You must be crazy about clay jewelleries? And that too from Santiniketan? Then Khoai Hut is the perfect destination for you beside Khoai River. Here you will get numerous exclusive clay jewelleries of different designs made by local inhabitants. Not only clay jewelleries but also you can get handmade clay toys, showpieces, bags of different Santinekatani prints, garments made of Katha Stitch and Batik Print and even local ethnic Bengalee dishes like pithey and payesh. So we planned
“Khoai” is the erosion of the soil which basically happens due to the flowing stream of Kopai River and wind. Besides the Kopai river, an eroded landscape of red laterite soil, covered with the dry forest of Shal, Piyal, and Sonajhuri trees. Both the Kopai river and forest holds a significant beauty.
In the context of Kopai River, Rabindra Nath Tagore composed a poem–
Amader chhoto nodi chole bnāke bnāke
Boishakh maashe tay hnatu jol thake.
Paar hoe jay goru, paar hoy gaari –
Dui dhaar unchu taar, dhalu taar paari.
Our little river flows in graceful loops
The summer heat dries her to a gentle flow,
Both cart and cattle travel across with ease
Her banks are high, her depths are shallow
By Rabindra Nath Tagore
Sonajhuri :
Sonajhuri means “Droplets of Gold”.
In winter small yellow flowers bloom all over the trees and the whole path turns into golden path due to the downpour of the flowers. According to our guide, Tagore apparently was impressed by the beauty of the profuse blooms of the small golden yellow flowers on the trees and by the fallen ones on the grounds under the trees. And, his poetic entity gave a title “Sonajhuri”.
The forest is very clean and well maintained.
INSIDE THE FOREST, KHOAI HAAT WHICH POPULARLY KNOWN AS “KHOAI BONER ONNO HUT” OR “SONAJHURI HAAT”, HELD EVERY SATURDAY FROM THE MORNING AND CONTINUES TILL THE DAWN.
This market holds the legacy of the Santineketani Art and culture, where local artisans sell their creations. On every Saturday, the turbulence of the shop owners and the visitors offer a life to the forest. Moreover, you will found the Bauls, stringing their Ektaras and singing to the tune of the winds on the banks of Kopai. The Tribal dancers perform different cultural activities which are worth watching.
Santiniketan, Must visit place in West Bengal, West Bengal Tourist spots, Rabindra nath Tagore, A Small Day Trip To Khoai er Haat-Santiniketan
Santiniketan, Must visit place in West Bengal, West Bengal Tourist spots, Rabindra nath Tagore, A Small Day Trip To Khoai er Haat-Santiniketan
We roamed in and around the market for some time and got attracted to the tribal dances and also the Baul songs. We got the actual taste of the culture of Baul community and their day to day activities. Moreover, the formation of the forest and the perfect distances between the series of trees made us astonished. The forest looked like someone has intentionally created the forest with perfect measurement. But all the credit goes to the creator of our motherland.
We made some shopping and reached at the end of the day.
But before ending we must say if you ever have a chance to visit this type of market, you can actually get the essence of the culture of Bengal. Do visit and enjoy the market as well as the tribal dance and Baul Songs.
