A Week in West Bengal

DAY 1: KOLKATA

On arrival in Kolkata, you will be met by a representative waiting for you with a hand held signage bearing your name as you exit the arrivals terminal building. From here, you will be transferred to your hotel.

Kolkata was once the proud capital of the British Raj and reflects a bygone era. Established as the trading post for the East India Company on the banks of the Hooghly River in 1690, it grew to be the biggest colonial trade center in Asia, earning it the name of “Jewel of the East.” Its European architecture includes Victorian buildings, colonial structures, ornamental pools, stone-paved footpaths, figured lampposts, and a sweeping esplanade. Later this morning explore this unique city. Visit Kolkata’s most impressive sights and learn about the city’s history.

Overnight in Kolkata

DAY 2: KOLKATA – BAWALI – KOLKATA

After breakfast, head out for an excursion to Bawali to visit The Rajbari

The Rajbari itself, an extraordinary, architectural masterpiece, as built around 250 years ago. It saw over 170 years of grand living, parties and eminent guests but unfortunately post-independence, the Zamindars lost much of their wealth and the house started to fall into disrepair. The property has now been fully restored to showcase the fabulous past, architecture, opulence and history of this small part of the 24 Parganas; but more than that, it has created the perfect setting from which to assist in the revival of and showcasing the traditional performing arts of Bengal. In addition there is a strong focus on showcasing and supporting the local arts and crafts still employed by the surrounding village communities.

Enjoy a rustic rural walk around the property

A group of ladies gather to wash pots in one of the village ponds, a monitor lizard swims lazily by, children on aged bikes far too big for them, competently cycle past, smiling on their way to school. Men loiter at the village shop chatting and smoking a bidi; the priest, having performed the morning puja, ambles down to take up his seat for the rest of the day, at his shack, selling paan and other essential items to the passing villagers. An old, traditionally clad woman cooks up puffed rice over a kadhai filled with black sand and invites you to try some. Every day is similar, though seldom exactly the same. The gentle, slow pace of life in the village surrounding the Rajbari, where the villagers welcome you with warm hearts and brilliant smiles, will lure you with its charm.

After lunch, transfer back to the city for a guided visit of Victoria Memorial and Mother’s House

Victoria Memorial (Closed on Monday and National holidays) This is one of India’s most beautiful Monuments built between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of white marble. The memorial was the inspiration of Lord Curzon, who in 1901, felt that his lately departed Queen Empress, required a suitable monument to her memory. It houses paintings, manuscripts, and other objects of historic value in its Museum and Art Gallery.

The Missionaries of Charity’s Mother House is a holy place of pilgrimage and reverence for those who are searching for a more meaningful existence. It was established by the Blessed Mother Teresa in 1950 with the purpose of selfless service to mankind and to uplift the plagued humanity towards the path of salvation. After Mother Teresa left her mortal body in 1997, she was laid to rest in a tomb inside the house
where she lived and served. The site of the tomb is very simple yet it exudes enormous amount of benign and pure vibration that fills the heart with gratitude and peace. Situated amidst noise and crowd, Mothers tomb is a true reflection of her life which contemplated the example of soulful and mindful meditation.

Overnight in Kolkata

DAY 3: KOLKATA

Early morning walking tour with an expert titled “Time Flows at Dalhousie Square”

A sailors’ home becomes a public library. A church rises from a graveyard. Dalhousie Square becomes B.B.D. Bag. Until the British government shifted its capital to Delhi in 1911, Dalhousie Square was the administrative hub of the Indian subcontinent. It not only housed government offices, but was also a center for commerce and socialization. Ambitious people from all over the world strove to make a place for themselves here. This dynamic space has continually altered over time to accommodate the ever- changing needs of the city. Today, the British Empire is a relic of the past, but Dalhousie Square still bustles with officer-goers and eateries. This walk takes you on a journey through time to unravel the changing contours and development of one of the most enterprising nooks of Kolkata.

Later continue exploring other parts of the city:

Flower Market – It can also be termed as Heritage Market. Beneath the east end of Howrah Bridge, Mullick Ghat Kolkata Flower Market is eastern India’s largest flower market with hundreds of stalls and people sitting on the ground. Around 2,000 flower growers from the surrounding areas come to sell their flowers and garlands and during the wedding and festive season probably double that number. One can spend hours watching the hustle and the beautiful colours from the bridge.

Howrah Bridge is popularly known as Rabindra Setu. Howrah Bridge in Kolkata spans over river Hooghly and is considered to be a marvelous engineering work by the British. The Howrah Bridge is enumerated amongst the busiest cantilever bridge in the World. It took nearly 7 long years to construct the Howrah Bridge. The cantilever bridge of Howrah was completed in 1943. The Howrah Bridge in Kolkata was opened to traffic and public in the same year. The total expenditure of making the bridge was nearly £2,500,000.

Rest of the day at leisure. Enjoy a high tea experience at one of the local hotels or if interested in shopping then explore the city’s many boutique stores offering unique gift items.

DAY 4: KOLKATA

Kumartuli – the Colony of Potters, you would find almost 400 sculptors etching through clay brought from the nearby River Ganges to create some of the most fascinating idols of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. A whole army of sculptors, potters, frame decorators and dressers work in harmony with heaps of straw, clay, cheap gold foils, bamboo, beads and mundane things to create art pieces so vivid, stylised and grand that it evokes a lifetime awe. The busiest time of the year is from September to February when the major Hindu festivals of Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Laxmi Puja and Saraswati Puja are held. You can peep into the workshops to see the sculptors at work anytime of the year. They usually start with building the frame out of wood, bamboo and straw. The clay is dug out from the riverbed of Ganges and brought to the Ghat in Kumartuli by boatmen, from where they are supplied to the respective workshops. It may take up to months to sculpt and decorate each idol and the handiwork of scores of artists.

Marble Palace, named by Lord Minto, is a whimsically built nineteenth century mansion in North Kolkata. Located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Chorbagan, it is one of those quirky palatial houses that represent the spirit of grandeur and extravagance of 19th Century Calcutta.

Tagore house – Popularly known as the ‘Jorasanko Thakurbari’, Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral house is now a museum dedicated to the life and works of the Nobel Laureate. Built in 1785, the Jorasanko Thakur Bari is spread over 35000 square meters. Today the building houses Rabindra Bharati University, inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru on Tagore’s birth centenary, 8 May 1962. Within the complex is Maharishi Bhavan, named after the poet’s father, Maharishi Debendranath Tagore, where, as the plaque outside reads, “Rabindranath was born breathed his last here.” Today this house is a museum that has three galleries dedicated to Tagore, members of his family and the Bengal Renaissance. The galleries provide glimpses of intimate family photographs, life size portraits and Tagore’s evolution as a poet philosopher.

St. Paul’s Cathedral – The Cathedral measures 71m in length 24m in width the spire rising 60m high. The interior has exquisite scriptural scenes. Above these are the two Florentine frescos. In the centre of the eastern sector is the magnificent altarpiece. The massive gold-gilt plate presented by Queen Victoria to Bishop Wilson, and the western windows are of special interest.

Time permitting visit one of the following art galleries

The Centre of International Modern Art (CIMA) OR Academy of Fine Arts OR Birla Academy of Art & Culture.

Overnight in Kolkata

DAY 5: KOLKATA – CHANDANNAGAR – SERAMPORE – CHINSURAH – KOLKATA

Enjoy a full day excursion to nearby Colonial towns – Chandannagar, Serampore and Chinsurah

The Colonial rule in India was started by European countries like France, Portugal, Denmark and Dutch in 15th century, later British came to India and emerged as the dominant power in 18th century suppressing dominance of other European countries. This colonial rule continued till mid 20th century when India finally got independence in 1947. Though colonial rule ended, lots of buildings and other heritage was left behind by these countries which represents the colonial heritage in India.

Drive from Kolkata to Chandannagar (approximately 2.5 hours)

Chandannagar – Chandannagar was a French colony until 1950 and French is still taught as a third language in many of Chandannagar’s schools. The Chandannagar Strand is considered as the
most beautiful stretch of the Hooghly and still houses a few French mansions. Just off The Strand, is the Sacred Heart Church, one of the prime attractions of Chandannagar. The church interior has beautiful stained glasses. The Durgacharan Rakshit Ghat on the Strand is an interesting mix of Indo
– French architecture. Also on the Strand is the Duplex’s Museum, housing a French Museum.

Drive from Chandannagar to Serampore (approximately 45 minutes)

Serampore remained under the Danish rule till 1845, after which the Danish Governor decided to sell it to the British East India Company. Built in 1818, Serampore College, with its grand facade, reminds one of the glorious days of Danish Serampore. Danish missionary Carey, along with Ward and Marshman, started the Serampore Mission Press and published the first Bengali translation of the Bible. They also started the Friends of India newspaper. Serampore also houses two Cemeteries dating back to the Danish days. The Baptist Mission Cemetery in Serampore contains the family graves of Carey, Ward and Marshman, while the Danish Cemetery houses several other Danish graves.

Drive from Serampore to Chinsurah (approximately 45 minutes)

Chinsurah – In 1825, the British exchanged the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia, for Chinsurah, with the Dutch. Thus ended the Dutch rule in Chinsurah or Chuchura. The Dutch fort of Gustava has long been demolished by the British and nothing much remains of the Dutch legacy in Chinsurah. The Dutch Church was demolished in 1980s, but the Dutch Cemetery still stands and is a reminder of the golden days of the Dutch. The cemetery contains an assortment of graves scattered under the shade of ancient trees. The oldest dates back to 1743 while the newest one is on 1840.

Drive from Chinsurah to Kolkata (approximately 02 hours)

Overnight in Kolkata

DAY 6: KOLKATA

Early this morning experience the city just as it wakes up in the company of local expert and a professional photographer “Colours of Calcutta” . Walk through the myriad lanes that intersect the many different cultures and ethnicities that have made this city their home.

Start: 0630 hours
Duration: Approx 03 hours

Early this morning, meet your local host cum city specialist and set out to explore Calcutta to capture the reason why it is the cultural centre of the country. The capital of British India till 1911, one of the four metro cities, Kolkata vibrates as the ‘City of Joy’ with its kaleidoscopic culture, colonial heritage, scores of devotees and people’s boundless passion towards the art and intellect. It is here, that you will trace the origins and remnants of diverse communities from various parts of the world, who made Calcutta their haven. Catch a glimpse of Chinese culture in Tiretta Bazaar, freeze your frames with the visions of Parsi community holding on to their traditions since settling here in 18th century, know about the Armenians who gave the city its oldest church whilst, get a deep insight about the cultures of Anglo-Indians, Jains, Marwaris, Biharis and Muslims – all of them adding assorted elements to the city’s ethos. As the city stirs up to life, witness how all these diverse cultures converge together and make the city what it is today.
Special Instructions: Wear comfortable footwear.
Complete your visit with a stop at South Park Street Cemetery
Active from 1767 to about 1840, this historic cemetery remains a wonderful oasis of calm, featuring surreal mossy Raj-era graves from rotundas to soaring pyramids, all jostling for space in an unkempt jungle. Some of the beautiful (though crumbling) graves house mortal remains of eminent citizens from Kolkata’s colonial era, including academic Henry Derozio, scholar William Jones and eminent botanist Robert Kyd.

Later this evening, catch your flight out to your next destination or extend your stay in West Bengal by adding on Darjeeling or the Sundarbans or both.