This morning you shall be driven to Bansberia - one of main villages of ancient Saptagram to visit the temples of Ananta Vasudev (Lord Vishnu) and Hangseswari Temple which is known for its unique architectural style. Afterwards proceed to Hoogly-Chinsurah and visit the Bandel Church which is among the oldest churches in West Bengal followed by Hoogly Imambara better known or intricate designs and text from the holy book "Quraan".
Later you shall be visiting Chandan Strand - a very beautiful tourist spot along the banks of river "Ganges", Chandannagar Museum & Institute housing beautiful collection of French antiques. The tour culminates with a visit to The Sacred Heart Church which marks the beauty of the French period
Once known as Mallabhum or the Land of Wrestlers, Bishnupur abounds in legends of heroic kings, who are remembered as much for their exploits as for their patronage of art and architecture. This town of terracotta temples and man-made lakes is proof of the Malla rulers of 16th century who became powerful during this period.
Since Bishnupur had no stone for construction, the Malla kings built terracotta temples to celebrate their love for Krishna. Terracotta tiles carve out stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata and these temples of Bishnupur are the pride of Bengal. Conclude the visit with Jogesh Chandra Museum established by a group of enthusiastic youth.
Shanti Niketan means the abode of peace. In 1863, a meditation center was founded at Shanti Niketan by Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, the father of the world famous Bengali Poet Rabindranath Tagore. Rabindranath established the Brahma Vidyalaya and in 1901 another open air school “Brahmacharya Ashram”.
In 1921, it had expanded into Vishwa Bharati University – a residential university with an international body, hostels and extensive grounds. In includes separate colleges for fine arts and crafts, dance, music, teachers’ training, Asian languages, technology, postgraduate studies and research. Visit China Bhawan, Chhatimala, Kala Bhawan, Sangeet Bhawan & Uttrayan Complex.
Sunderbans, the world's largest estuarine forest and delta covered by mangrove forests and vast saline mud flats is situated on the lower end of Gangetic West Bengal. With a little luck one may experience a salt water Crocodile sunbathing in the mud; a flash in the corner of your eye could be Deer running into the forests.
Most famously, however, this protected area is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger. You can also explore the wildlife of Sunderban that harbours Jungle Cats, Fishing Cats, Axis Deer, Wild Boar, Rhesus Monkeys, Mongooses and the largest Estuarine Crocodiles in the world.
Sunderban is the breeding ground of immense variety of birds like Heron, Egret, Cormorant, Fishing Engle, White Bellied Sea Eagle, Seagul, Tern, Kingfisher as well as migratory birds like Whimprel, Black-tailed Godwit, Little Stint, Eastern Knot, Curlew, Sandpiper, Golden Plover, Pintail, White-eyed Pochard and also Whistling teal. A wide variety of aquatic and reptile life forms that include Olive Ridley sea turtle, hardshelled Batgur Terrapin, Pythons, King Cobra, Chequered Killback, Monitor and Lizards including the Salvator Lizards are also there.
In this tour one walks through the medical college, Kolkata University, Mirzapur street eateries, Sanskrit college, Old bookshops and eating houses and college street market to understand the life of the youth.
This visit to College Street provides an interesting insight into the social and intellectual concerns that shaped India, culminating in the struggle for independence from British rule.
The area covered by this walk was originally known in the eighteenth century as ‘Lal Dighi’ (Red Lake), and later as Tank Square. Later still, in the heydays of the British administration, it was called Dalhousie Square, after Lord Dalhousie who was the Governor General in the 1850s.
Later on it was renamed as Benoy – Badal – Dinesh Bag (popularly known as BBD Bag) in the memory of three Indian nationalist martyrs – Benoy Krishna Bose, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Chandra Gupta. The area near around the Dalhousie Square provide one of the most interesting walks through eighteenth and nineteenth century history and architecture of Kolkata.
This walk takes one along the east bank of the river, which has seen the city as it developed over the last three hundred years or so. It should be kept in mind, however, that in the seventeenth century the river flowed forty to fifty yards east of its present course.
Since about the end of the eighteenth century, the river started shifting its course westwards. Some of the landmarks as seen in the old aquatints, therefore, appear more inland today than they originally were.
The native or “black” quarters in eighteenth and nineteenth century Calcutta lay somewhat to the north and east of the "white" quarters which were near Dalhousie Square.
Chitpur Road ran through the heart of the native quarters, with its bazaars (so well depicted by Baltazar Solvyns in his late eighteenth century drawing) and mentions of the Bengali gentry.
In its earlier identity, it was the Pilgrim Road connecting Chitpore (farther to the north) with the Kali temple, and then located to the north of the present Bhowanipur.
The tour begins with a visit to 125 year old Flower market, moving to Bara Bazar (meaning big market) for multipurpose goods, Ezra Street (the electrical goods market), Chitpur Road (multipurpose goods), Mechua (fruit market), Kumartuli (Idol’s Market), College Street (book market) and New Market (multipurpose). This tour is a combination of walk & drive, so one has to be physically & mentally prepared.
Bengali cuisine is perhaps the only cuisine in the Indian region which still holds its authenticity over 1000 years, though this region was once ruled by the Mughals emperor and once was even the capital of British-colonized India.
On the way to family, visit a local market for a brief introduction with the different kinds of vegetables and spices used for Bengali cooking. After traditional welcome you get introduced with the ingredients used for cooking and slowly learn to cook the dish selected by you. Finally, relish the dish cooked by you and other members along with other dishes pre-cooked by the famliy, served in a platter. During conversation over lunch you would learn a lot about Bengali culture, tradition and food habits.
Kolkata by the river is a cruise known to have been born on the bank of Great River Ganges. It will be a sail down the memory lane, from the time when Job Charnock dropped his first anchor at Cossim Bazar. Framed between the two steel structures of Vidyasagar Setu and the magnificent Howrah Bridge, very old landmarks from the days of the British Raj, there are numerous ghats that relate to us of Kolkata's past and present life. The vessel casts off from Babughat Jetty. It sails down the Howrah Bridge, the unique cantilever Bridge across the river Ganga joining the two metropolises of Kolkata and Howrah. It also sails past the Howrah Railway Station, one of the busiest 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 Casipore.
Explora dos mundos, dos eras y dos continentes en un día con esta impresionante excursión de un día de duración por la ciudad de Calcuta. Acércate para ver los símbolos del Raj Británico: el Victoria Memorial y Belvedere House. Después haremos una Visita a dos de los templos hindúes más emblemáticos, muestra de la pervivencia de la cultura bengalí frente al control extranjero, antes de disfrutar de unas vistas espectaculares de la ciudad desde el emblemático puente de Howrah.
El imponente edificio de mármol blanco, Victoria Memorial, fue construido por los británicos en 1921, quienes se inspiraron en el Taj Mahal, si bien es una obra maestra por sí sola. Construido siguiendo el estilo mughal-gótico tan admirado durante el último Raj, ofrece senderos delimitados por árboles y espléndidos parques repletos de estatuas que se ven reflejadas en los estanques. A unos cuantos metros al este se sitúa Saint Paul's Cathedral, un espléndido ejemplo de la arquitectura neogótica.
Continúa hacia la Biblioteca Nacional de la India, situada en la imponente Belvedere House, que en otra época sirvió de residencia del lugarteniente gobernador de Bengala. En la actualidad alberga la mayor colección de libros de todo el país, a lo largo de seis secciones. Después Visitaremos el templo Dakshineswar Kali, situado a orillas del río, y la joya arquitectónica de Belur Math, que combina los elementos de una iglesia, un templo y una mezquita, y encarna el espíritu de la fraternidad religiosa.
Terminaremos la excursión con una parada para hacer fotos desde el puente de Howrah, conocido como la puerta de acceso a Calcuta. Esta exuberante estructura de acero atraviesa el río Hooghly y es uno de los símbolos de Calcuta desde su construcción.
Descubre cultura y la riqueza histórica de Calcuta con esta fascinante excursión de media jornada a la capital bengalí. Acércate para ver los símbolos del Raj Británico: el Victoria Memorial y Belvedere House. Después haremos una Visita a dos de los templos hindúes más emblemáticos, muestra de la pervivencia de la cultura bengalí frente al control extranjero.
El imponente edificio de mármol blanco, Victoria Memorial, fue construido por los británicos en 1921, quienes se inspiraron en el Taj Mahal, aunque es una obra maestra que destaca por sí sola. Construido siguiendo el estilo mughal-gótico tan admirado durante el último Raj, ofrece senderos delimitados por árboles y espléndidos parques de estatuas majestuosas que se ven reflejadas en los estanques. A unos pocos metros al este se sitúa Saint Paul's Cathedral, un espléndido ejemplo de la arquitectura neogótica, que destaca por los jardines paradisíacos que la rodean y por sus espectaculares vidrieras.
Continúa hacia la Biblioteca Nacional de la India, situada en la hermosa Belvedere House, que en otra época sirvió de residencia del lugarteniente gobernador de Bengala. En la actualidad alberga la mayor colección de libros de todo el país, con ejemplares en varios idiomas, tanto los oficiales de la India como extranjeros. Después visitaremos el espectacular templo Dakshineswar Kali, que exhibe unos peculiares rasgos bizantinos, y la joya arquitectónica de Belur Math, que combina los elementos de una iglesia, un templo y una mezquita, y encarna el espíritu de la fraternidad religiosa.