Know your City- Swami Ishtakamananda

About Tagore Hill, MORABADI, Ranchi

Swami Ishtakamananda

The Tagore hill also known as Morabadi hill issituated in Morabadi, Ranchi, Jharkhand, 4kms north of the city. Tagore hill stands like sentinel Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s brother, Jyotinrindranath Tagore had visited Ranchi, in 1908. Charmed by the appeal of the place, he had bought Morabadi hill and adjoining areas and built a house atop. Jyotirindranath made this place home after the death of his wife. The name of the house is “Shanti Dham”. Still now this Shanti Dham has been appearing in the hill with its renovated form and giving extra beauty to the hill.

Tagore hill is about 300 ft. High. As the hill is associated with a history of pertaining to Tagore family, it is known as Tagore hill. The first thing you will notice is the graffiti on the huge boulders, followed by a white archway. Once you climb the hill you can see the house where Tagore’s elder brother lived. It has been renovated by Tagore’s buffs. The view of the city from the hill top is remarkable. This place is the perfect gateway if you are looking for a peaceful place away from city noises. There is a Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama at the foot of Tagore hill. It is advisable not to venture out here after dark.

Swami Subodhanandaji a direct disciple of Bhagwan SriRamkrishna Dev came to Tagore hill and with some devotees did picnic here but water was not there so all of them after picnic came down to the bottom of hill and nearby place there was a good well, there they took water. At present that very well and the adjacent land belong to Ramakrishna Mission property.

Swami Vishuddhananda Maharaj founder of Morabadi Ramakrishna Mission had been often going to the Tagore hill and there in a small cave he had been meditating, that cave is now called by Ramakrisna Mission devotees as Vishuddhananda cave.

Many monks of Ramakrishna order visited this Tagore hill and enjoyed its solitary and peaceful atmosphere. Some of them expressed their some super natural incidents and experience also.

Somebody say that Rabindranath had came here and written some portion of his great book “Geetanjali” and some other books. It is not true at all. He never even came to Ranchi. But certainly this Tagore hill has become a tourist attraction place.
Illustration - Atanu Deb