and observed all the rituals though it was not possible for him to follow all the
meanings of the Mantras. Its influence lingered even in his old age. He had become a Brahmin but with his shaved head it became difficult for him to go to School. At this time his father offered to take him to the Himalayas, which he accepted at once. He felt so excited that he wanted to express his willingness by shouting like a thunder.
This was the first time he would enjoy the world outside and the company of his father which was also unknown to him.
At first they went to Shantiniketan and stayed there for a few days. It was a mere village at that time in 1873. About 4-5 Kilometers away from Bolpur station, Devendranath had purchased 20 bighas of land and constructed a one storied building there with bricks and given it the name "Shantiniketan". All around there were open meadows, an unfinished pond and at a distance there was a dam in Bhubandanga village and rows of palm-trees, non-existent today.
Later on Devendranath established an Ashram and a temple there.
This was the first outing for Rabindranath, in 1873, at the age of 11yrs and 9 months.
Devendranath used to stay away from home for his work and could not devote time to his children. This was the quite the usual practice at that time-- for the father to keep himself at a respectable distance from the children. After coming to Bolpur, Rabindranath got the chance to come into close contact with his father and could help him out, such as winding his watch, keeping cash and accounts etc. He also got ample opportunity to roam around as he liked. The peaceful environment of Shantiniketan helped him in his creative work. In Shantiniketan, under a small coconut tree, he wrote a lyrical-drama, "Prthwiraj Parajay", the manuscript of this book is lost. However, the lyrical-drama "Rudrachandra" might be of a similar type.
They left Bolpur after a few days and went to Amritsar, halting at several places - Sahibganj, Danapur, Allahabad, Kanpur etc.
