Visited February 2024

Visit easily doable as a day trip starting in the morning around 7am from Sealdah train station in Kolkata, taking a train to the station named Bolpur Shantiniketan [in Bangla language they pronounce Shantiniketan instead of Santiniketan in Hindi] (the trip takes around 3 hours but could be much longer because Indian trains are unpredictable… I was lucky enough – trains to and from Bolpur had only minimal delays 😊).

Arriving in Bolpur Shantiniketan you can take an auto rickshaw or walk for around 2km and a half to Shantiniketan Campus; and keep in mind that it is not so simple to get into the campus of the Visva-Bharati while you’re there… The property is quite big and there are many gates and paths leading to its historical buildings and bhavans but at each entrance (yes!) there are guards (many of them walking around too) who won’t let you get into the premises of the university without a written permission! Why? Because this is a school, there are students at different age – from primary school children to art and literature students; and walking while they have classes sometimes under the trees (this tradition is still alive) can really disturb them, especially the younger ones… I understand that… That’s during the week and during the weekends… I was told the complex is closed and still no access to most of the buildings.

Is there anything you can see/visit without it? Yes, Rabindra Bhavana, museum dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore, and the neighbouring Uttarayana complex where Tagore lived and where Gandhi stayed during his visit in Santiniketan. The entry fee is 500 rupees for foreign tourists. You have to leave all your belongings before entering the garden of the complex – you can keep your phone and camera, but no photo allowed inside the building. And, of course, you have to leave your shoes before stepping into the houses/buildings… If you came here to learn about Tagore’s life and works, you’re in the right place; but if you came to visit Shantiniketan, you could be a bit disappointed – most of the displays are long texts to read and the tours are only in Hindi and Bangla… Moreover most of the building in the complex are closed, you cannot even approach to the ☹

Hmmm…. And is there any chance to get a written permission to visit the university complex itself with the most interesting buildings like Kala Bhavan, Cheena Bhavan or Upasana Girha? It seems that it is possible, and here’s step by step how to arrange it (that’s what I did): 1. Go to the Central Office of Visva-Bharati, it is located to the eat of the main street, opposite of Central Library; 2. Find a Registration Office; 3. Ask for the director of the Registration Office – if he’s there, you’re lucky! 4. Present your passport (they will make a copy of the pages with your photo and Indian visa) and write a short letter (they will give you a piece of paper) explaining why you want to visit the site; 5. The director will call the supervisor of the school – she will tell what buildings and areas can be visited and she advises to wait until late afternoon when most classes are over; in my cases it was not possible (I had to come back to Kolkata) so she agreed I can spend 45 minutes only in the campus between 12:45 and 13:30 – I was very lucky at that moment; 6. The Registration director signed my letter and wrote something on it in Bangla; 7. You go to the PR department (next building, this office is very well hidden although on the ground floor) with your letter signed by the Registration director and ask PR boss to go with you and show Santiniketan from inside – Mr. Assif was not the happiest person to do it but he accompanied with his motorcycle and… we spend almost two hours walking through different parts of historical area, even talking with the students and teachers; Mr. Assif wanted to show and explain to me as much as possible what made me very, very lucky and happy.