East & South India Textile Tour

Assistance on arrival at International airport

On arrival, once you have completed Immigration formalities and collected your baggage, please proceed to the arrival lounge. TOTAL HOLIDAY OPTIONS executive will meet you holding a placard who will assist you with a transfer.

Full day city tour visiting flower market, Victoria Memorial, Jain Temple, Park Street, Kumartuli and Howrah bridge; evening enjoy an authentic Bengali Thali dinner

Morning after breakfast a short meeting with your Tour Manager, start a sightseeing tour of Kolkata and visit the flower market early morning. This market is filled with colourful flowers from the northern part of Kolkata. Continue sightseeing with a visit to Howrah Bridge - It took six years to construct in the 1940s. Kumartuli (Potter's Village) - The neighbourhood of Kumartuli is well known for its traditional image-makers and potters (Kumors). Thereafter visit to Victoria Memorial, one of India's most beautiful monuments built between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of white marble. Visit the Jain Temples, also known as Pareshnath Jain Temple which is a place of worship. Admire the contrast of colonial and modern architecture at the heart of this wonderful city Kolkata’s famed Park Street. Dinner enjoy an authentic Bengali Thali Meal.

Travel to Berhampore enroute visit Shantipur, Phulia and Beldanga

Today, we head north on our Muslin Trail into the rural areas of West Bengal. Heading for Berhampur, we stop en-route and visit villages of Shantipur, Phulia and Beldanga. These villages are famous for the production of silk and cotton handwoven saris, jacquards, dhotis, and jamdani (muslin) of superfine texture

Check in at hotel

On arrival you will be transfer to your accommodation. (Self check -in)

Murshidabad Excursion

This morning we visit a textile village where we see the fascinating process of extraction, reeling and spinning of different kinds of silk and also see a demonstration of locally crafted shell bangles. Thereafter, ride to Murshidabad to embark on a historical tour of Hazarduari Palace and Katra Mosque then do a walking tour of a small-town market with more local craft demonstrations.

Travel to Santiniketan

Travel to Santiniketan known world over for its contribution to education, arts, and literature, it origins date back to 1883.

Check in at hotel, later visit Visva Bharati University, Kantha embroidery, batik printing, Tussar silk weaving

On arrival check in at hotel, later visit Visva Bharati University, a vision of Rabindranath Tagore, the revered poet, writer, playwright, musician, painter and also the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Craft demonstrations in and around Santiniketan may include Kantha embroidery, batik printing, Tussar silk weaving, embossed leather works and hand-made jewellery.

Morning explore textile villages around Santiniketan

Morning explore textile villages around Shantiniketan. While on the visit, you will get detailed knowledge about batik work and Tussar silk weaving. Watch ladies doing conventional Kantha weaving on quilts, clothing and other household items. This work of art mixes botanical, creature and geometric string plans with pictures delineating the everyday life and culture of the rural ladies of West Bengal.

Travel to Bishnupur en-route stop at Bikna village

Venture on to Bishnupur stopping en-route at Bikna a village where we will see the ancient craft of non – ferrous metal casting using the lost wax process known as dokra. There is a small community living in Bikna who are involved in making dhokra handicrafts. Thirty-six related families live in this close-knit clan community. Their forefathers came from Chhotanagpur and are believed to have been nomads but now they are firmly settled here and have even adopted a Sanskritised surname ‘Karmakar’, which is close, in its meaning to the English surname ‘Smith’. They follow the cire purdue or lost wax process for making small metallic decorative items. Dhokra Damar tribes are the main traditional metalsmiths of West Bengal and Odisha. Dhokra is non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used.

Check in at hotel, later visit the amazing Terracotta temples

On arrival Check-in at hotel. After lunch, visit the amazing terracotta temples, extensively embellished with carved and moulded terracotta decorations made from the locally available laterite clay. The temple walls are covered with terracotta panels recounting the life and exploits of Krishna, scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and stories from the Vishnu Purana. According to David McCutchion, "even though terracotta decoration was in itself not a new practice, the finely chiseled carpet-like patterning of the terracotta facades of the Bishnupur temples was vastly different from the style of terracotta carving found in Buddhist monuments" .

Morning visit to potter’s village and also see Baluchari silk weaving and travel to Kolkata; enroute stop to see fine grass mat weaving

This morning includes a trip to a potter’s village that specialises in making terracotta horses known as Bankura. Terracotta or clay craft has been the symbol of man's first attempt at craftsmanship. Different parts of the hollow terracotta horses are turned out in separate parts, on the potter’s wheel. The four legs, the full neck in two parts and the face (seven pieces in all) are turned out separately on the wheel and then joined together. Additional clay is used for making up defects that may remain in the shape of the body. These horses are turned out in two different colours. The normal terracotta red color is obtained by letting out the smoke through the vents of the kiln after firing, and the black colour is obtained by sealing the vents and not letting out the smoke. Also, see the handloom weaving of the prized Baluchari silk sarees depicting detailed scenes from Indian mythology. Drive to Kolkata with a stop to see grass mat weaving done of Midnapore.

Check in at Hotel

On arrival, you will be assisted with the transfer to your accommodation.

Assistance on departure and transfer to airport

In time assisted departure transfer to Kolkata airport to board flight for Chennai.

Assistance on arrival at domestic airport

On arrival, once you have completed Immigration formalities and collected your baggage, please proceed to the arrival lounge. TOTAL HOLIDAY OPTIONS executive will meet you holding a placard who will assist you with the transfer.

Travel to Kanchipuram, enroute visit Mahabalipuram

Morning travel to Kanchipuram, en-route visit Mahabalipuram and visit the magnificent 7th-century Shore Temple a UNESCO Site. Also, visit the 7th-century Five Rathas shrine.

Check in at hotel

On arrival check in at hotel. Evening free to explore local shops popular to witness a range of Kanchipuram Silk and wonderfully spun material.

Morning visit Kanchipuram silk weaving handloom and excursion to Arani

Morning visit the silk weaving handloom to experience the art of making handloom and machine-made sarees including dying and designing. Kanchipuram silk sarees are woven in two parts. The pallu-and-border are woven as one unit and attached to the body of the sari which is woven separately. The motifs used are derived from traditional temple architectural forms. Afternoon head out to Arani and visit another silk handloom. Arani Pattu is one of the purest forms of silk sarees that you could find. It is a complete handloom saree which is crafted with so much love and care making it an exemplary pick for gifting options. Arani Sari is a traditional sari made in Arani, Tamil Nadu. A sari is a strip of unstitched cloth, ranging from four yards to nine yards in length. Saris, derived from the Sanskrit word Saadi, have been described in Tamilian literature as early as the 5th or 6th centuries. Arani sari received Intellectual Property Rights Protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status.

Travel to Chennai

In time check out from your accommodation and travel to Chennai, originally known as Madras, is the gateway of the culture of South India. Home to many museums, galleries and other institutions is located on the coromandel coast off the Bay of Bengal. The state capital of Tamil Nadu and an emerged cosmopolitan city, the city still firmly holds out an excellent diversity of South Indian architecture, music, dance, drama, sculpture and other arts and crafts forms.

Check in at hotel and later visit Government museum, evening drive past tour

Assistance on arrival and proceed to visit the Government Museum, which houses an extensive collection of archaeological and numismatic artefacts. Visit its art Gallery, to see the art and bronze gallery. Later drive past Fort St. George, Marina Beach and San Thome. During evening time Marina Beach is filled with local people and tourist who come here to spend their evening. You can see the local delights, people, their lifestyle and some mouth-watering dishes. Rest of the evening free to relax or explore the nearby local markets for last moment souvenir shopping.

Assistance on departure to airport

Assistance on departure and transfer to airport to board flight for your onward journey.