The Jorasanko Thakur Bari History
Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore, who was not only born and grown up here but who spent huge time of his life and eventually settled in this house. It was also residence of Gaganendranath Tagore and Abanindranath Tagore, the founders of the Bengal Scool of Art.
In 1784 Nilmoni Tagore was given a piece of land on the east side of the Chitpore Road after leaving his father’s house due to some family dispute. He built a new residence at Jorasanko. Dwarakanath Tagore, Rabindranath’s famous grandfather, was credited with extending this family home to the present “Bhdrasan Bari” (now it’s known as 6, Dwarakanath Tagore Lane), where Rabindranath was born in 1861. The house is known as “Maharshi Bhavana” This is now Rabindra Bharati Museum. In 1823 Dwarakanth built another building near this house and called it “Boithak Khana Bari” (the address is now 5, Dwarakanath Tagore Lane) to entertain its European guests.
The next day his son Girindranath and his family, including his grandson, the renowned artist Gaganendranath and Abanindranath (who is the nephews of the famous artist Rabindra Nath Tegore) lived and worked here. With the demolition of this house, probably in1943, priceless built heritage was lost forever with a glorious phase of Bengal history.
In 1959, the Government of West Bengal planned to establish a University in memory of Rabindrda Nath Tegore and this was eventually achieved during the centenary of the poet’s birth. Rabindra Bharati University was established on May 8, 1961 under the Rabindra Bharati Act at its residence in Jorasanko to promote learning and culture especially in the branches of music, dance and drama. The Rabindra Bharati Museum was established in this following year.
There are two theathers in Jorasanko called Jorasanko Natyasala. Parimohan Ghosh established the first one at his residence on Banarasi Ghosh Street. The only play to be staged in this theater was William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
In 1865, Ganendranath Tagore established the second Jorasanko Theater as a family theater. This year, Micheal Madhusudan Dutt’s play Krishnakumari was performed in this theater. The young Jyotirindranath Tagore got his first chance to act in this play. He played the role of Ahalya Devi. In the beginning, men played the role of women, but later the women of Thakurbari came forward on the stage in front of relatives and friends. Later, they also acted in public.
If you are looking for “Top 10 Road Trip In India | Must Visit After Lockdown | Tour Plan 2021: Click here
At that time there were very few plays in Bengali. For this reason Ganendranath organized a drama competition.The new play was written by Ramnarayan Tarkalankar, who won the first place in this competition. Ganendranath gave the playwright a prize of Rs. 200/-. Which was according to the calculation of the era. He also promished to cover the cost of publishing one thousand copies of the play. Akshay Majumder, Sardaprasad Gangopadhyay, Jyotirindranath Tagore and others took part in this performance. At present, Jorasanko is a very popular center of conch industry in Calcutta.
Jorasanko Thakur bari Opening Time:
From 10:30 am to 5 pm (except Monday and govt. holidays)
Jorashanko Thakur Bari Tickets price:
For Indian –
Free entry for physically challenged visitors, street children and students up to 5th standard.
For students the ticket price is – Rs 10/-
For adult the ticket price is – Rs 20/-
Block booking is available only for Indian students.
SAARC countries:
For students the ticket price is – Rs 10/-
For adult the ticket price is – Rs 20/-
Other countries:
For students the ticket price is – Rs 100/-
For adult the ticket price is – Rs 150/-
Jorasanko Thakur Bari Photography charges:
Photography charges is Rs 50/- per device. Photography is allowed only outside the museum building and in the courtyard. Photography is strictly prohibited inside the museum.
Address and contact details Jorasanko Thaku Bari:
6/4, Dwarakanath Tagore Lane, Kolkata 700007
Nearest metro station: Girish Park
Phone no- 033-2269-5241/6601/6610
