Jorasanko Thakurbari - A visit to a heritage

The Jorasanko Thakur Bari was the ancestral residence of the Tagore family who were an important household in the socio-cultural map of Bengal. The family was associated with business and commerce, as well as with the Brahmo Samaj, the Bengal Renaissance, and the Bengal School of Art. Located within the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane, Kolkata it was built in the 18th century. The palatial red brick mansion is spread over 35000 square meters. This is where polymath Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was born, where he spent most of his childhood, and where he passed away. In 1961, the Rabindra Bharati Museum was established to preserve personalia and artworks from the family. The main building named Maharshi Bhavan after Rabindranath’s father Maharshi Devendranath Tagore houses the museum. It has a personal collection of artworks and personalia, belonging to different members of the family.

The Rabindra Bharati Museum has a collection of 2071 books, 770 journals, 16 paintings, 3297 photographs, 27 crafts and sculptures, 208 personalia and 3 pieces of furniture. Forty original paintings by Tagore and his notebooks are on display which were acquired by the Government of West Bengal from the Tagore family.