, although they are not always needed as it is a compact town anyway.
If you are planning an extended stay, it may be worth your while to purchase a bicycle from one of the many local cycle shops. A brand new bicycle costs ₹3,200-3,600.
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Santiniketan has several buildings associated with the Tagore family—Santiniketan Griha, Nutan Bari, Dehali etc. School classes and major functions are held in theAmra Kunja (mango grove). Some distance away on the eastern side is a small hillock with a large banyan tree. It was a favourite of Maharishi Debendranath Tagore. Visitors are not allowed to loiter around educational centres during working hours as these disturb the classes being held.
(updated Aug 2022) (updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)(updated May 2023)(updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)In Santiniketan, seasonal changes bring their own colours and beauties with various festivals. The festivals are organised on traditional Indian forms and rituals.
(updated Dec 2022)(updated May 2023)(updated Aug 2022)
A favourable time for shopping is during the Poush Mela. The unique style of embroidery associated with Santiniketan is known as the 'Kantha stitch'. 'Sudha Karu Shilpa' in Andrews Palli, 'Amar Kutir' at the Kopai River, and 'Basundhara' in Sonajhuri offer quality Kantha stitchwork in the form of sarees, and dupattas throughout the year. Other handicrafts like dhokra (artistic brassware from nearbyAusgram), leather bags, bamboo toys and locally handwoven cotton are also worth a look.
(updated May 2023)Santiniketan and the surrounding areas offer a few bottle shops for wine and liquor purchases. A few restaurants have permits to serve beer (Kharimati restaurant, Park Hotel restaurant) and one local bar with a liquor licence is the Moon Bar at the new Kharimati Hotel. During tribal festivals, the Santals enjoy rice beer which is served warm, is quite tasty and has a low alcohol content.
 | Note: To avoid the unsavory, corrupt, and thoroughly untrustworthy booking services based inKolkata, it is best to get a place to stay on arrival without reservation. |
| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standarddouble room: | |
| Budget | ₹1000 |
| Mid-range | ₹1000 to ₹3000 |
| Splurge | ₹3000 |
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(updated May 2023)(updated Aug 2022)(updated Aug 2022)(updated May 2023)| Thiscity travel guide toSantiniketanis ausable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but pleasefeel free to improve itby editing the page. |
