Overview
Shantiniketan is a small city located in the north-central part of West Bengal, India. This town is popularly known for its university and the passion for culture, literature, art, and music brought by the Tagore family. This place was earlier known as Bhubandunga after a local favor named Bhuban. But, later on, Debendranath named it 'Shantiniketan,' which means 'the abode of peace,' founded by the Tagore family members, majorly by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore himself. Later on, his son and very famous figure, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote his famous literature classic. At Brahmacharya ashrama established in Shantiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore was also one of the first five students. Rabindranath Tagore expanded his father's dreams of creating a passion in human hearts with different arts and cultures like painting, literature, poetry, theater, and music. His vision became a reality as a university of this town famous with its name 'Visva-Bharati.' This university is a research center and an Institution of National Importance. Rabindranath Tagore named it 'Visva-Bharati' with a concept in his mind of 'making the communion of the world with India.' Before India got its independence, it was just a university but, by 1951, Visva-Bharati gained the status of a central university.
Apart from the popularity of university, Shantiniketan is also a notable place for many reasons. According to 2009's Human Development Report of Birbhum, it attracts more than 1.2 million tourists per year. This place is full of archives, a library, and a collection of different houses built by Rabindranath Tagore
