Tagore’s home Santiniketan added to UNESCO World Heritage List

 

Santiniketan, the home of late Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage sites list, the world body announced on Sunday.

The Indian Express had reported in February that Visva-Bharati University was set to become the first living university, which is functioning, to get the heritage tag from UNESCO. The Trinamool Congress hailed the town as a “testament to the profound cultural and intellectual contributions” of Tagore.

The name of the beautiful and culturally rich town literally means the ‘abode of peace’. Named after a local dacoit Bhuban, it was earlier called ‘Bhubandanga’.

Bordering Bolpur city in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, it was established by Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Later, Rabindranath Tagore envisioned it as a university town and established a school. It was called Brahmachary Ashram, and was later expanded into the Visva-Bharati University.

The recommendation to add the site to the UNESCO World Heritage list was was announced by Union Minister G Kishan Reddy in May. He said in a tweet, “Great news for India on the jayanti of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Santiniketan in West Bengal has been recommended for inscription to the World Heritage List by ICOMOS, the advisory body to UNESCO World Heritage Centre.”

International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is a France-based international body dedicated to the conservation and enhancement og global architecture and heritage.

Apart from Santiniketan, West Bengal also has another gem in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – the Durga Puja in Kolkata.