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Ganga Heritage Cruise
Overview :-
The cruiser vessel M.V. Paramhamsa is a four-decked vessel
Under Deck: Houses all utilities - kitchen, engine room, cold
storage, washing and laundry room, crew accommodation, fuel
and water tanks, sewage treatment plant etc.
Main Deck: Has 20 air-conditioned luxury passenger rooms with
attached bath, and a Queen suite.
First Deck: Has 12 luxury Family Rooms, the Bar and Restaurant,
the massage parlour with Steam and sauna facility and has a
Promenade Deck which is converted into activity area like Gym
etc.
Sky Deck: This is the top deck of the ship. This part has been
exclusively created for Nature viewing, sun lounging, Entertainment,
Star gazing through Telescopes, night vision Binoculars etc.
It has an exclusive lounge for conference with all the facilities
and a library.
The Experience :-
If you have decided to set sail on the M.V. Paramhamsa for a
cruise of the Ganges, you are lucky. The Ganges in India has
religious significance and this great river has its source and
delta in India itself.
The heritage sites that you will be sailing through will give
you an idea of the culture and practices in the respected places.
You do not have to be old or young to enjoy the journey, Ganges
Cruises is for people of any age group, and for specially those
who are seeking a bit of peace and tranquility. It's the best
way of witnessing the lifeline of true India, its magnificence,
its history and the age-old traditions. Apart from all these,
there is a blend of adventure, a thrill that will be cherished
by both the young and the old.
On board, you will be enjoying excellent facilities that will
enable you to enjoy the view of the heritage sites better. Yes,
your visit to the Belur Math, Chandannagar with its French connection,
Mayapur (the headquarters of ISKCON), Nabadwip, Murshidabad,
and Kalna gifts you fond memories that you will be cherishing
in the future. The historical past of these places will be unfolded
before you to impart you a mesmerizing feel.
The cruiser will bring alive a memorable experience for you.
The wonderful cuisine on board just compliments the experience
you will be achieving. If you are a food enthusiast, you will
love the Multicuisine Restaurant and all the mouth-watering
delicacies it brings before you. The bar is another venue for
you to relax and drench your throat. The cuisine takes care
of your preferences irrespective of your being a vegetarian
or a non-vegetarian.
Apart from catering to your taste buds and your stomach, the
services on board also entertain you. The entertainment programs
that take place in the evenings will help you spend your time
in total enjoyment. The shows will also bring you closer and
give you an idea of the culture here. Rural Bengal is reflected
in these shows.
The services and the conventional Indian hospitality on board
the M.V. Paramhamsa is in itself a fond experience that you
will be actually relating to your friends and near ones at the
end of the cruise.
Fact File :-
River Ganges is worshiped by the Hindus in India and is considered
one of the holiest rivers in the world. Ganga or Ganges is considered
the Mother of India and it is a belief that the water of the
Ganges can get you rid of your sins.
The Ganges runs over 1557 miles. The river has its origin at
Gangotri glacier (southern slopes of the Himalayas). The mouth
of the Ganges forms a vast delta (Sundarban delta), which is
the largest delta in the world.
Ganges has served as the lap of human civilization from the
ancient times. It has been a practice for the Indians to depend
on the river for psychological, physical and spiritual sustenance.
Ganga has been somewhat of a backbone in the shaping and growth
of the Indian civilization.
River Ganga is rich in wildlife but the show-stealer is the
dolphin. The dolphins in the Ganges are unique in a way that
they swim on one side using the other flipper for searching
food in the mud. Another unique aspect is that these dolphins
can be seen swimming with only their beaks protruding out of
the waters.
The people of India make extensive use of the Ganges for agricultural
and fishing purposes. The Ganges is also famous for transportation
as India relies greatly on river transportation. The river is
also a blessing for the major industries like food processing,
manufacturing of tools, leather, clothes and other textiles,
paper and pulp, as well as chemical processing.
Itinerary :-
3 NIGHTS 4 DAYS
Departure from Kolkata (Millennium Park Jetty) Monday 3pm
Return to Kolkata Thursday Afternoon
Cruising along the heritage and historical trail of Ganges from
Kolkata to Murshidabad - a stretch of 260 KM studded with monumental
history, spiritual aura and abundance of green eco-friendly
habitations.
Day 1
M.V.Paramhamsa casts off at 3 PM. from Millennium Park Jetty,
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 the Howrah Railway Station,
one of the busiest in the world, and various heritage sites
on the banks of the great river, including the numerous temples
and bathing ghats, the historical point of Job Charnock, house
of Dolls, Nimtolla Ghat and oldest Gun and Shell Factory in
India at Cassipur the tourists arrive at Belur.
Here the visitors 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 Sri Ramakrishna's
equality of religious.
By dusk the visitors 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 flover. 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 educations
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 the visitors dine and later anchors
at Triveni for the night.
Day 2
As the vessel sails, rural Bengal unfolds itself in all its
beauty, bounty and glory. The Forenoon is spent on board and
activities include a talk about the magnificent Ganga heritage
by a well-known Historian.
The vessel reaches Mayapur, the headquarters of ISKON. The visitors
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 cult of the
Gaudiya Vaishnav philosophy believes that Mayapur is the place
of Sri Chaitanya and it is the spiritual capital of the world.
Nabadwip, the ancient capital of Lakhsman Sen, the famous ruler
of the Sen dynasty, situated in 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 HazarDuari, the Palace with thousand
doors.
Day 3
Murshidabad is one of the oldest cities of West Bengal and has
a rich heritage. It was the capital city of Sasanka, the great
king of Gaur. The Nawab Murshid Ali Khan made Murshidabad the
capital city of Sube Bangal, comprising of Bengal, Bihar and
Orissa. It was last capital of independent Nawabs of Bengal
and the first capital of Bengal under the British.
The visitors start the day with a pleasant walk through Khushagh,
an idyllic Mughal style Garden enclosing the tombs of Siraj-ud-Dauiiah,
the last independent Nawab of Bengal and his family. The visitors
return to the vessel for breakfast. As the recharged visitors
come back on land they visit places of historic interest like
the Nizamat Kila (the Fortress of the Nawabs), also known as
the Hazaarduari Palace (Palace of a Thousand Doors), built by
Duncan Mc Leod of the Bengal Engineers in 1837, in the Italianate
style, the Moti Jhil (Pearl Lake) just to the south of the place,
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.
In the afternoon, after a sumptuous lunch the visitors have
a delightfully expensive shopping experience of Murshidabad
silk.
Since the vessel will be in port throughout the day the visitors
can also plan to explore the city of silk on their own.
After a day well spent, the cruiser bids good bye and passes
through the historic battleground of Palassey, where Robert
Clive's men defeated Siraj-ud-Daullah'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 enjoy
the delightful cuisine.
Day 4
Visitors enjoy an early morning trip to the ancient terracotta
temples at Kalna. One may choose to take a cycle rickshaw ride
or have a lovely morning walk breathing in fresh air. The old
Shiva temple with concentric rings made up of 108 srinelets
enthralls the visitor with return to the vessel and head back
to Kolkata. The visitors cast a last, long, lingering look behind
to have a clear look at the Dutch Cemetery at Cainsura and the
Portugese Church at Bandel.
The cruise ends at about 3Pm at the Millennium Park, Kolkata.
On board Activities / Facilities:
The cruiser has several activities onboard to unwind, destress
and relax.
Evening Entertainment – Each Day a different form suiting the
ambience, the evening entertainment is almost like a theme party.
First Night – Modern Bengali and Hindi Music
Second Night – Rural Bengali folk drama and. folk songs
Third Night – classical and folk Music.
Cuisine – Each meal is carefully designed to give a rich experience
of the
culinary wealth of India particularly Bengal. Exotic but Non
greasy, healthy,
wholesome, hygienic is the objective.
Library on the skydeck with good collection of Books and Films.
TV room for viewing films
Games – caroms, cards, chess
Gym & Yoga – to burn the calories
Spa – for an ayurvedic massage and steam / sauna bath.
Night vision binoculars
Telescope for star gazing
Artisans at work and stock of art work, local handicrafts for
buying.
Historian cum sailor who will share his experience – Talk shows
and films
shows are on his agenda
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