Rabindra Kachari Bari is one of the best-preserved antiquities of Bangladesh, located on the banks of Nagar river in Patisar village in Atrai upazila of Naogaon district. The distance from Naogaon city to the house of poet Rabindranath Tagore is about 36 km. In 1830, Dwarkanath Tagore, grandfather of Ravi Tagore and one of the members of the Jora Thakur family, arrived in this region. Later in 1891 Rabindranath Tagore first came to Patisar to look after the zamindari of Kaligram Pargana. In front of Patisar Ravi Tagore’s kuthibari spread over an area of about 10 acres, one can see the lion door, wide courtyard, two storied kuthibari and ruins of several buildings surrounding the kuthibari. A bust of Ravi Tagore made of concrete and some words of Rabindra Rakhna carved in marble stone can be seen in front of the main building through the aesthetic entrance. Inside the Rabindra Kachari house, there are various relics used by the poet, letters written by the poet’s own hand, photographs of the poet at different ages and furniture etc. Apart from this, there are Rabindra Sarovar, Dighi and Kaligram Rabindranath Institute in front of Kuthibari.
Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore wrote numerous poetry books, stories and essays including Chitra, Purnima, Sandhya, Gora, Ghar-baire while staying at the Kachari house in Patisar. Apart from writing literature and looking after the zamindari, Kabiguru was associated with many philanthropic works including setting up charitable hospitals and educational institutions for the people of the neglected Patisar area. According to which Kaligram established Rabindranath Institute, charitable hospital and established an agricultural bank in the area with 1 lakh 8 thousand rupees of Nobel Prize in 1913. However, most of the structures in Patisar are similar to those in Shilaidah and Shahjadpur. Rabindranath Tagore came to Patisar for the last time on July 27, 1937. Currently, this Kuthibari, which houses the memorial of Rabindranath Tagore, is under the supervision of the Department of Archaeology. Every year on the 25th Baishakh Kabir’s birthday, various events and folk fairs organized in Patisar attract many visitors from far and wide.
How to go
Naogaon can be reached by AC/Non-AC buses of SR, Shyamoli, Hanif or Mau Enterprises from Kalyanpur, Gabtali and Abdullahpur in Dhaka. The AC/Non-AC bus fare will be between Tk 680 to Tk 1400 depending on the bus. You can go to Atrai Upazila by bus or local transport system from Naogaon. By rail, Atrai can be reached directly by intercity train Nilsagar, Neelmani Express from Dhaka. Apart from this, Atrai is also accessible by bus, train and sea from Natore. According to Nasimon or Bhutbhuti from Atrai Upazila, one can go to Ravi Thakur’s kuthibari located in Patisar village 14 km away by local vehicles.