Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari, in short Shilaidah Kuthibari, is one of the major tourist places in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
. It is located seven kilometers north of
Kushtia
Kushtia () is a city located on the banks of the Gorai River in Bangladesh. It serves as the headquarters of Kushtia District and is considered the cultural capital of Bangladesh. The city is known for its Tiler Khaja (sesame sweets), kulf ...
on the banks of
Padma
The Padma () is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the eastern and main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River, near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is situated on the bank ...
in
Kumarkhali Upazila
Kumarkhali () is an upazila of Kushtia District in the Division of Khulna, Bangladesh. It is famous for the Shelaidaha area, where the poet Rabindranath Tagore spent a considerable time of his youth.
Geography
Kumarkhali is located at . It has ...
of
Kushtia District
Kushtia District (; ) is a district in the Khulna Division, Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. Kushtia has existed as a sepa ...
.
History
This Kuthi bari was built by an indigo-planter named Shelly which was later owned by Ramlochan Tagore. In 1807,
Dwarkanath Tagore
Dwarkanath Tagore (also spelled Dwarakanath Thakur; 1794–1846), popularly known as Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, was one of the first Indian industrialists to partner with the British. He was the son of Rammoni Tagore, and was given in adoption to ...
got the ownership of this kuthibari with the inheritance of estate. In 1892,
[ due to the erosion of the river caused by the flood, the Kuthibari was likely to disappear, so it was demolished and a new building was constructed elsewhere in the next year. Dwarkanath Tagore's grandson ]Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...
came to Shilaidaha
Shilaidaha () is a village in Shilaidaha Union, Kumarkhali Upazila of Kushtia District in Bangladesh. The place is famous for Shilaidaha Kuthibari; a country house built by Dwarkanath Tagore. Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore lived a part ...
several times to look after the estate. He had the opportunity to stay in this cottage. He wrote many literatures during his stay at Shilaidah Kuthibari. During his stay here in 1912, he began the work of translating the ''Gitanjali
__NOTOC__
''Gitanjali'' () is a collection of poems by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, for its English translation, '' Song Offerings'', making him the first non-European and the fi ...
'' into English.national anthem of Bangladesh
"" (, ) is the national anthem of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. An ode to Mother Bengal, the lyrics were written by Bengali polymath Rabindranath Tagore, while the melody is derived from Baul singer Gagan Harkara's " Ami Kothay Pabo Tare ...
.[
Before its acquisition to the ]Government of East Bengal
The Government of East Pakistan or formerly Government of East Bengal governed the province East Bengal (later East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) and was centered in its provincial capital Dhaka. The head of the province was the Governor, who was nom ...
after passing of East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950
The East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950 was a law passed by the newly formed democratic Government of East Bengal in the Dominion of Pakistan (present day Bangladesh). The bill was drafted on 31 March 1948 during the early yea ...
, the ownership of this Kuthibari was transferred from the Tagore family to another landlord.[ In 1958 it came under the Department of Archeology of Pakistan. In 1969, the provincial government planned to preserve it as an archaeological site.][ Since the ]independence of Bangladesh
The independence of Bangladesh was Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, declared from Pakistan on 26 March 1971, which is now celebrated as Independence Day (Bangladesh), Independence Day. The Bangladesh Liberation War started on 26 March ...
in 1971, it has been under the Department of Archeology of Bangladesh.[ In 2013, then President of India, ]Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...
visited Shilaidah Kuthibari. He then told the government that he wanted to provide financial assistance to build a complex at the Kuthibari site. After four years, the decision was finalized between the two countries and the construction of the complex was completed by 2020. In 2018, a dam was constructed to protect Shilaidah Rabindra Kuthibari, but a part of it collapsed in the same year. Later in 2022, another part of the dam collapsed.
Architecture
Shilidaha Kuthibari was built on 11 acre land of the village. This walled building is three storey museum that has 18 rooms with a central hall.Indo-Saracenic style
Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government buildings in the B ...
, this building is 8.71 meters high.
Tourist attractions
Layout
There are two buildings near the gate of Kuthibari. The two buildings are named Gitanjali and Sonar Tori. There is a library, two ponds, a mango orchard, a garden and an auditorium.
Museum
In 1986, it became a museum.[ The Department of Archaeology has preserved at least 80 photographs of Rabindranath Tagore as well as items used by Rabindranath Tagore at Shilaidah Kuthibari.][
]
Tourism
It is a tourist attraction for Bangladeshi as well as foreign tourists. A three-day event is organized every year on the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary.[ In the fiscal year 2017-18, the Bangladeshi government earned by selling entry tickets to the Kuthibari. However, the government refrained from organizing events here in 2020 and 2021 due to the ]COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
In popular culture
The stall of the Department of Archeology set up at the 2022 Ekushey Book Fair
The Ekushey Book Fair, officially called the Eternal Twenty-first Book Fair, is the largest book fair in Bangladesh. Organized annually in February by Bangla Academy in Dhaka, the month-long event is free to all. In 2024, the fair attracted six ...
was modeled after Rabindra Kuthibari.
Gallery
Amphitheatre, Shilaidaha Kuthibari, Kushtia 2.jpg, Amphitheatre
Side of Shilaidaha Kuthibari, Kushtia.jpg, Kuthibari
Open field at Shilaidaha Kuthibadi.jpg, Open field at Shilaidaha Kuthibadi
Backside stairs of Shilaidaha Kuthibari, Kushtia.jpg, Backside stairs
শিলাইদহ রবীন্দ্র কুঠিবাড়ি (13).jpg, Kuthibari building
Shilaidaha Kuthibadi.ruhan4.jpg, Museum gallery
An interior door of Rabindra Kuthibari,Shelaidaha,Kushtia.jpg, An interior door of Rabindra Kuthibari
References
External links
Shilaidaha Kuthibari
– BeautifulBangladesh.gov.bd
{{Rabindranath Tagore
Kushtia District
Tourist attractions in Bangladesh
Biographical museums in Bangladesh
Memorials to Rabindranath Tagore
Museums in Kushtia District
Tourist attractions in Kushtia District