Culture and history · Mungpoo
Rabindra Bhavan, Tagore's house at Mungpoo
Visit the bungalow where Rabindranath Tagore stayed four times between 1938 and 1940 as the guest of Maitreyi Devi. A small museum of his furniture, photographs, paintings and letters, in a quiet garden among the cinchona slopes.
The house belonged to the cinchona plantation and was the home of Dr Manmohan Sen, the chemist in charge at the quinine factory, and his wife, the writer Maitreyi Devi. Tagore came to stay at her invitation in May 1938 and returned three times, the last from 21 April 1940, when his 79th birthday was celebrated here. These were among the last journeys of a poet who died in August 1941.
Today the bungalow is Rabindra Bhavan, a small museum. The rooms keep pieces of the furniture he used, photographs from his stays, some of his paintings and letters. It is not a grand museum, and that is part of its charm: you can stand in the rooms where he worked and look out at the same green slopes. Spend a few minutes in the garden as well; the view across the slopes is much as he would have seen it, and the stillness explains why he came back.
The house has been under repair at times, and opening days and hours vary. Check current status before you travel, ideally through a Darjeeling agent or your driver. Read Maitreyi Devi's Tagore by the Fireside beforehand; she describes these rooms, the evenings and the conversations in detail. Photography rules inside can vary, so ask the caretaker before you take pictures, keep voices low in the rooms, and sign the visitors' book if there is one.
Cost: Free or a small fee
Questions people ask
Good to know
Why did Tagore stay in Mungpoo?
He came at the invitation of Maitreyi Devi, a writer he had known since her childhood, whose husband Dr Manmohan Sen was the chemist in charge at Mungpoo's quinine factory. The quiet, mild hill climate suited the ageing poet. He stayed four times between May 1938 and 1940.
What is there to see at Rabindra Bhavan?
The rooms where Tagore stayed, with furniture he used, photographs from his visits, some of his paintings and letters. It is a small museum and takes about an hour. The setting, a hill bungalow in a garden among cinchona slopes, is as much part of the visit as the exhibits.
Is Rabindra Bhavan open every day?
Opening days and hours vary, and the museum has closed for repair work at times. Do not assume it will be open on a public holiday or late in the afternoon. Check current status before you travel, through your driver, a Darjeeling agent or local contacts in Mungpoo.
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