Santiniketan was previously called Bhubandanga (named after Bhuban Sinha)
Rabindranath's father, Maharshi Debendrqanath Tagore, found it very peaceful and renamed it Shantiniketan, which means abode (niketan) of peace (shanti).
It was here that Rabindranath Tagore started , the school of his ideals, whose central premise was that learning in a natural environment would be more enjoyable and fruitful.