SANTINIKETAN
- ART AND CULTURE
News:
Santiniketan finds a
place on UNESCO’s World Heritage list
What's
in the news?
●
Santiniketan, a town located in West
Bengal’s Birbhum district, set up by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on
September 17 made it to the UNESCO’s
World Heritage List.
Key
takeaways:
●
Santiniketan which means ‘abode of peace’ started taking shape
in 1901, and it was this place Tagore later put up the foundations of Visva Bharati University.
Santiniketan:
●
Santiniketan translates to "Abode of
Peace" and was founded by Tagore in 1901 is a renowned cultural and
educational hub located in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India.
●
It was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian
traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and
cultural boundaries.
Key
features:
●
It was originally an ashram built by Debendranath Tagore (father of
Rabindranath Tagore) where anyone, irrespective of caste and creed, could come
and spend time meditating on the one Supreme God.
●
Santiniketan includes the entire
Visva-Bharati University Campus, the core ashram area and the Uttarayan complex.
●
The core ashram area includes Patha Bhavana (the first school set up
by Tagore in 1901), Upasana Griha (prayer hall, locally known as the glass
temple), Kala Bhavana (institute of fine arts), Sangit Bhavana (institute of
music) and Santiniketan Griha (the first house bought by Tagore’s father
Debendranath).
●
The Uttarayan complex includes five houses
of Tagore and a museum.
●
Santiniketan is also adorned with splendid
sculptures, frescoes, murals, and paintings created by renowned artists such as
Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose (one of the pioneers of modern Indian art)
and Ramkinkar Baij (master sculptor and painter) among others.
Significance:
●
It was instrumental in the development of the Bengal School of Art,
a significant movement in Indian art.
●
The school emphasised traditional Indian art forms, nature, and the spirit of the land.
●
Through architecture and principles of
conservation, Santiniketan exemplifies the benefits of living in harmony with
nature.