Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Kolkata - Timings, History, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 4 km from Kolkata Railway Station, Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the ancestral home of the Rabindranath Tagore located in Jorasanko locality of Kolkata. Currently located in Rabindra Bharati University campus, it is one of the prominent historical places in West Bengal and among most visited places during Kolkata Tour.

Jorasanko Thakur Bari was built in the 18th century on the land donated by the famous Sett family of Burrabazar to 'Prince' Dwarkanath Tagore, the grandfather of Rabindranath Tagore. It is the house in which the poet and first Indian Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861 and where he spent most of his life and then left for his heavenly abode in the year 1941.

This ancestral house of Rabindranath Tagore now houses the Tagore Museum. The house has been restored in such a manner that people can see how the household looked when the Tagore family resided in it. Also known as Rabindra Bharati Museum, the Tagore Museum is highly informative, and offers deep insights into the history of the Tagore family, and also about their involvement with the Bengal Renaissance and the Brahma Samaj. This is an enjoyable and exciting place to visit, especially for lovers of history and Bengali literature.

Established in the year 1961, the museum has three galleries in all. The galleries provide glimpses of intimate family photographs, live size portraits and Tagore's evolution as a poet-philosopher. There are more than 700 paintings, manuscripts, books and antique items in the museum which capture the attention of the visitors. Another attraction of the museum is the self-composed invite of Rabindranath Tagore's wedding. The museum has also preserved works of other eminent members of this illustrious family-like Maharishi Devendranath Tagore, Jyotirindranath, Abanindranath, and Dinendranath Tagore. The gifts received by him on different occasions are also present in the Rabindra Bharati Museum. The museum also has a section that stores old musical records.

The Museum is an integral part of the Rabindra Bharati University, established in 1962, for the advancement of the highest education in various disciplines of Humanities and Performing Arts. It organizes numerous events and programs like Panchise Baisakh, Tagore's death anniversary, etc. with great enthusiasm and fervor.

Timings: 10 AM - 5 PM, Closed on every Monday

Entry Fee: Rs. 10 for Indians & Rs. 50 for Foreigners, Rs. 10 for Light & Sound Show, Rs. 50 for Photography

Sound & Light Show: 6 PM - 6.40 PM (Bengali) & 7 PM - 7.40 PM (English) from November to January, 7 PM - 7.40 PM (Bengali) & 8 PM - 8.40 PM (English) from February to June, Closed on every Thursday & during monsoon season.