Visit to Jorasanko Thakur Bari Museum in Kolkata
Jorasanko Thakurbari Museum, north of Kolkata is the ancestral house of Tagore family. It is named after Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore. Thakur is the Bengali version of Tagore or rather Thakur is anglicised to Tagore. Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the house of Tagore family.
History of Jorasanko Thakur Bari
Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore (1794-1846) built this house, rather a bungalow on land received as gift from Sett family. It has been the residence of the joint family of Tagores ever since then, thus getting named as Thakur Bari. In 1961 government took over converted it to a museum.
Maharshi Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore
Nobel Laurette Rabindranath Tagore was born to this extremely rich upper-caste Pirali Brahmin family in this very Jorasanko mansion in 1861.
He grew up in a joint family. After his mother’s untimely death he was looked after by his elder brother Jyotindranath’s wife Kadambari Devi. She was more like a friend to him and an inspiration for most of his literary work.
Facade of Jorasanko Thakurbari
Tagore spent half of his long life here, that is the initial and later part. In between, from his thirties on he worked in his pet project Shantiniketan.
In 1913, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first Asian ever to win this prize. The medal of Nobel Prize was displayed in Shantiniketan till it got stolen in 2012.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari now a Museum
There was a minimal entrance fees. We had to deposit our cameras at a counter at the entrance. Photography of rooms inside Thakur Bari is strictly prohibited. The mansion was procured by state government in 1961 and converted in to a museum.
Courtyard of Jorasanko Thakurbari Museum
Incidentally Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore breathed his last in this same house, Jorasanko Thakur Bari. Both the rooms are preserved very well, and the cot too is preserved in the same fashion.
Some of the rooms and kitchen are displayed in their original form. And some of the rooms display his paintings. Most noteworthy are the 40 original paintings of Rabindranath Tagore on display here. Jorasanko museum is an ideal destination for art and literature lovers.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari Museum Kolkata
Rabindra Bharati University, a centre for Indian Classical Fine Arts and quality education.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari Gate on Rabindra Sarani
The stage where he performed his own creations of drama and music were performed in a stage inside the bungalow. See picture.
I felt it was a great luck for me to see them in real. The collection of over 3000 rare photos in display here is mind blowing.
It is also associated with memory of other distinguished members of the family, like Abanindranath and Satyendranath. They played leading parting the resurgent cultural life of Bengal in 19th century.
Thakur Bari as it is popularly known, became the nerve center of Bengal’s cultural life and continued to function as such for well over a century.
Statue of Rabindranath Tagore
Residence of Tagore family
Rabindra Bharati University
The buildings adjacent to the museum serve as classrooms for Rabindra Bharti University. Rabindra Bharati University organizes regular cultural programs on the poet’s birthday, Panchise Baisakh (25th day of Baisakh month in lunar calendar), and on other occasions, such as his death anniversary, Baishe Shravan.
Though wiki mentions date of birth of Rabindranath Tagore as 7th May, Bengalis celebrate Rabindra Jayanti only on the date that will coincide with lunar calendar. In 2020 Rabindra Jayanti was on 8th May. 2021 – May 8th and 2022 – May 7th. Rabindra Jayanti is an annually celebrated cultural festival
They also organize a festival of arts, Aban Mela, when thousands flock to Jorasanko Thakur Bari. In 2020 due to lockdown there is no celebration.
Stage in Thakurbari – stage where Rabindranath Tagore first performed as a child.
Is Jorasanko Thakur Bari haunted?
This is one question that I was curious about. I had heard stories about creepy happenings and floating figures in the long corridors of Jorasanko. Rabindranath Tagore indulged in planchette, some kind of ghost tracking device, after his father’s death.
I visited Jorasanko Thakur Bari in broad day light, there was no way I could bump into one if there was any spirit residing there. They usually venture out at night I was told.
Thakur Bari is listed in top 10 haunted places in Kolkata. I would rather remember this as most beautiful heritage building of Kolkata.
Sculpted work on display in Jorasanko Thakur Bari Museum Kolkata
Rabindra Bharati Museum Timing and Tickets
Entry fee: 10 INR for Indians. 50 INR for foreign tourists.
Students from Schools, Colleges and other Educational Institutions are charged a fee of Rs. 5 per head, when they book in advance in block.
The museum is CLOSED on Mondays.
Light and sound show timings:
This light and show in Thakur Bari is an interesting depiction of the life of Rabindranath Tagore. It is done in two languages; Bengali and English.
November to January: 6 pm – 6.40 pm (Bengali) ,7 pm– 7.40 pm (English)
February to June: 7 pm – 7.40 pm (Bengali), 8 pm – 8.40 pm (English)
Ticket: 50INR
Full ticket is necessary for children above 3 years age.
Location of Jorasanko Thakur Bari Museum
The address is: Ganesh Talkies, 267, Rabindra Sarani, Singhi Bagan, Jorasanko, Kolkata, West Bengal 700007. It is in the lanes and by lanes and can be confusing to reach if you are not familiar with the place.
Nearest metro station is Girish Park. I was clueless about the route to Thakur Bari so hired a tana rickshaw (hand pulled rickshaw) and took a guilt filled ride to the museum.
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(This post was first published on 5th May 2014.)
Simplicity of language, I really like it. You r doing great job of following yours passion. It’s really awesome article. One thing I observe, you add hunted story of places, awesome. Keep this continuity. I think you will be my inspiration ma’am.
Im not familiar with the place. Is this in India? Sri Lanka?
The place looks quite good and full of history which I like by the way
This is in India dear Lee Rosales. 🙂 Glad you like it.
Loving all the colorful accents of the city. Looks like a unique place to visit even if just for a dose of history and culture!
This is of course an epic place. But good to see that t has been mainained well. I have seen many such conic places fall apart in other places. But yes, Bengal is expected to preserve the legacy of Tagore if no one else.
I haven’t been to India, but the museum (from the outside) looks amazing! Kind of disappointed that you were asked to leave your cameras. I would’ve loved to see more of whats inside.
Every post and information on history and culture of Kolkatta intrigue us. Kolkatta has long been on our wishlist. We would love to visit Thakurbari at Jorasanko the birthplace of the wonderful poet.
I would love to visit this museum. In my country, one of our biggest writers went to India in his youth and staid with a local family. The girl in the family, who later became a writer herself, used to have Tagore as her professor. When he returned, he wrote one of his best booked, a masterpiece in our literature. Your post reminded me of that book, Maytrei.
I’ve never been to India but I enjoy reading about the country’s culture and history. This is the first time I’ve heard of Rabindranath Tagore and I’ll definitely do a bit more research about him. Thanks for this interesting article – it’s a shame you weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the museum!
Lovely post on this part of India. It is such a big place so it’s nice to read about it via blogs for places you may not end up visiting.
I really must plan to visit India soon. I have read many interesting stories and places not to mention the stunning photography.
This is a lovely place that I have missed on my visits to Kolkata. I hope to make amends next time I am in those parts. It must be a lovely experience to walk the same earth that would have once echoed to the footsteps of the master Rabindranath Tagore.
Once again, I’m reminded how little I know about the Indian subcontinent. Never even heard of Rabindranath Tagore either. Hopefully his will change in 2017!
I´ve never been to India, but it´s certainly on my travel bucket-list. Really an interesting post. It´s so amazing to visit places like this with so much history and to get to know the places where Tagore used to live and create.
Khoob hi fatafati post. Reading about the great man in such detail is really awesome. I am planning an article on Shantiniketan and all the madness associated with it.
Lekho lekho… duniya ke dekhao… ooporer comment podechho… she neki Rabindranath Thakurer kotha jeebone shonenei 🙁
I’ve never heard of Rabindranath Tagore, not even considering he’s been a Nobel prize winner. I’m curious about his works, probably I’ll give the a try, but not the poetry ones!
Really enjoyable post and great to know it is open to the public. Unfortunate that they are so strict about cameras though, thankfully you did manage to capture some very nice shots. Keep up the good work
I know very little of Tagore, and so it would be interesting to visit such a well preserved piece of history. The rare photos would be wonderful, almost making up for not being able to take your own! Have to respect a museum that wants you to experience and not exploit.
Woah that place is strict about no photos! I have never head of a place confiscating cameras before you enter. What field did Tagore win a noble(s) prize in?
He won it for literature in 1913. I have now added that info to the post.
Will visit this place on my next Kolkata trip
Great pics Indrani…been there so many times… 🙂 memories rejuvenated …
Great. I will probably check this out this November
wow this is something amazing!!
The house of the legend that is Tagore. I could feel different kind of vibes in each and every room out there last December.
I think it is ridiculous not allowing photography.
Thank you so much for the comments friends. 🙂
How do you react to places that do not allow camera? But wherever they allowed camera, you recorded it for us!
Happy to see a post on my favorite poet. It is a relief that the memories are preserved efficiently.
Photography is prohibited. Still you managed to get one or two. 🙂
Nice informative post. Thank You.
very nice and informative post 🙂
Seeing this house gives me goosebumps. Ravindranath used to reside in this house. In his childhood he will look out of window and watch people pass by on summer noons. Of course Kolkata was much sparsely populated those days.
This is one of your best post. The narrations are lively, faultless and compels one to read upto the end. People like us who visited this place on many occasions lit up many sweet memories. Thank you for this write up.
Was traveling for the last 3 weeks, just got down to catching up with blogs.. these are such lovely pics of the house Indrani… makes Bengal come to life in my mind….
I wonder what it would be like to walk into that orange building every morning? A very strong color.
Wonderful place to visit and cherish about it. Neatly maintained! I ever heard about his place… thanks for introducing. You got some excellent shot from his birth place.
The outside of the mansion is so intriguing and makes me want to go in to check the place out. How sad you were not allowed to take photos of the inside.
What a noble face he has! I read that he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. That is wonderful. Thank you for drawing our attention to this remarkable man, whose quotations are frequently used on Christmas cards.
Happy week.
Wil, ABCW Team.
Quite an amazing place.
That's an amazing house – it's a shame photography isn't allowed inside.
Great shots of an interesting place.
happy to see the well preserved relics. I respect Tagore, his works instills spirituality in me. Thus, it makes me even happier. 🙂
Very interesting! I would love to visit India some day.
very well preserved building.
really pity we couldn't see more because of strict rules.
Wow! it is his house? Someday I want to visit.
I was introduced to Tagore's works only recently by a very good friend and fell in love with them immediately. I would definitely visit this house.
That place is fantastic, love it.
Very informative post.
very interesting and informative.
What a beautiful building and shots.
Beautiful architecture!
This looks like a fascinating place to visit, even if you couldn't take photos inside the rooms. It's wonderful that so many cultural events are put on here.
Wonderful, interesting post for the day, Indrani! I have been an admirer of Tagore for some time and it's great to learn more about him. Have a great week!!
looks like a fine place!
I have fond memories of my visit! Nice to reminisce
It's an interesting and beautiful place with interesting story inside.
Its great to see that the memories of Tagore are being preserved with love and care…up north this isn't the case as the condition of Mirza Ghalib's house is far from good.