Netaji Bhawan

Travel back into the olden times through an impressive collection of artifacts about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in his ancestral house turned museum, now known as Netaji Bhawan in Kolkata, West Bengal. Established as a tribute to the legendary freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, Netaji Bhawan is a must visit spot in Kolkata.

About the Museum

The city of Kolkata is loved for a lot of reasons, be it the delectable and wide-ranging sweets and desserts, a large market for beautiful ethnic wear collections, or just the rich culture and heritage of the city. Not only this, Kolkata is known for a lot of influential personalities and freedom fighters that people love admire, and adore such as Subhash Chandra Bose, lovingly known as Netaji by the people. To honor his contributions to the freedom of India, the city has paid homage to Netaji through the establishment of Netaji Bhawan which is a museum devoted to him.

The museum Netaji Bhawan was formerly the residential place of Netaji Bose which makes it an even more precious sight in the city. Constructed in 1909 by Janakinath Bose, Netaji's father, the building was transformed into a museum in 1961 under the management of the Netaji Research Bureau and serves as an open book into the life of Subhash Chandra Bose. The exterior of the building resembles an old traditional Bengali house with pillars, porticoes, and courtyards but the exhibition inside will retreat you to the days of the Indian independence era. Various artifacts in the museum are maintained and displayed in their original condition such as furniture and personal belongings of Sarat Chandra Bose (one of Netaji’s brothers), a large bedstead belonging to Janakinath, and fully equipped as its original condition Netaji’s bedroom on the 1st floor. The house also has staircases and a car that Netaji used to elope during his Berlin arrest that is kept in a well-preserved state. Netaji’s house was used as a focal point for all freedom movement-related meetings and visiting this place to see all of the things in their original self makes the visitors feel as if they are watching a live story.

The exhibits in the museum comprise articles, documents, photographs, and letters that chronologically showcase the glorious life of Netaji which starts from when he was a young student at Cambridge to the days of Swaraj. The museum documents each and every aspect of his life through photoshoots and pictures from his days in Europe to his trips to the Andaman Islands and when he has held a prisoner at Mandalay. Some of the highlights of the museum include postage stamps, German military documents that are translated into Hindi, and Azad Hind journals. There is also a library in the museum known as the ‘Freedom Library’ which shelves an incredible collection of books penned by Sarat Chandra Bose. For history enthusiasts, the library has several periodicals that include historic events which were part of the Indian freedom movement and all the struggles several freedom fighters including Netaji Bose faced during that time. An auditorium with a seating capacity of 115 people shows special movies and documentaries on Netaji and talks about the freedom movement which also is an ideal place to delve deeper into the life of our beloved Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in the Netaji Bhawan.