Visva-Bharati is a central university and Institution of National Importance at Santiniketan in West Bengal, founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921. Its origins are rooted in Tagore’s earlier educational experiment at Santiniketan, where he sought to create a learning environment connected with nature, cultural exchange, artistic creativity and intellectual freedom. Visva-Bharati was formally established on 22 November 1921 and developed as an international centre where Indian and global traditions could meet through study, research, art, music and dialogue. The university’s structure reflects Tagore’s broad educational vision. Vidya Bhavana supports humanities and social-science scholarship; Siksha Bhavana covers science; Kala Bhavana is internationally associated with visual art; Sangit Bhavana focuses on music and performing arts; Bhasha Bhavana supports language studies; and Sriniketan institutions connect education with rural reconstruction, agriculture and community development. Parliament declared Visva-Bharati a Central University and Institution of National Importance in 1951, giving statutory form to an institution that had already developed a distinctive cultural identity. The Prime Minister of India serves as Acharya, or Chancellor, while the President of India is the Paridarsaka, or Visitor. Visva-Bharati’s educational landscape extends across Santiniketan and Sriniketan, joining university-level teaching with schools, museums, archives, art collections and rural-development work. Rabindra Bhavana preserves important materials connected with Tagore, while Kala Bhavana and Sangit Bhavana continue traditions in modern Indian art and performance. In 2023, the Santiniketan site associated with Tagore’s educational vision was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Visva-Bharati remains distinctive because it combines a modern central-university framework with Tagore’s educational philosophy of cultural exchange, creativity, simplicity and the meeting of East and West. Its educational environment is inseparable from the physical and cultural landscape of Santiniketan, where classrooms, open-air learning spaces, art studios, performance traditions, archives and rural-reconstruction institutions collectively express Tagore’s integrated idea of education.