Rabindranath’s Santiniketan added to UNESCO World Heritage List

Santiniketan, the famed place in the Indian state of West Bengal where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The decision was taken during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, according to news outlets.

The UNESCO also confirmed the decision in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Santiniketan, #India. Congratulations!" it posted.

Poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore established Santiniketan in 1901. It was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions.

A ‘world university’ was established at Santiniketan in 1921, recognising the unity of humanity or ‘Visva Bharati’.

India had been striving for long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in Birbhum district in the West Bengal state.

A few months ago, the landmark site was recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).