The Diwali Cruise
Kolkata – Kalna – Matiari – Murshidabad – Mayapur – Chandernagore – Kolkata
7 nights / 8 days Cruise
1 to 8 Nov 2024
Arrive in Kolkata by late afternoon and transfer to the jetty for embarkation.
En route view the festivities of the “Festival of Lights” Diwali or Deepawali. It is the most significant and famous festival of India which is celebrated every year all over the country. It is a sacred Hindu festival that symbolizes the triumph of good over evil. People clean and whitewash their houses and decorate them with earthen lamps, electric lights, and lanterns. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and Ganesh, the God of Goodwill and Prosperity are worshipped after sunset to get blessings of health, wealth, and prosperity. Firecrackers and sky lanterns light up the sky.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
After breakfast, visit Mother Teresa’s home and tomb. Mother Teresa started the Missionaries of Charity and worked here until she died in 1997. The permanent exhibition includes a visit to her room, where we learn her life story and see her charity that is still active.
Return to the ship for lunch while we begin our journey sailing past the iconic bridges and through areas where various European settlers had established East Indian Companies, leaving many remnants of their settlements from the 17th through 19th Centuries.
Evening welcome reception.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
After breakfast ride e-rickshaws to visit the Rajbari temple complex. The Nabakailas temple contains 108 eight-slope-roofed shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. Other temples in the complex feature diverse architecture and famous terracotta plaques depicting themes of Hindu epics and day-to-day life. Return to the ship, strolling through the local vegetable market. Begin sailing towards the shore-side village of Matiari, while having lunch onboard.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
Take an early walk in the village to see and experience master craftsmen at work, utilizing recycled copper to create exquisite pots, platters, and more from their workshops in the village. Return to the ship for breakfast and sail to Khushbagh. Lunch onboard. In the evening walk through farmers’ fields to visit the Mughal-style Garden built by Nawab Ali Wardi Khan. It houses the Nawab’s private mosque and the tomb of the last Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula, whom the British East India Company defeated at the historic Battle of Plassey. Evening cultural music and dance program.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
Morning explore Murshidabad, a hidden architectural gem with dramatic whitewashed colonial-era structures. Ride horse carts (local buggy) to the Katra Mosque. Built by the first Nawab of Murshidabad – Murshid Quli Khan in 1724-25, this mosque has distinctive minarets from which the muezzin calls the faithful to Friday prayers. Then visit the Hazarduari Palace, which dominates the waterfront, built during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah (1824-1838 AD) by an English architect, McLeod Duncan, in the Greek “Doric” style. The palace has more than a thousand real and false doors in the vast corridors and is filled with colonial-era antiques, artwork, and manuscripts.
We sail towards Mayapur while enjoying lunch onboard.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
Morning walks through the pilgrim’s bazaar, meet Krishna’s followers, and glimpse their fascinating culture and colourful statues of Krishna. Visit the temple, which is comparable in size to the Vatican and has been largely funded by Alfred B. Ford, the great-grandson of Henry Ford.
Return to the ship and sail to the fabled French colony of Chandernagore. There, explore the charming colonial buildings along the promenade, including the former French governor's residence, now converted into a museum that features items depicting life during that period. Also, visit the 150-year-old Sacred Heart Church. Return to the ship and sail to Kolkata, arriving by late evening.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
After breakfast, visit the glorious Flower Market, where you can see artists fashioning garlands, ornaments, and other items out of flowers and leaves for temples, weddings, and other uses. After this, wander the by lanes of Kumartuli, a traditional potters’ quarter renowned for its beautiful sculptures of Goddess idols and more.
Return to the ship and after lunch, set off on a panoramic tour of Dalhousie Square’s heritage buildings; St. John's Church and the Victoria Memorial Museum, built in the Indo-Saracenic revivalist style.
Today is Chhath Puja, a folk festival which is dedicated to the solar deity, Surya (the Sun God) to show gratitude and thankfulness for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request that certain wishes be granted. The festival can be observed during sailing on the Ganges. You would see many devotees thronging the riverbank for ritual activities and hear the echoes of Hindu chanting.
Evening cultural program and farewell dinner.
Dinner & overnight stay onboard Ganges Voyager
Morning is at leisure with breakfast and lunch onboard. Disembark the ship and transfer for your onward journey.
Important Note:
- The itinerary may be altered and adjusted contingent on local conditions and days of the week when monuments/museums are closed. Last-minute sailing adjustments may also happen. The onboard tour staff will announce or post the exact time for each activity in advance.
- The letters in parentheses indicate the meals included: B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner.