| Bengal on Hugli 6
NIGHTS / 7 DAYS Sunderbans and Heritage Cruise
The busy fishing harbour will give an insight into the lifestyle of the fisherman. You can buy fresh fish and other sea food to be cooked in the live kitchen counters for dinner. After interacting with the fishermen, the cruiser enters Sunderbans to navigate through the narrower creek of Hatania –Doanina. You will have your first glimpse of the dense mangrove and the vast river system with several creeks flowing into the main rivers. In the evening, you will have choices – watching wild life film shows or talk with a wild lifer and a dinner with music from modern and traditional Bengal. The cruiser will drop anchor at Namkhana for the night. DAY
2- CRUISE Visit watchtowers, go for a canopy walk at some of the islands – Dobanke, Sajnekhali and Sudhanyakhali along with a Wild-lifer, who will guide you to experience the forest, sight animals and birds; explain various mangrove species and tell interesting stories of the islands. Later in the evening before sunset, the vessel will anchor at a beautiful Sunderban village. You will see farming, paddy being husked, collected honey being packed, fishing, prawn culture and various occupations of the region. After sunset, enjoy a traditional mythological folk drama, Bon Bibir pala, a rich folklore performance of Sunderbans. Later in the evening, enjoy a traditional Bengali meal while recorded folk songs of Bengal mesmerize the dining hall. Later indulge in star gazing from the sky deck; soak in the serenity and tranquility. DAY
3 – CRUISE Our next stop is at Lothian Island, where there is an interesting forest trail. Dinner is served on the cruiser with music. DAY
4 – CRUISE After a brief halt at Kolkata, the vessel sails down the Howrah Bridge, the unique cantilever Bridge across the river Ganga joining the two metropolises of Kolkata and Howrah. Sailing past Howrah Railway Station, one of the busiest train stations in the world, and various heritage sites on the banks of the great river, including numerous temples and bathing ghats, the historical point of arrival of Job Charnock, the House of Dolls, the Nimtolla Ghat, the oldest Gun and Shell Factory in India at Cossipore, you arrive at Belur. Here you disembark to visit Belur Math, a shrine built by Swami Vivekananda, in honour of his great master Ramakrishna Paramhamsa Deb. The visit will give an insight into Sri Ramakrishna’s equality of religions. At dusk, embark the vessel to sail up the river to Chandannagar, a colony of the French till 1950. At the Chandannagar Strand, the ancient French colony comes alive with bands recreating French flavour. After a tour of the French Architecture of historical importance in the Strand like the Church, the Clock Tower and the old hotels, now housing the Civil Court and various educational institutions the visitors embark the vessel to be treated to a French Dinner, befitting the ambience and the aroma of the French settlement of yore. The vessel sails as you dine and later anchors at Triveni for the night. DAY
5 – CRUISE The vessel reaches Mayapur, the headquarters of ISKON. You disembark at the divine abode of Lord Krishna. The rich vegetarian lunch at the divine temple at Mayapur tantalizes the taste buds with its purity and simplicity. The Hare Krishna movement of the Gaudiya Vaishnav philosophy believes that Mayapur is the place of birth of Sri Chaitanya and it is the spiritual capital of the world. Nabadwip, the ancient capital of Lakshman Sen, the famous ruler of the Sen dynasty, situated now on the western bank due to the changing course of Ganga, was a great center of learning and intellectual prowess, referred to as the Oxford of Bengal and the place where Chaitanya Deb was born in 1486. This was captured by Bakhtiyar Khilji, to pave the way for Muslim Rule in Bengal. The visitors enjoy a stroll through these twin towns of Chaitanya faith and return to the vessel for a quiet evening to let the divine feeling sink in. At night the vessel cruises to anchor at Lal Bagh in front of Hazar Duari, the Palace with thousand doors. DAY
6 – CRUISE You start the day with a pleasant walk through Khusbagh, an idyllic Mughal-style Garden enclosing the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal and his family, and return to the vessel for breakfast. Back on land, visit places of historic interest like the Nizamat Kila (the Fortress of the Nawabs), also known as the Hazar Duari Palace (Palace of a Thousand Doors), built by Duncan McLeod of the Bengal Engineers in 1837, in the Italianate style, the Moti Jheel (Pearl Lake) just to the south of the palace, the Muradbagh Palace and the Khushbagh Cemetery, where the remains of Ali Vardi Khan and Siraj-ud-Daulah are interred. After visiting the Hazar Duari Museum - collections of pictures, china, weapons and other objects the visitors see the great Katara Mosque and the 18th Century marvels of the Nashipura Palace and the palace of Jagat Sett, both built in classical Georgian style by rich local merchants and represents the other side of the coin of the “White Mughal” period when English and Indian cultures came close to fusion. After a sumptuous lunch, spend time at leisure to explore the city of silk on your own, looking at how the Indian cottage industry survives on silk weaving, and if you so wish, take the opportunity of being able to purchase the exquisite Murshidabad silk. After a day well spent, the cruiser bids good bye to Murshidabad and passes through the historic battleground of Plassey, where Robert Clive’s men defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah’s soldiers ushering in British Rule in India. Entertainment at nightfall is the highlight of the evening as the cruiser winds its way back and the visitors carry with them pleasant memories of historical past and an enjoyable and delightful cruise. DAY
7 – CRUISE The
cruise ends at about 3 pm at the Millennium Park, Kolkata. Itinerary/Timings
may vary depending on tidal and weather conditions. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: E-mail: Deepak Singh, Spiritual Journeys, Inc., 101 Lexington Street, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. Ph: 508-358-4267. |