The Jorasanko Thakur Bari was built in 1784 by
Nilmoni Thakur in
Jorasanko in the north of Kolkata. The land on which this ancestral home stands today was donated by the famous
Sett family (not to be confused with
Seth) of
Burrabazar to
Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, who was the grandfather of
Rabindranath Tagore. Dwarkanath Tagore was the adopted son of Ramlochon Tagore and when he joined Brahmo Samaj, he was forced to leave his ancestral house at
Pathutiaghata. Here comes the role of another influential family, the
Sett. The
Sett family had a marshy land where two small walking bridges ("Sanko" meaning bridges in Bengali) were present and they donated the land to
Prince Dwarkanath Tagore. So from the small dual bridges came the name
Jorasanko. Nilmoni Tagore left his paternal house due to certain family disputes, and set up his new residence at Jorasanko, after having acquired a plot of land situated on the east side of Chitpore Road. It was
Prince Dwarakanath Tagore, the illustrious businessman and Rabindranath's grandfather who expanded the residential complex. This is the
Bhdrashan Bari (presently located at 6, Dwarakanath Tagore Lane) and it was here that Rabindranath was born in 1861.
Rabindra Bharati University The
Rabindra Bharati University was established by the government of West Bengal in 1961 to commemorate the birth centenary of Rabindranath Tagore. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum, but allowed outside. There is a light and sound show also, which happens in the evening.
Visits and programmes The
Rabindra Bharati University organizes regular cultural programmes on Tagore's birthday, Panchise Baisakh, when thousands flock to Jorasanko Thakur Bari, and on other occasions, such as his
death anniversary, Baishe Shravan. It also organises a festival of arts, Aban Mela. ==Gallery==