Jorasanko Thakurbari

The ancestral mansion of Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. His verses became the anthems of India and Bangladesh, carrying messages of humanity and God that transcend any single religion.

In the House-Museum:

• The room where he was born and died
• His paintings (he created 2,500 works)
• Manuscripts and first editions
• Personal belongings and photographs

A good souvenir from Kolkata is his "Gitanjali" in Bengali and English from the booksellers on College Street: verses about humans and God that cannot be attributed to any single religion. Entry is ticketed. The evening sound-and-light show in the courtyard has been suspended, so check whether it has resumed before planning around it. This is a place to understand not just Tagore the writer, but Tagore as painter, philosopher, and cultural transformer who bridged East and West.

Besides the main places that everyone knows about, Kolkata has locations that people stumble upon either by chance or because a local says, "Come, I'll show you something." Ordinary guidebooks usually skip them: not photogenic, not convenient for groups, no ticket to sell. But they are the ones that usually stay with you the longest.

Tagore's house