Feeling more like a series of government offices than an ancestral home, Jorasanko Thakurbari (Tagore’s House; ₹150) is where Rabindranath Tagore, India’s greatest poet, polymath and only Nobel Laureate in Literature (1913), was born and died. Known popularly as Thakurbari, it plays a central role in Bengali cultural life. Visitors wander from room to room following a circuitous route that emphasizes the size of the palace. A series of picture-forward exhibitions details Tagore’s life and travels in Thailand, Japan and China. Alas, you won't leave knowing a great deal about the man or his work, but more about the myth of him, a missed opportunity on the part of the curators here. However, the minimalism of the room where Tagore died on 7 August 1941 is very moving.
Tagore's House is maintained and run by Rabindra Bharati University, and the museum is located on the university campus.
