Beside the buffer zone of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where Rabindranath Tagore once dreamed of a world without borders, a family has built the most fitting possible tribute — a homestay steeped in art, rooted in Indian craft, and open to anyone who arrives with an open heart.
There is a verse from Tagore inscribed on the walls of Srirangam. Anandoloke Mangalaloke — in the realm of bliss and wellbeing, the true and beautiful one resides. It is not a decoration. It is a declaration of intent. Every decision made in the conception and running of this homestay flows from that single idea: that a place of genuine beauty and warmth can be, in itself, a form of hospitality.
Srirangam sits within the buffer zone of Shantiniketan, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that houses Vishwa Bharati University — the extraordinary institution founded by Rabindranath Tagore at the turn of the 20th century as a living experiment in humanist education, artistic learning, and the idea that all people belong to one world. To stay at Srirangam is to inhabit that idea physically. To sleep beside the trees and red-dust paths that Tagore walked. To wake in a house where art is not on the walls so much as it is in the walls.
The Story Behind It
Srirangam was conceived by Shumon Sengupta — an international humanitarian and development professional — and his wife Ananya Banerjee Sengupta, a self-taught artist whose work fills the property with a quiet, persistent beauty. Their shared passion for art, culture, and meaningful travel shaped the homestay into what it is today: a place that does not merely accommodate guests but actively invites them into a sensibility.
The property also carries a deeper personal history. Shumon’s paternal grandparents settled in Shantiniketan in the early 1950s and were closely involved with the Vishwa Bharati community. Srirangam is, in part, an act of homecoming — a way of continuing a relationship with this remarkable place that has spanned three generations of one family.
The name itself is deliberate and resonant. Srirangam in Sanskrit means an arena — Rangam — that holds within it beauty, resplendence, and wellbeing — Sri. A place, in other words, where everything that matters is gathered together.
The Property
The homestay is a villa-style building, independent and cradled in nature, with six well-appointed ensuite bedrooms and a generous common living and dining area across its floors. The design architecture is rooted in India’s history, culture, tradition, and artisanship — curated works of art are placed throughout the property, each piece chosen for its resonance with the ethos of the place. The effect is not of a gallery but of a home where art is simply how things are done.
The basement of Srirangam houses the Srinidhi Art Gallery — a bright, airy space that brings yet another dimension to what is already one of the most culturally layered stays in Bengal. Sound-insulated windows ensure that the tranquility of the surroundings is preserved inside the rooms. The commitment to sustainability runs through every detail: organic bathroom products, handloom cotton towels, biodegradable utensils, and a minimal plastic waste policy that reflects the property’s broader respect for the environment it inhabits.
The Rooms
There are six rooms, each named with a Sanskrit word that begins with ‘Aa’ — a naming convention that carries both poetic coherence and a gentle philosophical thread.
Aadi (the primordial, the beginning), Ananta (the infinite), Anagha (the pure, the unblemished), and Aaditya (the sun, the radiant) are the four standard rooms, each priced at ₹5,000 per night. Adwaita (non-duality, the oneness of all things) offers a twin bed configuration at ₹4,500 per night — ideal for friends travelling together or those who prefer two beds. Aananda (bliss, joy) is the family bedroom on the ground floor, available under special circumstances at ₹5,500 per night. All tariffs include breakfast for two guests, and triple occupancy is available in select rooms for an additional charge.
Every ensuite bathroom features Jaquar fittings and rain showers, finished with organic amenities and handloom Indian towels. The rooms are bright, considered, and furnished in a way that feels simultaneously modern and deeply rooted — modernity and heritage not competing but in conversation.
Eating Here
Breakfast is included in the room tariff and served in the first-floor common dining area, with both Indian and continental options. The tea and coffee counter — stocked with a selection of teas and served with biodegradable utensils — is available to guests at any hour, an invitation to slow down and linger over a cup while the morning light falls across the garden.
For those wanting to experience the full depth of Bengali and local cuisine, meals and snacks can be pre-ordered a day in advance through Kittu’s Flavoir, the in-house dining service. Shantiniketan also has its own quietly excellent café and eatery culture — Shumon and Ananya are generous with recommendations for the spots that locals actually visit.
What to See
Vishwa Bharati University is the reason most people come to Shantiniketan, and rightly so. The campus — with its open-air classrooms, ancient trees, terracotta sculptures, and the extraordinary Kala Bhavana Institute of Fine Arts — is one of the most unusual and quietly moving places in India. The philosophy that education should happen in and with nature, rather than in spite of it, is everywhere visible and still alive.
The Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary, just outside town, is a gentle, unhurried wildlife encounter — deer, birds, and the particular peace of Bengal’s forested countryside. The Amar Kutir craft village and the Sonajhuri Haat — a weekly tribal market held under the sal trees — offer access to the Baul music tradition, Kantha embroidery, Dokra metalwork, and terracotta craft that define the cultural output of this extraordinary region.
Poush Mela, the famous annual fair held in December, and Basanta Utsav, Shantiniketan’s spring celebration of colour and music, are among the most distinctive cultural events in Bengal — and the kind of experiences that Srirangam, sitting as it does at the heart of this community, is ideally placed to help guests experience.
The red laterite paths of Shantiniketan, best explored on bicycle in the early morning before the day heats up, reward wanderers with the discovery of artists’ studios, potters’ workshops, and the sense of a place that has been, for over a century, quietly committed to making beautiful things.
Why It Stays With You
Srirangam works because it was made by people who love this place and understand what it stands for. Shumon and Ananya are not running a hospitality business in the conventional sense — they are extending an invitation to share something they themselves find extraordinary. Tagore’s vision of a world where art, learning, and human connection are woven together into daily life is not history at Shantiniketan. It is still happening. And at Srirangam, it is happening in your room, at your breakfast table, in the gallery downstairs, and in the conversations that begin over tea and have no particular reason to end.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Srirangam, Santiniketan–Sriniketan Road (Next to Srijani Shilpagram — EZCC), Santiniketan, Bolpur — 731204, West Bengal Phone: +91 98300 45012 · +91 89449 32312 Email: shumon1968@gmail.com · madhura3296@gmail.com Website: srirangamhomestay.net
Hosts: Shumon Sengupta & Ananya Banerjee Sengupta
Check-in/Check-out: Contact property directly for timings.
Rooms: 6 ensuite bedrooms — Aadi, Ananta, Anagha, Aaditya, Adwaita, Aananda Rates: — Aadi, Ananta, Anagha, Aaditya: ₹5,000 per night (breakfast for two included) — Adwaita (twin beds): ₹4,500 per night — Aananda (family room): ₹5,500 per night (on special request) — Triple occupancy available in select rooms at an additional charge
In-House Dining: Kittu’s Flavoir — pre-order meals and snacks one day in advance Sustainability: Minimal plastic waste · organic bathroom products · Indian handloom towels · biodegradable utensils On Site: Srinidhi Art Gallery (basement)
Getting There — Bolpur–Shantiniketan Railway Station is approximately 4.5 km from Srirangam — the most convenient arrival point. Regular trains run from Kolkata (Howrah/Sealdah) with a journey time of approximately 2.5 to 3 hours. The Shantiniketan Express and Bolpur Shatabdi are the most comfortable options. — Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport is approximately 165 km away — around 3.5 to 4 hours by road or a combination of car and train. — From the Bolpur station, autos and cycle-rickshaws are readily available to the homestay. Alternatively, request the hosts to arrange a pickup in advance. — By road from Kolkata: approximately 3.5 hours via NH 2 and NH 19 — a pleasant drive through the rolling red-laterite countryside of Birbhum district.
Nearby — Vishwa Bharati University: 6-minute walk · Kala Bhavana (Fine Arts Institute): 1 km · Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary: 5 km · Sonajhuri Haat: 7 km · Amar Kutir Craft Village: 3 km · Prantik Railway Station: 6 km
Best Time to Visit: October to March for pleasant weather · December for Poush Mela · March for Basanta Utsav (Holi celebrations, Tagore-style)
