Festival · Mungpoo
Rabindra Jayanti at Mungpoo
Mungpoo marks Tagore's birth anniversary at Rabindra Bhavan, the house where he stayed four times between 1938 and 1940 and where his birthday was celebrated in 1940. Expect songs, recitations and local school programmes rather than a large festival.
Rabindranath Tagore came to Mungpoo as the guest of Maitreyi Devi and her husband, Dr Manmohan Sen, who worked at the government quinine factory. He stayed in 1938, twice in 1939 and again in 1940, when he arrived on 21 April and his birthday was celebrated in the house. Maitreyi Devi later wrote about these visits in Mongpute Rabindranath, translated as Tagore by the Fireside. Tagore kept writing and painting during these stays.
The house is now Rabindra Bhavan, a small museum with his furniture, photographs and paintings. On 25 Baishakh, Tagore's birthday in the Bengali calendar, the village holds a programme there and in local schools: Rabindra Sangeet, poems in Bengali and Nepali, garlands at his portrait. Visitors from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kolkata sometimes come for the day. The house also keeps furniture he used, and the rooms are small and simple, much as Maitreyi Devi describes them.
This is a local commemoration, not a ticketed event, and its scale changes from year to year. Rabindra Bhavan has been closed for repairs at times. Check current status before you travel, ideally by asking a Darjeeling driver or a Mungpoo homestay a week ahead. There are no hotels to speak of in the village, so most visitors come for the day from Darjeeling, Kurseong or Kalimpong and leave before the afternoon mist.
Tips
- Arrive by mid-morning; programmes at Rabindra Bhavan usually happen in the first half of the day.
- Combine the visit with a walk past the cinchona plantations, first planted here in 1864.
- Read a few pages of Tagore by the Fireside before you go; it describes the very rooms you will stand in.
Most hill festivals follow lunar calendars, so dates move each year. Check current status before you travel.
Questions people ask
Good to know
When is Rabindra Jayanti celebrated at Mungpoo?
On 25 Baishakh in the Bengali calendar, Tagore's birth anniversary, which usually falls on 8 or 9 May. The programme at Rabindra Bhavan and the local schools is generally held that morning. Its scale changes each year, so check current status before you travel.
Why is Tagore's birthday celebrated in Mungpoo?
Because Tagore stayed in Mungpoo four times between 1938 and 1940, as a guest of Maitreyi Devi and Dr Manmohan Sen, and his birthday was celebrated there in 1940. Their house is now Rabindra Bhavan, a museum, and the village keeps his birthday as its own.
Is Rabindra Bhavan open on Rabindra Jayanti?
It is normally the centre of the day's programme, but the museum has been closed for repairs at times. Opening hours and access can change, so ask a Darjeeling driver, your homestay or the local tourism office before you travel, and check current status before you travel.
How do I reach Mungpoo for Rabindra Jayanti?
Most people come by reserved car from Darjeeling, Kurseong or Kalimpong, roughly two hours each way, for about ₹3,000–4,000 for the day. Shared jeeps run to Mungpoo less often, mainly from the Teesta side. Leave early: the programme is in the morning, and mist closes in by afternoon.