The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
The city of learning (the home of Lord Shiva) and burning. Ghats (steps to the river) always busy: dawn and sunset are busiest.
On the drive to the hotel:
After lunch we rode and walked to the Ganges.
We walked along the river and then boarded a boat, to observe the sunset ceremonies.
We started the day with a sunrise tour of the Taj Mahal.
After breakfast we toured a factory that produces inlaid marble items by hand. They are supposedly descendants of the original builders of the Taj Mahal. Two craftsmen work on each piece: one man makes the inlay pieces, and the other carves the design into the marble.
More wedding photos
After lunch we boarded the bus bound for Delhi.
Bus ride from Jaipur to Agra.
Today is the beginning of wedding season. Weddings are typically large, and outside of the major cities, there are wedding venues that you can rent for your wedding. Smaller wedding are held at a local temple. There are several weddings at our hotel this evening.
After lunch we toured Agra, stopping first at red sandstone Agra Fort.
Then at Mehtab Bagh (Moonlight Garden).
After dinner I walked around the hotel and strolled up and down the street in Agra.
Snake charmers on the way to Amber Palace. Elephant ride up to the palace.
Photo op at Lake Palace during the bus ride back to Jaipur.
Toured City Palace and Observatory in old Jaipur, the “pink” city.
After lunch at a local hotel we visited a fabric and rug co-op.
I found some 1930s cars at the; hotel: Plymouth, Ford, Pontiac and a newer (1960s ?) Mercedes Benz. The old cars might belong the current Maharaja, while the Mercedes might be a guest’s.
After dinner I ventured up to the roof. The door said “Watch your head” so I assumed I was allowed to go out. (But I suspect that is not the case.)
We disembarked this morning, shortly after breakfast. Goodbye Kolkata.
My checked bag didn’t make it through security. They took me from the gate, to the basement to “clear my bag.” For some reason, mosquito repellent was not allowed in the checked bag. They made me go through security again and didn’t allow me to carry it on, either.
Our hotel (Rambagh Palace).
After dinner – an assortment of regional specialties – at the hotel
We spent the morning sailing downstream.
After lunch we visited Chandernagore, established as a French colony in 1673. The French obtained permission from Ibrahim Khan, the then Nawab of Bengal to establish a trading post on the riverbank. It became a permanent French settlement in 1688.
We spent the morning sailing downstream.
After lunch we visited Chandernagore, established as a French colony in 1673. The French obtained permission from Ibrahim Khan, the then Nawab of Bengal to establish a trading post on the riverbank. It became a permanent French settlement in 1688.
Tonight we had a “Sandbank party” somewhere along the river. Some locals showed up to watch. Tour members and crew had fun under the setting sun and by the bonfire.
Some pictures from today’s cruise, some highlights from the trip, and some pictures that may not have made the final cut.
First, we are not near the collapsed bridge.
Chhath celebrations began well before dawn this morning.
Celebration continues into the morning. Drums and amplified music started about 4:30 this morning. Fireworks have been going off sporadically – mostly loud, but some “regular” with colorful bursts.
No excursion today. Sand-bar party this afternoon – we’ll wear the “traditional” clothes we purchased In Murshidabad.
The annual Chhath festival is underway here. Prayers during Chhath puja are dedicated to the Sun (or Solar) God, Surya. It is a time of thanksgiving. The main rituals occur tonight at sunset and tomorrow at sunrise.
We had a cultural event before dinner this evening – a local dance troupe performed traditional dances. They included a dance about Chhath.
Afterwards, crew from the ship floated candles, offerings of thanks, down the river.
After breakfast we took horse-drawn carts to Katra Mosque, built 1723-1724 by the first Nawab of Murshidabad.
Then, back in the buggies:
We visited Hazarduari Palace, built during the reign of Nawab Nazim Humayun Jah (1824 –1838). 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. Opposite to the Palace is a vast Imambara – built by the Nawab for worship.
Afterwards we walked back to the ship – just in time for lunch.
Our afternoon excursion was to Baranagar, home to
several temples dating from the 18th century (1714 – 1793). Built by Rani (Queen) Bhabani, the landlady of Natore, the brick temples are considered to be among the best examples of Bengal terra cotta art.
Then, we walked back to the shore to catch the skiff back to ship.
We started the day with a pre-breakfast walk through the village of Matiari, known for metal workers.
After breakfast we learned how to put on traditional clothes: the turban, dohti, and sari.
We continued upriver, sailing past the battlefield of Plassey, where Robert Clive of British East India Company defeated the Mogul Nawabs in 1757.
We visited Khushbagh (Garden of Happiness), complex built by Nawab Ali–Wardi–Khan, housing his family’s private mosque and the graves of family members and three Eunuch bodyguards. His grandson Siraj-ud-Daula was defeated by the British East India Company at the Battle of Plassey in 1757.
We continued upriver, docking at Murshidabad where we rode into town to purchase traditional clothing for an event on Tuesday evening.
We weighed anchor in Kalna this morning after breakfast. We took the skiff to the ferry landing and rode rickshaws to the town center.
Our first stop was the Nabakailas Temples built in 1809. 108 temples in two concentric circles. The outer circle consists of 74 temples containing alternating black (night) and white (day) lingas. The lingas always point north. The inner circle consists of 34 temples containing white lingas.
Across the road is the Rajbari temple complex. Pratapeshwar Temple, built in 1849; the Lalaji Temple, built in 1739; the Krishnachandra Temple, built in 1751-55; and the Giri Govardhan Temple.
We visited the fruit and vegetable market:
The fish and meat market:
Then walked back to the ferry landing to take the skiff back to the boat.
After lunch we sailed up the Ganges River and passed the Hare Krishna Temple – the largest domed building in the world.
Sunset on the Ganges River
On the bus to start our tour. Bathing on the river bank. Remains of Kali effigies pulled from the river.
First stop one of the market areas.
Town Hall (white) and High Court buildings. Kolkata was the capital until 1911, this High Court is the oldest in the country.
St. John’s Church, built in 1756 by Lt. Colonel James Agg. It houses India’s oldest functioning pipe organ. On the church grounds are memorials and several tombs of British Generals who lost their lives during the Siege of Kolkata in 1756 by Nawab Shriaj Ud Daula.
Marriage carriages – grooms ride to ceremony in one of these.
Queen Victoria Memorial Museum
Ride back to boat, which moved up river, for lunch.
Bandel, a port founded by Portuguese settlers in the 1800s. Our visit includes a tour of the Hooghly Imambara (completed in 1861), an important Shia
pilgrimage center with a clock- tower lookout that boasts views of the Ganges. The structure contains a working clock with a winding key weighing approximately 20 kilograms (44 pounds).
Saying “Yes” to Adventure 