The Ganga river or the Ganges itself is an epitome of religious significance in India. No other river is considered as sacred or is worshipped as extensively as the Ganga in India. The Hindus consider the waters of the Ganges to be holy and a number of Pujas (worship of deities) are conducted with the aide of this holy water.

The Ganges flows across India only and spreads to no other neighboring country. India is the cradle of some of the greatest civilizations of the world and the mighty Ganges has been a silent spectator to all. Now, its time for you to listen its silence.

Day 1
M. V. Paramhamsa casts off at 3 P.M. 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 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 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 into Sri Ramakrishna’s equality of religions.

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 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 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 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 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 Bangla, comprising of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa. It was the 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 Khusbagh, an idyllic Mughal-style Garden enclosing the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daullah, 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 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.

In the afternoon, after a sumptuous lunch the visitors have a delightfully exquisitive 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 to Murshidabad and passes through the historic battleground of Palassey, 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 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 shrinelets enthralls the visitor with the rich workmanship of Bengal. They 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 Chinsura 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, distress 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

The first day and the fourth day, there are no disembarkation or shore excursions. It is a perfect time to unwind and relax.

The second and third day is filled with activities but spaced out carefully. There are three excursions each day – Early morning, forenoon or afternoon and late afternoon.

All tours are guided tours with the historian, life guards, full service for drinks and munching snacks while on excursions.