Bolpur, Santiniketan
Santiniketan
Tarapith
Tarapith, 80 km from Bolpur, is situated near the Dwaraka River in Birbhum, West Bengal. Close by to the Temple is the Bamdev Shangha Ashram. Enshrined at the Temple is a Murti of the Maa Tara, who according to local legend suckled the thirsty Shiva, and saved him from suffering.
The Murti is covered in a golden mask during the day, and during the night they remove this covering. She is described as holding two snakes in her hands, with Lord Shiva on her lap suckling.
Mama-Bhagne Pahar
Baul
Bauls are a group of mystic minstrels from Bengal. The term Baul refers to both a syncretic religious sect and a musical tradition used as a vehicle to express Baul thought. Bauls are a very heterogeneous group, with many different streams to the sect, but their membership mainly consists of Vaishnavite Hindus and Sufi Muslims.
Visitors can be often identified by their distinctive clothes and musical instruments, such as the ektara. Though Bauls comprise only a small fraction of the Bengali population, their influence on the culture of Bengal is considerable. In 2005, the Baul tradition was included in the list of “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” by UNESCO.
Tribal Dance
Birbhum District was inhabited by a number of people belonging to different sects, which makes the land as the blend of both indigenous and alien culture. The diverse culture of Birbhum from the prehistoric times and its rural society was the focus for the poets of Vaishnava and Shakta Padabali. However it was the folk culture, which gets prominence in the post-independence period. The folk culture or rather the native culture of Birbhum district was specially augmented by the contribution of the bauls, their philosophy and their music.
The Baulism culture emerged as a religiously liberal philosophy and lifestyle which conforms to the ideals of Sahajyan movement, a refined form of Vajrayan movement, also supplemented by the influence of Vaishnavism and Sufism. The bauls who earn their living by singing & collecting alms, accommodate people from all castes & creed. “Baul” is the true replica of the mixed culture of the land and the truly modern bauls upheld a broader yet liberal perspective of life and culture. Tagore was immensely influenced by the bauls and some of his works are endowed with the Baul philosophy.
Birbhum is the hub of Bengal’s folk culture. In addition to being a confluence of Vaishnav, Shakta and Shaiva culture, Birbhum villages also observes the worship of “Gramadevata” or God of the village popularly known as the “Dharma Thakur”, symbolized by a stone Tribals like bagdi, dome, hari, bauri worship “Dharma Thakur”. The folks of Birbhum are the clear representation of the spirit of rural Bengal.
Poush Mela
Visva Bharati
It was made famous by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a University town – Visva-Bharati University. The place now attracts thousands of visitors each year. In 1901, Tagore started a school at Santiniketan named Bramhachari Ashram that was modeled on the lines of the ancient Gurukul system which later came to be known as the Patha Bhavan, the school of his ideals, whose central premise was that learning in a natural environment would be more enjoyable and fruitful.
Tagore envisioned a center of learning which would have the best of both the east and the west. After he received the Nobel Prize (1913), it enhanced not only the pride of India but also the prestige of Santiniketan. The school was expanded into a University. It was named Visva-Bharati.
Places to visit near Shantiniketan
- Visva Bharati Campus (Santiniketan,Sriniketan & Museum)
- Sonajhuri Hath
- Prakriti Bhavan
- Konkali Tola
- Amar Kuti
- Shyor Bithi
- Paus Mela
- Basanto Utsab
- Tribal Dance
- Deer Park
- Kopai River
- Raipur Rajbari
- Ajoy River
- Bakreswar Hot Spring
- Surul Rajbari
- Hetampur Rajbari
- Mama-Bhagne Pahar
- Tarapith
- Fosil Park
- Fullara Kali Mandir Labpur
- Sobuj Bon
- Joydev Shiddhason Temple
