Kuthibari is the former residence of Bengal’s most famous poet, Rabindranath Tagore. It was built in the mid-19th century and Tagore lived here for over 10 years from 1880, composing some of his immortal poems, songs and short stories. He returned here from Kolkata in 1912 for several years, translating his works into English and earning the Nobel Prize for Literature (1913) in the process. The house has been turned into a museum dedicated to Tagore’s life and works.
The building is set among landscaped gardens, where musicians sometimes gather to perform in his honour. There are a few snack stalls outside the entrance to the house, where you can grab lunch, but bringing a picnic to eat in the grounds isn’t a bad idea. To get here, you can hitch the 16km ride in a tempo (Tk 30) from the centre of town.