Prattusa Mallik
Over the last decade, several ancestral homes of the 19th and 20th century intellectuals of Bengal have been restored as museums and opened for visitors. As religious pilgrimages in the country grow more and more popular, perhaps this is a good time to begin a trend of literary or cultural pilgrimages in India? On World Heritage Day 2025, we bring you all you need to know about the ancestral houses-turned-museums of three such Bengali icons.
Built by his father in 1909, this house was where Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose lived most of his life in Kolkata. Now, it includes archives, a museum and a library. Aesthetes will love the yellow facades, green windows and red flooring that used to come with art-deco houses.
The moment you enter the space, you see the black German Wanderer Sedan that Netaji used to flee in disguise during the ‘great escape’ from his house arrest in 1941. And from relics of Netaji’s footprints to the letters that he wrote while hiding — the museum will appeal to anyone interested in Indian history.
Swami Vivekananda was born at Simla Pally — one of the oldest neighbourhoods in North Kolkata. The palatial house he was born in, built by his grandfather Rammohan Datta, is more than 300 years old. In 2004, the house was opened to the public after being restored by the Ramakrishna Mission. The materials used for restoration were similar to those used during the 18th century construction.
This resulted in a house bathed in white marble with intricate designs. The space envelops you with its serenity the moment you enter. It houses a beautiful shrine on the terrace to mark the place where Vivekananda was born, the thakur dalan (place of worship and the adjoining courtyard) and its 36 rooms. The small Vireshwar Shiva temple is believed to be the place where Vivekananda’s mother had prayed for a son, eventually getting her wish fulfilled. A lot of people come here for a brief meditation or prayer, believing their wishes will be fulfilled.
Officially known as the Tagore Museum, it offers information about the history of not only the poet but his family in detail, including their role in the Bengal Renaissance, which was pivotal. The house — with its architecture style typical of the colonial era — is made of beautiful red bricks and is painted white in places.
The space has several libraries, with one of them featuring artworks from the Bengal School of Art founded by Abanindranath Tagore. Don’t miss checking out mementos from Rabindranath’s visits to countries — like China, Hungary, Italy, Japan and the US — which might surprise you revealing how interesting the poet’s relations with these countries were.