The first house of Santiniketan: From guesthouse to university — GetBengal story
The fact is known to all that if Maharishi Debendranath Tagore had not come to Bolpur, Santiniketan would never have been established. In 1863, he acquired a lease of twenty bighas of land in Bhubandanga village from Bhubanmohan Singh of Raipur. That same year, a guesthouse was built amid that sprawling field. This became the first building of the Santiniketan Ashram. Maharishi named the guesthouse ‘Santiniketan’, which later came to represent the entire area.
Initially, the building was single-storied and not very large in size. Later, it became a two-story structure. In 1863, bricks, lime, surki, and wooden beams were used for its construction. The house had an attached bathroom, wooden stairs, and a tiled roof. Large windows were fitted with wooden lattices. For that time, the house reflected considerable modernity, especially as it was the first building on this secluded land. It should be noted that Maharishi had chosen this quiet place specifically for worship.
On the upper part of the building, verses from the Upanishads were inscribed. Before a temple for Brahmo worship was constructed, worship used to take place in this house. Later, it served as a guesthouse for devotees, especially those coming from Kolkata, who stayed here. It is literally a historic house. Around this building, what is today Visva-Bharati University gradually developed. It was the same house where Rabindranath Tagore had his sacred thread ceremony (Upanayan). Maharishi visited the Santiniketan house for the last time in 1883.
In 1901, the first Brahmo Vidyalaya was inaugurated. Following this, Rabindranath Tagore and his family lived in this house. The building also has a carriage verandah. All the furniture in the house reflected Maharishi’s personal taste. It was not merely an inanimate structure; surrounding the house were trees, and in front, two rows of amla (Indian gooseberry) trees.
The house provided the foundation around which the Santiniketan Ashram took shape. With the help of trained gardeners, various kinds of trees were planted. This dry, red soil was transformed into a beautiful garden through the touch of many plants. Gradually, the Ashram expanded. The Brahmo Vidyalaya gained momentum, and as needed, events and arrangements grew in scale. One building after another was constructed, all beginning with this Santiniketan house.
Today, this house is preserved as the ‘Smarok Songrohoshala’ (Memorial Collection). In front of it stands an abstract sculpture by the renowned artist Ramkinkar Baij. At one time, this building housed different departments for various subjects, including the History and Odia departments.
The house that provided shelter to the Brahmo Vidyalaya at its inception, enabling the school’s gradual growth, was called Prak Kutir. The appearance of Prak Kutir from that time has now taken on a largely modern form, which is natural. Many other contemporary houses from that period no longer exist.
The seed is extremely small. At first, its immense potential is beyond the imagination of any visionary. The first expression of this tiny power appears in the sprout, which gradually begins to grow along branches and leaves, marking the path of its development. Eventually, the fully nourished stem transforms into a magnificent tree with detailed branches.
The seed of Rabindranath Tagore’s educational vision was the small ‘Brahmacharyashram’ in Santiniketan. Like the sprout of a banyan seed, it grew through its early years and gradually became Visva-Bharati University, the present form of that Ashram. The Santiniketan of that time does not exist on the current map. Much has been lost. Over time, many things have been destroyed or changed. It survives only in name, in the pages of memory, and even that will gradually fade. In response to new needs, many additions have been made to the original layout. And so, it continues to evolve.
Note: Translated by Sabana Yasmin
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