Santiniketan inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
New Delhi, September 17
Santiniketan, the well-known West Bengal town where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The world body made the announcement in a post on ‘X’ on Sunday. “New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Santiniketan, #India. Congratulations!” it posted.
“Delighted that Santiniketan, an embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s vision and India’s rich cultural heritage, has been inscribed on the @UNESCOWorld Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a message posted on social media.
“Glad and proud that our Santiniketan, the town of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, is now finally included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Biswa Bangla’s pride, Santiniketan was nurtured by the poet and has been supported by people of Bengal over the generations. We, from the Government of West Bengal, have significantly added to its infrastructure in the past 12 years and the world now recognises the glory of the heritage place. Kudos to all who love Bengal, Tagore, and his messages of fraternity. Jai Bangla, Pranam to Gurudev,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in a message.
Located in Birbhum district of West Bengal, Santiniketan was originally an ashram built by Rabindranath Tagore’s father, Debendranath Tagore, and later developed into a university by Rabindranath Tagore himself. Debendranath Tagore, also known as ‘Maharshi’, was a leading figure of the Indian Renaissance.
