Gitanjali Rail Museum attracts hundreds of tourists

Kolkata: Gitanjali Rail Museum, in front of Bolpur station, attractes hundreds of both domestic and foreign tourists who visit Santiniketan every year.

The museum has been set up by the Eastern Railway.

The two-storied museum which stands on 1,830 square meter area resembles the Udayan of Uttarayan complex in Santiniketan. The rail museum remains open for visitors from 9 am to 1 pm and from 2.30 pm to 5 pm daily except Wednesday. There is no entry fee for the visitors.

The ground floor of the museum houses the railway saloon car in which an ailing Tagore undertook his last train journey from Bolpur station to Kolkata in July, 1941.Eastern Railway has preserved the saloon car.

Besides the saloon car, there are 35 rare black and white photographs of the poet in various moods along with 48 framed write-ups of his prose and poems. There are three facsimiles of the Trust Deed of Bhubandanga of the year 1863 on which land the Visva Bharati was set up later.

On the first floor of the museum, there are 153 rare photographs of the poet and his close associates in Santiniketan, the first batch of teachers in Santiniketan Ashram and poet's various foreign trips.

The ministry of Railways decided to set up the museum to pay its tribute to the poet during his 150th birth anniversary. Foundation stone of the museum was laid in October, 2010 and it was inaugurated in August, 2012.