The main rivers in Northern India are lengthy, huge, and deep. They continue to be navigable all year long. That’s why they’ve big potential when it comes to transportation and commerce and solely a fraction of that has been realized to this point. So, I’m glad to see the announcement of MV Ganga Vilas river cruise connecting Ganga to Brahmaputra by Bangladesh. It’s an awesome addition to the tourism scene and it covers many main locations alongside the route. Though I haven’t completed it but, right here’s a fast information on it primarily based on what I might perceive.
What precisely is MV Ganga Vilas?
Ganga Vilas is a luxurious cruise ship that operates between Varanasi (Kashi/ Banaras) in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh within the japanese edge.
The posh cruise MV Ganga Vilas has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capability for carrying 36 vacationers at one go, with all of the facilities like fitness center, swimming pool, onboard leisure, dwell performances, and native meals of the areas that the ship touches all through its journey.
What’s the length of the entire cruise?
The cruise takes a complete of 51 days to finish the entire course.
What’s the normal route?
The route as per official assertion is as follows…
Varanasi-Ghazipur-Buxar-Patna-Munger-Sultanganj-Bateshwarsthan-Samtaghat-Farakka-Jangipur-Murshidabad-Matiari-Kalna-Kolkata-Namkhana-Bhagabatpur-Sajnekhali-Hemnagar-Antihara-Mongla-Bagerhat-Kotka-Harberia-Morrelganj-Barisal-Meghnaghat-Sonargaon-Dhaka-Aricha-Tangail-Sirajganj-Chilmari-Dhubri-Goalpara-Sualkuchi-Guwahati-Tezpur-Biswanath-Silghat-Kaziranga-Majuli-Dibrugarh
It’ll undoubtedly cease at a few of these spots to cowl some main sights however I’m not totally positive how lengthy the halts can be. At the very least a few of these locations have vital sights within the 100 KM radius however I’m unsure if all of them can be coated. Nonetheless, I’ll attempt to listing them out and replace if I get extra info.
Which Rivers can be coated by the MV Ganga Vilas Cruise?
Whereas named after the river Ganges, it’s going to cowl many different rivers. The cruise will begin at Varanasi because it travels alongside the Ganga by Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand to enter West Bengal the place it meets the river programs of Bhagirathi, Hooghly, Bidyavati, Malata, and Sundarbans. It’ll then stream by Bangladesh’s Meghna, Padma, and Jamuna rivers earlier than re-entering India by the Brahmaputra in Assam. The journey will finally finish in Dibrugarh, on the japanese fringe of Assam bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Whereas the journey ends right here, this really acts as a gateway to a number of the most enjoyable and least explored areas of India such because the Dibang Valley, Lohit Valley, Namdapha, and Dibru Saikhowa. This area can also be the hub of the tea commerce in Assam.
High Options of MV Ganga Vilas Cruise
The MV Ganga Vilas vessel is round 62 metres in size and 12 metres in width. It has a draught of 1.4 metres. The ship has three decks with 18 suites on board that may accommodate a most of 36 vacationers at one go. It’s outfitted with facilities like a fitness center, spa, and salon.
What’s the Price of Ganga Vilas Cruise?
The whole per-person value is about INR 20 lakh (Round $25000), starting from INR 25,000 to INR 50,000 per day. I’m not but positive if it’s important to go for the entire journey which is simply too lengthy and costly, or can go for components of it.
High Sights Lined by Ganga Vilas
The itinerary of the MV Ganga Vilas has been designed to focus on India’s historic in addition to pure heritage, with halts at archaeologically, culturally, and religiously vital websites.
Varanasi
The journey begins from Varanasi. It is among the most historical constantly inhabited cities on the planet. A significant cultural and non secular heart, Varanasi has sufficient to maintain you occupied for a number of days. Within the morning, you may go for a ship journey on the Ganges. It’s a mystical and non secular expertise as you watch individuals providing water to the Solar God and devotees taking holy dip within the Ganges. We are going to go to all of the well-known Ghats of Varanasi through boat. Latter go to probably the most spiritual Kashi Vishwanath temple, Annapurna Temple, the Bharat Mata temple, Sankat Mochan(Hanuman temple), Manas Mandir, BHU. Latter in midday, you may go for an tour to Sarnath, the place Buddha delivered his first sermon to his disciples. The sights at Sarnath are the Buddha temples, the Dhamekha stupa, Chaukhandi stupa and the archaeological museum.
Within the night you may witness Ganga Arti for a non secular expertise in one of many main Ghats of Varanasi. You too can take a night time boat journey for a clearer view of the newly renovated Kashi Vishwanath hall. There’s way more to discover right here when it comes to road meals and procuring. I don’t understand how a lot time they’ll dedicate to Varanasi but when yu have time, there are various different sights in a fe hours radius resembling Chunar Fort and prehistoric ruins and waterfalls that aren’t included in ordinary itineraries.
Buxar
After UP, the ship enters Bihar. Initially it passes by areas like Buxar, which was the positioning of a significant battle between the East India Firm and the native rulers again in 1764 AD. The vacationers will go to completely different vacationer locations of Buxar together with Battle memorial and Sita Ram Upadhya Museum on Sunday.
Bihar College of Yoga
Yoga is synonymous with India and visiting a college of Yoga is unquestionably worthwhile in case you are new to India. Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati, established Bihar College of Yoga in Munger in 1963, adopted by the Ganga Darshan complicated. Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati, with the blessings of his predecessors, based Bihar Yoga Bharati in 1994, to protect and regenerate the overall scope of yogic science by fusing scientific methodology with a non secular imaginative and prescient.
Vikramshila College
Vikramshila was one of many foremost facilities of studying in historical India. It was razed to the bottom by Bakhtiyar Khilji, one of many early Islamic invaders, together with Nalanda. The archaeological ruins of the positioning have been renovated and makes an attempt are on to show it right into a vacationer attraction. One other main College of Nalanda additionally met the identical destiny and isn’t far however I’m not positive if it is going to be included
Patna
Patna is the capital of Bihar however as soon as it was known as Patliputra within the historical occasions and a lot of the main empires of classical antiquity had this because the capital. You possibly can nonetheless go to many historic websites, temples, gurudwaras, mosques, in addition to museums which are value visiting to get a slice of India’s historical past.
Sahibganj
Sahibganj is a scenic port city in Jharkhand. It’s located on the southern financial institution of the Ganges within the north-eastern area of Rajmahal subdivision. Sahibganj is the sub-divisional headquarters since 1944 and presently it’s the district headquarter as properly. It has a municipality, which was constituted in 1883. The city has a properly, constructed in 1915 identified domestically as “Bhagwa Kuan” which was constructed in reminiscence of Edward VII. There’s a lot to see on this space together with the Rajmahal hills, Moti Waterfall and the Fossil Park at Mandro.
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is a crucial heritage space in West Bengal. It was a affluent city through the late Mughal period and there are nonetheless many palaces, mosques, temples, and different medieval buildings that may be explored.
Kolkata
Kolkata, town of pleasure, is among the most vital cities in India. There are scores of historic monuments, cultural locations, and meals experiences which are ready for you right here. It undoubtedly can’t be coated in sooner or later. From Victoria Memorial to Daakshineshwar, and from Indian Museum to Kalighat, and from Chinatown to the French and Dutch Heritage, there’s a lot to see and do right here.
Sunderbans
Sunderbans wants no introduction. It’s a delta that’s unfold equally throughout India and Bangladesh and the deep jungles listed here are identified for his or her royal bengal tigers. Aside from the tigers, many different natural world could be seen and it is going to be pleasant to discover the life and tradition of the individuals dwelling in shut proximity of the harmful forests.
Dhaka
Because the cruise leaves India and enter Bangladesh, you invariably ship up in Dhaka. The Outdated City of Dhaka has many historic It was a significant financial heart through the medieval occasions. So, you’ll discover many vital Mughal period buildings in addition to some colonial buildings too. The likes of Ahsan Manzil and the Lalbagh Fort show it’s previous glory whereas visiting the Nationwide Museum and the Liberation Battle Museum is an efficient technique to study extra in regards to the land.
Dhubri
After re-entering India, the primary main city you’ll come throughout is Dhubri in western Assam. It’s a small, underdeveloped city that has an fascinating Sikh Gurudwara constructed by Guru Tegh Bahadur within the seventeenth century through the Mughal invasion of Assam. He was later beheaded by Aurangzeb in Delhi.
Goalpara
The following main cease is Goalpara, one other historic however sleepy city. There’s a significant archaeological website or Sri Surya Pahar close by however I don’t know whether it is included within the itinerary.
Guwahati
Guwahati is the biggest metropolis in the whole Northeast and virtually the gateway to most different components of the state as it’s also a very powerful airport and railway station within the area. Dispur, the official capital of Assam, is definitely a small locality throughout the metropolitan space of Guwahati. This metropolis itself will not be cited as a vacationer attraction however there are sufficient sights in and across the metropolis if you realize the place to search for. Additionally, you may simply discover transport from Guwahati to different main sights resembling Shillong and Kaziranga.
Whereas the origin of the identify Guwahati will not be clear, this area really has an historical historical past, which is obvious from all the traditional temples scattered throughout the metropolis and in addition within the neighbouring areas. Within the center ages, Guwahati was a frontier city for the Ahom Kingdom. On account of its pure location on the banks of the Brahmaputra, it was all the time a port-city and a buying and selling hub. The appearance of the British and resultant geopolitical realignments made Guwahati the centre of Assam, situated someplace within the center, from each its japanese and western borders, and it grew rapidly to grow to be a populous metropolis.
Because the capital metropolis, Guwahati additionally has different sights resembling a zoo, a museum, and a planetarium, that appeal to a number of vacationers, particularly household vacationers with youngsters. Particularly a go to to the state museum could also be a great way to achieve an understanding of historical past and tradition of the state in the beginning of the journey. You too can go to the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra, a cultural complicated the place you may catch cultural performances, occasions, and acquire an understanding of Assam’s cultural variety. Guwahati can also be identified for its temples, with the Kamakhya Temple being probably the most well-known one. There are various different historical temples in Guwahati, resembling Navagraha Temple, Umananda Temple, Ashwaklanta Temple, and many others.
There’s rather a lot to do right here so it’ll be higher should you learn my full Guwahati Information.
Kaziranga
The Indian one-horned rhino is among the most endangered massive mammals on the planet and the Kaziranga Nationwide Park in Assam is its greatest identified habitat. A UNESCO World Heritage Website, Kaziranga is a treasure trove of unique natural world. The large however benevolent rhinos are the largest crowd-pullers right here however there are various different uncommon animals and birds that may be discovered right here together with tigers, elephants, leopards, hoolock gibbons, swamp deer, hog deer, pelicans, better adjutant storks, white-winged wooden geese, and lots of extra.
Kaziranga is among the most developed vacationer areas within the Northeast with scores of resorts, lodges, eating places and different amenities. Jeep safaris, in addition to elephant safaris, are the first modes of exploring the nationwide park. Jeeps are extra handy however the elephants can get nearer to wild animals. The park will get flooded and closed down through the monsoon season and it’s best skilled within the winter, between November to March.
Majuli River Island
Majuli is a river island on the River Brahmaputra in Assam. It is among the largest on the planet as per the information. Nonetheless, you don’t have to go to Majuli simply because it’s talked about within the document books. There are various different delights supplied by this island. The truth is, Reaching Majuli itself is an journey. It’s worthwhile to cross the river on a ship and on account of its location, it has seen very restricted urbanization. This makes it a secluded, rustic, and peaceable entity far-off from different cities and cities within the state. Additionally it is a great place for nature lovers, particularly chicken watchers. Many native water birds and a few migratory birds are simply seen within the open fields and water our bodies throughout Majuli.
Majuli can also be the cultural centre of Assam, one of many main centres of the neo-Vaishnavite tradition which were dominating the sociocultural lifetime of most components of Assam during the last 500 years. There are various “Satras” in Majuli, that are the institutional centres of the aforementioned spiritual sect. They not solely work as spiritual websites but additionally as cultural centres which have an enormous affect on the social lives of the native individuals. Classical dance types, drama, and music have additionally been developed by these establishments over 5 centuries.
Learn my information to Majuli right here.
Sivasagar: A Stroll By 600 Years
Chao-lung Sukapha was a neighborhood prince someplace in current day Yunan province of China. He was uninterested in conflicts at his dwelling and needed a brand new place to carve out his personal empire. He took up this epic journey to Higher Assam through Myanmar and Patkai Hills. On his arrival, he was so delighted by the sight of the golden rice fields of the fecund plains from the hills that he ended up calling this land the “Golden Casket” and established the Ahom Kingdom in 1228 AD that lasted for 600 years until the arrival of the British.
The current day Sivasagar is a fairly big metropolis, headquarter of a district of the identical identify. However nonetheless there are scores of monuments scattered all around the metropolis and the close by areas. It’s best for a pleasant heritage stroll by 600 years of historical past, particularly on nice winter days when the temperature stays reasonable. A number of the monuments it’s essential go to embrace Rang Ghar, Kareng Ghar, Talatal Ghar, Sivadol, Joydol, Charaideu Maidams, and many others.
Learn extra in regards to the Sivasagar Heritage Metropolis right here.
Dibru Saikhowa Nationwide Park
The journey ends on Dibrugarh however if you would like, you may journey a bit extra and go to this one. The Dibru Saikhowa Nationwide Park is situated on the easternmost nook of Assam bordering Arunachal Pradesh. Technically it’s divided between each Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts. It is among the largest swamp areas within the area as it’s primarily surrounded by Lohit and Dibru rivers that finally merge to kind the Brahmaputra. So, the mix of floodplains in addition to the water our bodies mix to create its distinctive panorama.
It’s certain by rivers and needs to be explored on boats. These days you even have houseboats the place you will get you personal cabin and take a multi day tour. You cannot solely see the same old mammals and birds however there are some actually distinctive sights such because the Gangetic river dolphins, and feral horses, descendants of army horses left behind by the allied forces after the World Battle II, who wandered into the jungles and developed into an untamed breed by itself.
Lastly, do notice that whereas the journey ends in Dibrugarh, it’s the gateway to many vital circuits of Arunachal Pradesh. Should you don’t know something about Arunachal…. Properly you may simply buy my book on Arunachal after which put together for some hardcore adventures. It’s out there globally each as paperback and e book.
