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The Ganges & Kerala Backwaters
Experience the best of India’s river landscapes as you embark on a captivating voyage through the sacred Ganges and the serene Kerala Backwaters. Sail past ancient temples, bustling ghats, and colonial-era towns along the Ganges before unwinding in the tranquil palm-fringed canals of Kerala. This unique expedition offers a perfect blend of cultural discovery and relaxation, immersing you in the diverse heritage, traditions, and natural beauty of India’s most iconic waterways.
Itinerary Details
Kolkata, embank and sail. Sail past the old Danish colony of Serampore to Barrackpore for landing and a stroll through the cantonment — past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House.
Sail onward up river to Chandernagore, a French possession until 1950. Take a tour of the 18th century church and Dupleix’s House, former Governor-General of French India.
Following breakfast we sail upstream and disembark at the country town of Kalna, where we take rickshaws to see a cluster of some of Bengal’s most beautiful terracotta temples, including the unique Shiva temple with its concentric circles of 108 little shrines. Sail overnight to a mooring near Matiari.
Tour the village of Mayapur, the headquarters of the ISKCON movement with a new temple almost as big as the Vatican and mostly financed by Alfred B. Ford, car maker Henry Ford’s great grandson. Greet Krishna devotees and stroll through the pilgrims’ marketplace.
Explore the brass-working village of Matiari, a picturesque riverside village. Meet the people of Matiari and observe the entire ancient process of hammering brass water pots and other containers. Keep cruising upstream, and if time allows you can visit the battlefield of Plassey where, in 1757, Robert Clive, the Commander-in-Chief of British India, beat Siraj-ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and with that changed Indian history. Night Halt at Murshidabad.
Today morning, walk over to to the Khushbagh, a quiet Mughal-style garden that houses the tombs of Siraj-ud-Daulah – the last free Nawab of Bengal – and his family. Continue a short distance up the bank, to where the grand Hazarduari Palace looms over the waterfront. Constructed in 1837 by an English architect, the palace has a vast collection of pictures, china, weapons and other objects. Continue for tours of the grand Katra Mosque and Nashipara Palace, then drive out to see the Katgola Palace. Constructed in the classical Georgian style by wealthy local merchants, Katgola Palace embodies the other side of the coin of the ‘White Mughal’ age when British and Indian cultures almost fused. Moor on the riverbank opposite town.
Steam / Continue up the Hoogly which becomes a rather disarmed little waterway twisting this way and that through banks laid with mustard fields and mango gardens. As Baranagar had at least three lovely mini terracotta temples, I set off as soon as I could manage, through the sleepy fields of the village. This is rural India at its most bucolic. You will stop at Azimganj to visit the Jain temples before proceeding to the Farakka Barrage.
Today continuum the Farraka Barrage sent the Ganges properly. In the afternoon, we head off to the small town of Rajmahal to explore.
We head up the powerful Ganges river to the up mentioned Koshi river confluence. Halting en route for a quick village ramble and enjoy our onboard entertainment.
We set off early morning for Bhaglapur, a center for silk production. We see the silk, explore this small town, and return to the ship for lunch. Later in the afternoon we visit Sultanganj, whose stony twin towers up along the river, one topped by a mosque, the other by a small 16th-century temple.
Now, Munger is a big, industrialised city, but interesting history is attached to its name. In 1762, the Nawab of Bengal, Mir Qasim, moved the capital from Murshidabad to Munger, and set up a firearms manufacturing hub here. Visit Mughal wonder fort, East India Company cemetery and get a peek inside the Bihar School of Yoga co-founded in 1964 by Satyananda Saraswati. One of the top yoga schools in the country. The institution has evolved yogic techniques through a confluence of time-honored yogic, vedantic and tantric practices and modern health science.
Make a stop at Mokama, nestling in the lap of Hills and the erstwhile den of the noted naturalist Jim Corbett, protector of Indian tigers. Mokama is the second largest producer of lentils in the country and is surrounded by farmlands. Read about the Mokama freedom fighters, Lalldin Maidan Saheb, who was imprisoned in British times during the freedom struggle.
Visit Barh, known for Urmanath, a place for Hindu ritual cremation, and the Alakhnath Temple.
Lesson: Patna Capital Of Bihar: Patna Day Tour (Breakfast) Visit Golghar (Super Granary) Patna tiegħ It becomes like a farewell dinner with your crew.
Step off your ship and transfer to Patna station for a 1st class train to Varanasi. Transfer to your hotel or the airport upon arrival to Varanasi.
Meet your guide and transfer to Maradu Port. After lunch, depart for an orientation tour of Kochi, the exotic capital of Kerala state on the Malabar Coast.
Explore Fort Kochi, visit St Louis’s church and Jew Town with its ancient Paradesi synagogue, museums, the Shiva temple, markets and so much more. Sail & visit to village of coir weavers/shell harvesters, to see many indigenous methods of local fishing by the small scale Chinese nets and fish traps.
In Kerala, you have the Syrian Village that has everything traditional Syrian Christian. Learn about its unique architecture, ancient churches and local culture. This village is a window into the rich, diverse cultural fabric of Kerala’s Syrian Christian people.
In the afternoon visit Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary then proceed to Craft Museum to experience the rich artisanal heritage of Kerala. Learn about the local arts and crafts, from traditional wood and paper decorations to intricately woven textiles and colourful pottery. It gives visitors an intriguing insight into the region’s cultural artisanship and art traditions.
The Munroe lighthouse for panoramic views of the Kerala coastline. It is a historic 1885 lighthouse that shines a brilliant beacon to guide ships. Delve into its storied maritime history and relish panoramic views of the Arabian Sea and the neighboring terrain.
At this fishing village canals meet and here you can enjoy authentic Kerala life. The wind, the fishing of the authentic village.
Kettuvalom visit to a boat yard where traditional methods of wooden boat building in which wooden planks are joined together by using coir, cotton and natural resin.
Post lunch, head towards Allapphuza (Alleppey) Harbour to walk, a lively centre of Kerala’s backwater network for traditional houseboats and colourful fishing trades. It’s a boisterous port that provides insight into the local maritime culture as well as the surrounding watercolor vistas, including the interstitial waterways that connect the region.
Sail along the Pampa River and visit Kuriakose Elias Chavara ancestral home, the birthplace of this revered saint and social reformer, and learn more about his life, contributions, and Kerala’s Christian heritage.
Sail on to Champakulam, and the Kalloorkad St. Mary’s Basilica, founded in AD427 and known as one of the oldest churches in India. Famed for its Gothic architecture, the basilica contains elaborate stained-glass windows, high spires and detailed frescoes. The basilica is an important pilgrimage site, attracting visitors for its annual celebration to the Virgin Mary. Nearby is the Karumadi Kuttan, a monumental black stone Buddha that dates to the ninth century, a testament to the region’s early Buddhist influences.
Thottapalli evening moor where it is a short walk to the gleaming white beaches.
After a stroll on the beach at Thottapalli return through the Pampa River to reenter the Venband lake and to Perumpalam Bhagavathy Temple, a famous temple that has female priests it is famous for having female priests. Then head for the ancient village of Mannar, famed for metal work. Observe how traditional lamps, intricate locks, bells, cauldrons and various vessels are being cast, along temples.
Disembarkation and transfers to Cochi International Airport.