Your 3-minute knowledge guide
Poush Mela – What is it?
It’s November and the early chills of winter have just started to set in. As per the Bengali calendar though, it’s Poush – And along with being the month of the auspicious Poush Sankranti, the lavish food affair of Pithes and Pulis, Poush is also the month when, at Shantiniketan, in the Birbhum District of West Bengal, amid the cradle of nature, an annual festival cum fair gets celebrated – The Poush Mela of Shantiniketan, a social gala with a rich lineage.
Being inaugurated on the 7th day of Poush, the traits that make this fair unique are the varied cultural amalgamations and live performances of Bengali traditional music, including Baul, Kirtan, and Kobigan, a musical duel between two kothoks or singers.
In short, Poush Mela at Shantiniketan is an experience your soul can’t truly miss!
The humble beginnings
Back on 21 December 1891 (aka 7th Poush 1298), Devendranath Tagore founded the Brahma Mandir at Shantiniketan, which formed the very basis of the world-famous Poush Utsav today.
Three years later, in 1894, as a celebration of the establishment anniversary of Brahma Mandir, a small fair got organised on the ground opposite to the Mandir itself. And thus began the legendary Poush Mela of Shantiniketan!
What started off as a cozy, homely celebration, now attracts tourists from all over the world to the local Birbhum district of West Bengal.
What to expect?
Every year, the celebrations get inaugurated with the entrance of the Vaitalik group, a clan of singers who go around the hermitage singing songs. This gets followed by a calm session of prayers at Chhatimtala, from where the entire audience moves on to the Uttarayan grounds, and the Mela commences.
All through the Poush Mela fair days, you can find live concerts of Bengali folk music, with special performances of devotional Baul and Kristan music, folk songs, and tribal dances. In addition, the students of Shantiniketan themselves participate and further enliven the event with their outstanding artful performances.
Now, for the art lovers and the foodies, the fair hosts over 1000 stalls that sell a variety of local-printed fabrics, handicraft art items, and traditional ethnic jewelry to delectable delicacies including the indulgent chanar payesh, jaggery-cooked special sweet dishes like moa, patisapta, etc that further boost the popularity of the illustrious event.
Overall, to the uninitiated, Poush Mela provides a true understanding of Bengal’s honest and heterogenous cultural heritage. So, if you want to live the experience of a lifetime that’s drenched in arts, history, music, and food, come visit Shantiniketan during the Poush Mela this year from 24th-26th December ‘2022.
Have you made the bookings yet?
The data from Government statistics show an inflow of over 40,000 daily tourists at Santiniketan during major local festive occasions like Poush Utsav, Basanta Utsav, Rabindra Paksha, and Naba Barsha, the Bengali new year.
And if you have not yet guessed, the available accommodation facilities are not at all equipped for this level of dynamic tourist influx. Hence, if you are serious about an ethereal trip that’ll for sure, boost your spiritual and life senses, then reserve your Poush Mela escapades today at Mohor Kutir.
Set right into the very heart of nature, we, Mohor Kutir have been termed often by our clients as the best resort and hotel in Santiniketan, where our dexterous staff and impeccable service are sure to provide you with an unforgettable and luxurious getaway. If you don’t believe us, do peek into our social media pages for validation.
Equipped with all modern luxurious amenities, we are one of the premier resorts to experience a relaxing stay at Shantiniketan: Enjoy your heart out at the Poush Mela event, taste a variety of delectable dishes at our in-house ‘Panchmeshali’ restaurant, have a splash in the pool or take a stroll across our furnished compounds and then waltz into the greenery, the choice is yours!
Book your delightful Poush Mela holidays with us today.
