Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Rabindra Bharati Museum)

Jorasanko Thakur Bari, at 6/4 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane in Jorasanko, North Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is the ancestral home of the Tagore family and the birthplace and death place of Rabindranath Tagore, who was born here in 1861 and died in the house in 1941. The mansion now forms part of the Rabindra Bharati University campus and houses the Rabindra Bharati Museum. Its architecture is a mix of colonial-era neoclassical elements, with a columned portico, a large courtyard and a series of long verandahs, around which family life and the cultural experiments of the Bengal Renaissance took place. Visitors walk through restored rooms, including the bedroom where Tagore spent his final days, and see galleries devoted to his life, his paintings, manuscripts, letters, photographs and personal belongings, along with works by other members of the family, such as Abanindranath and Gaganendranath Tagore. A separate gallery documents the Tagore family's role in theatre, music and reform. The courtyard, where many early performances were staged, is the best place for photographs of the facade, though interior photography is typically restricted and visitors should confirm the rule at the ticket window. A visit takes about one and a half to two hours, and reading the captions properly can extend this. The house is open Tuesday to Sunday during the day and closed on Mondays and public holidays. Weekday mornings are the quietest, while 8 May, the day marking Tagore's birth anniversary by the Bengali calendar, brings a large celebration with performances and crowds. The location is a short walk from the Marble Palace and Kumartuli, making a heritage circuit of North Kolkata easy to plan. Entry fees are modest, with a higher rate for foreign nationals.