Daronda-Illambazar-Santiniketan

Bolpur is Rabindranth and Rabindranath is Bolpur. If a visitor does not visit Viswabarati Complex, the visit to Bolpur is incomplete. These are the must visit places inside the complex during an outing to Santiniketan. Photography is not allowed inside the premises of any house inside Viswabharati complex.

This is the main part of the Viswabharati complex where the poet stayed in various houses during his stay at Santiniketan. The main five houses are Udichi, Udayana, Konarka, Shyamali and Punascha. Konark was the first home to be built. It was used as a venue for poetry recitations and play rehearsals. Shyamali is an eco friendly mud house. A glass house displays the car used by Rabindranath Tagore. In the interiors, there are furniture where Tagore discussed various topics with students.

It is also a museum built by Rathindranath Tagore and inaugurated by 1961. which displays hand written letters by Tagore himself, photographs with his family members, students, gifts from several people  and letters of congratulations on receiving the Nobel Prize. The original Nobel Prize was stolen some years back and a replica is now on display.

This two storied building with a colonial style architecture was the first to be built in Santiniketan. The house was constructed during the 1860s shortly after Maharshi Debendranath had purchased a large tract of barren land. This house also has some furniture used by the poet and family as well as some photographs.

This is a single storey structure with beautiful Belgian stained glass windows and doors supported by slim iron pillars. No brick wall is visible. A favorite for peace loving tourists visiting Santiniketan

Aamar Kutir was established in 1923 by freedom fighter Susen Mukherjee with the inspiration of Rabindranath Tagore. Presently the society is engaged in skill building of the artisans of Batik print and leather work with new technology. It is a shopping centre from where one can buy many products which are all made by the local people. Also one can observe people preparing local artifacts in the workshop. These include Dokra sculpture, Leather bag, wooden product, Saree, Punjabi, Kurti and a large amount of Kantha Stitch product. The prices are fixed but the quality of the product is international level. This is an all-time favorite shopping hub for travelers embarking on a trip to  Santiniketan

The Kopai river, a tributary of the Mayurakshi rivers flows past Santiniketan and offers a major tourist attraction. In winter, mustard fields in its banks provide more scenic beauty.

Sonajhuri is a man-made forest in the Khowai region in Santiniketan. The Khowai is a landscape of small ravines formed by the continuous erosion of the Red Soil caused by Mother Nature. Since no vehicles are allowed here it is a pollution free zone, ideal for morning and evening stroll.  This is a hot favorite for those tourists visiting Santiniketan who love going on morning walks.

The local fair or haat is held on every Saturday afternoons on the edge of the Shonajhuri forest. Various kind of clothes and sarees, accessories; handicraft items and many more items are sold there and even ordered at a price which is probably half or even less from the cities. Several artisans visit the Haat with their artifacts. Popular buying item include locally made musical instruments, batik printed garments and kantha stitch garments. This is the most visited shopping hub for local handicrafts for tourists coming to Santiniketan for a weekend tour. 

This is a cultural hub which has several small mud and bamboo built huts which are actually museums dedicated to several states. The huts are painted influenced by  traditional paintings of the respective states. The states showcased here are Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and also of Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. There is an art gallery here too which features folk paintings. Entry ticket is only Rs 10. One can visit the visit the Buddha Stupa on the way to Shilpagram which is maintained by Santiniketan Ambedkar Buddhist Welfare Mission

With an area of 200 hectares Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Cheethals, Blackbucks and other animals like jackals and foxes. It is a protected area with jungle paths and watchtowers. This is a must visit place for all wildlife lovers taking an weekend tour at Santiniketan