NEW DELHI: Santiniketan, the place where Rabindranath Tagore built Visva Bharati University over a century ago, was given the coveted tag of UNESCO World Heritage site on Sunday.
“A momentous achievement for India as Santiniketan, West Bengal, has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, becoming the 41st World Heritage Property from India. This historic decision was made during the ongoing extended 45th World Heritage Committee Meeting held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,” wrote the Archeological Survey of India on micro-blogging site X.
Santiniketan has been a part of UNESCO’s tentative list since 2010. The nomination dossier for the inscription was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in January 2021.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she was glad and proud that Santiniketan has finally been included in the 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 last 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,” she posted on X.
Santiniketan, in rural West Bengal, embodies Rabindranath Tagore’s visionary work.
Founded in 1863 as an ashram, Tagore transformed it into a school and art center in 1901, following the gurukul tradition.
His vision, ‘Visva Bharati,’ focused on global unity, blending ancient, medieval, and folk traditions.