Day 8
Today was more temples and culture again. From last night’s mooring spot on the sandbank it was only a short hop to Guwahati around which we would do some visits today.
After a later breakfast than usual, we got on our country boat at 09:30 this morning and went on an excursion to Umananda Island.
Umananda Island – in Assamese Uma is another name for the Hindu Goddess Parvati, the wife of Shiva, and Ananda means happiness – is the smallest river island in the midst of the Brahmaputra River flowing through the city of Guwahati. The British named the island Peacock Island for its structure – from afar it apparently looks like the peacock is displaying his tail feather wheel.
Recently they have put a huge pylon for a ropeway almost in the center of the island. It looks very ugly. India’s longest ropeway spans accross the Brahmaputra River and is apparently open to public now … But I have not seen it running yet, so I have no photos of it yet either …
When we arrived at the island already many ferry boats from town were there before us. Sunday is always extra busy with worshippers, even though Mondays are considered the worship days that bring most bliss here. According to Hindu mythology, Shiva created the island for his wife Parvati’s happiness and pleasure. Shiva is said to have resided here in the form of Bhayananda. According to a myth, Shiva burnt Kamadeva – the Hindu God of human love and desire – with his third eye on Umananda when he interrupted Shiva’s deep yoga meditation, hence its alternative name Bhasmachal – Bhasma meaning ash and Achal meaning hill – literally Hill of Ashes.
We had to walk up to the main temple – a long set of stairs lead thorough dense forest with many Tamarind Trees. Before the last stairs we had to take our shoes off. There were a lot of sellers with the ready set offerings for the temple – marigolds, lotus flowers, incense etc.
Before we reached the main temple there was a small shrine for Lord Ganesha next to the entrance. For Hindu people it is importat to worship Lord Ganesha before worshipping Lord Shiva, because Lord Ganesha, the Hindu God of Success, will remove any obstacles they may be dealing with so they can worship and pray freely to Lord Shiva afterwards. His name means both Lord of the People – Gana means the common people – and Lord of the Ganas – Ganesha is the chief of the ganas, the goblin hosts of Shiva.
Ganesha is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and he gets worshipped regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists. Although he is known by many attributes, his elephant head makes him easy to identify. Usually elephants are the path makers in forests. When an elephant passes through thick woods, a way is created for the other animals to follow. Ganesha is therefore widely revered as the remover of obstacles. He is also the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Ganesha is potbellied – the huge belly symbolizes the created universe – and generally depicted holding in his hand a few round Indian sweets, of which he is inordinately fond … just like his rat.
Ganesha’s vehicle – vahana – is a rat lovingly called Mooshika. In front of this shrine, there is the most beautiful statue of Lord Ganesha’s rat I have seen so far in India. The rat represents ego. Lord Ganesha using the rat represents the need to control ego and so it is said that one who controls his ego has Ganesha consciousness. The wandering rat also signifies the wavering human mind. As Lord Ganesha controls the rat, one must also learn to control their mind with intellect.
Another interpretation explaining why Lord Ganesh has the rat as his vehicle, is that the king must be accessible to all subjects equally. Ganesha with a huge body and elephant head is close to the small rat. This indicates all lives are equal and it is the duty of every human to take care of the humble lives around.
Yet others believe, Mooshika embodies the pest that plagues the devotees’ lives, a problem so small that it eludes detection and exasperates them. It is that bill that will never be cleared by the boss – that pimple that refuses to go away – that dripping water tap that no plumber can fix – that set of keys which cannot be found just when one has to leave the house … These are the rodents in their lives, the insatiable thieves who are gnawing into their sense of well being. Imagine someone who gets rid of all those irritating rat-like problems in life. That someone, for Hindus, is Ganesha. With the grace of Ganesha, problems disappear and prosperity and power appear. Ganesha catches hold of a problem by its tail, drags it away, sits on it, so it can be no more trouble.
The Shiva Temple on Umananda Island was built by the famous Ahom King Gagadhar Singha in the 17th century. In 1897, an earthquake damaged the original temple heavily. Later a local merchant repaired the remains and built a new temple around it. The temple displays a mixture of both Hindu Vaishnavism and Shaivism. There are Assamese craftings of Ganesha, Shiva, Parvati, Vishnu and other Hindu deities. During the repairing work of the temple some new Vaishnavi scripts were written on the walls. Craftsmen also carved figures out of rock on the island. The walls are clad in beautiful ornamented tiles.
Inside of the main prayer hall and temple sanctum are no photos allowed, though. But from the outside it was sometimes possible … if undetected …
Most of the time there were so many people there waiting to get in, that we did not even have a chance to get in the prayer hall to have look.
Walking around the temple we could however peer inside through the windows and we also could have a look at the smaller shrines around it.
Umananda Island used to be famous for some Golden Langurs living there and we always had a look out for them. I was lucky to see the very last one of them on our tour last March. We caught him looting the still closed snack stall. There used to be many more, but they died of incest and wrong diet – people fed them too many cookies and such. The last few had been caught and brought to Guwahati Zoo for veterinary treatment. But that very last male one refused to get caught and was still around last year. It has supposedly died during the last monsoon season, though … my theory is however, it swam ashore and lived happily ever after …
We saw him later sitting up in a tree munching away on his loot. Gee’s Golden Langurs – Trachypithecus Geei – are Old World Monkeys found in a small region of western Assam and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan only. It is one of the most endangered primate species of India. Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the Golden Langur was first brought to the attention of the western world by the naturalist E. P. Gee in the 1950s. Gee’s Golden Langur is currently endangered with the current population trend as decreasing – its total Indian population is 1500 individuals. Bhutan has 4000 individuals.
Leaving the temple, we passed a small Hanuman Tempel as well. Hanuman is one of several zoomorphic characters in Indian mythology, but is the only wholly animal figure who is revered as a god today. The mythic texts speak of him as a monkey child of the Wind God, as possessing enormous strength, keen intellect and a mastery over learning. He has the ability to take on any form he wishes. People worship Lord Hanuman to get blessings and to be free from evil spirits, to overcome complex problems in life such as long standing health problems, problems in marriage life, mental or psychological problems like depression, anxiety, fear and to overcome negative attitude and induce courage. Hanuman worship helps one stay disciplined, achieve greater heights in life and career, overcome bad habits like corruption, adultery, laziness, fickle mindedness, procrastination etc. It brings in confidence and stable mind. Hanuman is worshipped as a god in several parts of India today. It is almost certain to find a small shrine to him in police stations and wrestling clubs across the country, especially in the north.
Going down the stairs to where the boat were docked, we walked by a couple of holy men. They were always sitting there offering blessings to the devotees.
Our morning excursion was not finished however. We got on our country boat and rode past our ABN Charaidew II to Kamrup in North Guwahati where we would visit the Ashwaklanta Temple.
A steep staircase of some 120 steps led up to the temple on top of the hill. We could see the stairs already from the boat and some of the guest were already put off … They were very spoilt when it came to walking uphill … The stairs at Umananda had already been enough for them …
We took a short walk through the suburb located below the temple. Much was going on there. It had a ferry landing – the ferry connected the village with Guwahati on the other side of the river. It was a colourful village, too.
Soon we reached the bottom of the stairs leading to Ashwaklanta Temple. There are actually 2 temples on the premises – one is on the foot of the hill and one is on the top of the hill. The lower one is called Kurmayanardan and we just bypassed it and headed for the stairs.
And before we knew it, everybody was climbing the steep stairs – some fast, some slower, some taking it as morning excersise, some taking their time. But they all made it up the top eventually.
The temple on the top of the hill is apparently called Anantasayi and its location holds great importance as many legends surround the existence of the temple. According to one of the legends, when Krishna was riding on his way searching for the demon Narakasur, he stopped here. The legend of Naraka is important in the history of Assam – the pious Naraka became evil, in association with the power-seeking Asura named Banasura – Bana was a thousand-armed king believed to have ruled the present-day central Assam with his capital Sonitpur – present-day Tezpur – and asura – demon – was added to Narakas name.
Lord Krishna was on his way to find the demon to free his grandson Aniruda form King Bana, when his horse felt tired and he decided to stop on the exact place where the Ashwaklanta Temple is now located. In Assamese Ashwa means horse and Klanta means tired. Therefore the place became know as Ashwaklanta – the tired horse.
The second legend says that owing to a conspiracy, the horses that belonged to Arjuna, the 3rd brother of the Pandavas. He was persuaded to stay here so that in the meantime his son Abhimanyu could be killed in battle. The name of this conspiracy plan was Abhikranta in Assamese. From this word, the place was named Aswa-krata which later became Aswaklanta in their local language.
In 1720 the Ahom King Shiva Singha – an Ahom ruler who has built some of the biggest Hindu temples in Assam – had established the first temple here. He also built the renowned Shiva Dol located in Sivsagar, we visited in the beginning of this cruise.
The Aswaklanta Temple was as well damaged in the great earthquake of Assam which occurred in the year 1897. However, it was renovated under the supervision of the then Viceroy of Assam, Lord Curzon, in 1901.
The temple has beautiful stone inscriptions on all its outside walls and the sculptures here are fine specimens of rock-cut architecture. They depict all of Vishnu’s Avatars.
Lord Vishnu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. The Preserver in the Hindu triad – Great Triniti with Brahma, the Creator and Shiva, the Destroyer – Vishnu is notable for adopting various incarnations – avatars – preserving and protecting dharmic principles whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos and destructive forces. Vishnu is said to descend in form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. All of his 10 Avatars were depicted and most of them were well preserved or restored.
The first Avatar was Matsya, the fish – Vishnu took the form of a fish to save Manu from the deluge, after which he took his boat to the new world along with one of every species of plant and animal, gathered in a massive cyclone.
This was followed by Kurma, the giant tortoise – When the devas and asuras were churning the Ocean of milk in order to get Amrita, the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink and Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the mountain.
The 3rd was Varaha, the boar – He appeared to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe.
Narasimha, half-man/half-lion, was Vishnu’s 4th Avatar. The Demon Hiranyakashyapa, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha, was granted a powerful boon from Brahma that he could not be killed by man or animal, inside or outside a room, during day or night, neither on ground nor in air, with a weapon that is either living or inanimate. Hiranyakashipu persecuted everyone for their religious beliefs including his son who was a Vishnu follower. Vishnu descended as an anthropomorphic incarnation, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion. He disemboweled Hiranyakashipu at the courtyard threshold of his house, at dusk, with his claws, while he lay on his thighs. Narasimha thus destroyed the evil demon and brought an end to the persecution of human beings according to Hindu mythology.
The 5th was Vamana, the dwarf. The 4th descendant of Vishnu, Bali, with devotion and penance was able to defeat Indra, the God of Firmament, who rides on an Elephant. This humbled the other deities and extended his authority over the 3 worlds. The gods appealed to Vishnu for protection and he descended as a boy Vamana. Vamana approached him and Bali promised him for whatever he asked. Vamana asked for 3 paces of land. Bali agreed and the dwarf then changed his size to that of a giant Trivikrama form. With his 1st stride he covered the earthly realm, with the 2nd he covered the heavenly realm thereby symbolically covering the abode of all living beings. He then took the 3rd stride for the netherworld. Bali realized that Vamana was Vishnu incarnate. In deference, the king offered his head as the 3rd place for Vamana to place his foot. The avatar did so and thus granted Bali immortality and making him ruler of Pathala, the netherworld.
Vishnu’s 6th incarnation was Parashurama, the warrior with the axe. He is son of Jamadagni and Renuka and was granted as boon, an axe after a penance to Shiva. He is the first Brahmin-Kshatriya in Hinduism, or warrior-sage, who had to follow the Dharma of both, a Brahmin as well as a Kshatriya. He was also credited for creating Kerala by throwing his mighty axe as per Hindu mythology. The place the axe landed in the sea got its water displaced and the land which emerged thus came to be known as Kerala.
Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya was number 7. He is a commonly worshipped avatar in Hinduism and is thought of as the ideal model of a common prince without super powers, despite being an incarnation. His story is recounted in one of the most widely read scriptures of Hinduism, the Ramayana. While in exile from his own kingdom with his brother Lakshman and the God Hanuman, his wife Sita was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana. He travelled to Lanka, killed the demon king and saved Sita. Rama and Sita returned home and were crowned. But later, due to constant tantrums by his citizens, he exiled Sita and his unborn sons out of his kingdom. Rama had won one of the greatest and most honest wars, but still lived most of his adult life in exile or in misery.
Krishna was the 8th son of Devaki and Vasudeva and was Vishnu’s 8th Avatar. A frequently worshipped deity in Hinduism, he is the hero of various legends and embodies qualities such as love and playfulness. Krishna is the mirror opposite of Rama. Rama was a strict follower of honesty, integrity and monogamy, while Krishna had 8 wives and used any available means to get to his goal.
Buddha – Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism – is the 9th Avatar of Vishnu. Buddha is sometimes depicted in Hindu scriptures as a preacher who deludes and leads demons and heretics away from the path of the Vedic scriptures, but another view praises him a compassionate teacher who preached the path of ahimsa – non-violence.
Kalki is described as the final incarnation of Vishnu, who appears at the end of each Kali Yuga, one of the 4 periods in the endless cycle of existence. In the cyclic concept of time, Kaliyuga is variously estimated to last between 400000 and 432000 years. Kalki will be atop a white horse and his sword will be drawn, blazing like a comet. He appears when only chaos, evil and persecution prevail, dharma has vanished and he ends the Kali Yuga to restart another cycle of existence. He will become the king, a Turner of the Wheel and one who triumphs. He will eliminate all barbarians and robbers, end adharma, restart dharma and save the good people. After that, humanity will be transformed and will prevail on earth and the golden age will begin.
Of course, we also went inside the temple. In the first hall was a very nice small Lord Krishna idol made of brass and/or silver, I think. The name Krishna originates from the Sanskrit word Kṛṣṇa, which is primarily an adjective meaning black, dark or dark blue. The waning moon is called Krishna Paksha, relating to the adjective meaning darkening. The name is also interpreted sometimes as all-attractive.
As a name of Vishnu, Krishna is listed as the 57th name in the Vishnu Sahasranama – a list of 1000 names of Vishnu. Based on his name, Krishna is often depicted in idols as black- or blue-skinned. Krishna is also known by various other names, epithets and titles that reflect his many associations and attributes.
The inner sanctum had an excellent rock carving as the main altar kind of piece. It was depicting Vishnu resting on Shesha – which is considered a servant and a manifestation of Vishnu. Shesha – also known as Sheshanaga or Adishesha – is the nagaraja or King of all Nāgas and one of the primal beings of creation. He is said to have descended to Earth in 2 human forms or avatars – Lakshmana, brother of Vishnu’s avatar Rama, and as Balarama, brother of Vishnu’s avatar Krishna. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of the God Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, which translates as endless-Shesha or Adishesha – First Shesha. It is said that when Adishesa uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place – when he coils back, the universe ceases to exist.
Leaving the Ashwaklanta Temple we walked the back road down towards the river avoiding the steep stairs. We came past some Jackfruit Trees in the temple premises. The Jackfruit – Artocarpus heterophyllus – is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry and breadfruit family which origined in the region between the Western Ghats of southern India and the rainforests of Malaysia. The Jack Fruit Tree bears the largest fruit of all trees, reaching as much as up to 55 kg in weight, 90 cm in length and 50 cm in diameter which grow close to the trunk. The immature fruit – unripe, commercially labeled as young jackfruit – has a mild taste and meat-like texture that lends itself to being a meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. The ripe fruit can be much sweeter and is more often used for desserts.
Our guests always think it is the stinky Durian, because it looks to them like it – even though it is actually very different. The Durian is named in some regions as the King of Fruits. It is however much smaller than the Jackfruit and has a thorn-covered rind, while the Jackfruit possess a hard, gummy shell with small pimples.
Explaining that difference is always a challenge and almost as hard as to make the guests understand that the Indian Paneer is not Tofu but a cheese made from cow or buffalo milk! They never get it and in the end I give up to explain ….
It was time to get back on board for a short break and lunch, before it was time to explore Guwahati. The city – formerly known as Gauhati – is with just under 1 mio inhabitants the largest city in Assam and also the largest metropolis in Northeastern India. A major riverine port city Guwahati is situated on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River and is one of the fastest growing cities in India. The North Guwahati area, to the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, is being gradually incorporated into the city limits. The many ancient Hindu temples in and around the city – some of which we have visited – giving it the name City of Temples. Dispur – the capital of Assam – is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the seat of the Government of Assam.
Guwahati’s myths and history go back several thousands of years – however the exact date of the city’s beginning is unknown. Excavations trace the city to the Hindu kingdoms of Shunga-Kushana period of Indian history between the 2nd century BC and the 1st century AD. In medieval history the city was the seat of the Borphukan, the civil-military authority of the Lower Assam region appointed by the Ahom Kings. The Mughals invaded Assam 17 times, but were defeated by the numerically inferior yet formidable Ahoms. During the Battle of Saraighat, fought in Saraighat in 1671, the Mughals were overrun due to the strong leadership and hard work of General Lachit Borphukan. The city was under Burmese rule from 1817 to 1826. Following the First Anglo-Burmese War, it became a part of the British Empire. It played an active role during the independence struggle of India.
People are proud of their Ahom history and put an 11 m high statue of the Ahom General Lachit Borphukan and his army on a huge pillar in the river near the city. Approaching by our country boat we had a good view of the impressive monument in the afternoon sun.
Until recently it was as if that General was pointing at all the garbage along the river bank. It was a disgrace. Our country boat landed right next to that huge monument on a ferry dock and we had to walk along piles and piles of plastic garbage. There was some sort of walk way across the sandy river bank – they had set it with sand bags, though.
When I returned this February, however, I was surprised – they had it all cleaned up! First I did not notice … but then we got off the ferry dock and walked up newly set concrete stairs to a freshly paved extensive car park along the river bank …
Apparently, India’s Prime Minister Modi had announced a visit to Assam in January. He wanted to come with the Japanese Prime Minister or such. Since he had been planning a boat ride, they had all but fortified the shore line and cleaned it up. And then … they did not come because protests were going on due to the released Citizen Amendment Act and that would have been a security risk … At least now the great General is pointing towards a clean shore. And hopefully it will last through the next monsoon season as well …
Our excursion this afternoon led us to the Assam State Museum which was established in 1940. Often claimed to be the largest multipurpose museum of the nation, with defined sections for every article and artifact, this establishment is known for the organized nature of its operation. Due to its pre-independence connection, the establishment has a clear colonial touch and it only adds to its heritage status. The collections which are on display here, are very rare.
The sculpture section with numerous rock carvings collected in the region and idols made of metal and wood is the most impressive part of the exhibitions.
There are sections for weapons, textiles and costumes, a photo gallery about Gandhi, a paintings gallery and also en extended ethnographic gallery. There they have replicas of tribal huts from the major tribes of Assam – this section was not so interesting for our guests, because we had visited several far-off villages and had seen most of that first hand in the villages.
During the last cruise we were here on a day the museum was closed. We showed up at the entrance and it was locked … nobody knew why … Well, Ladies & Gentelmen, welcome to India, where you never know what is going to happen and where you always have to have a Plan B! – Mohan and I did not have a Plan B, though … So we made one up and went on a walk around the Bazaar Street instead. Some guests decided to go back to the ship and we sent them with one of the busses to catch the boat. The others were up for more people watching and off we went.
Since it was a Sunday, it was not as busy as during a reagular weekday, but nevertheless it was interesting. The ladies went into a regular shopping frency … mind you … this was just the local bazaar street … no fancy tourist shops or such … just everyday items and talmi. But they found little bits and pieces to bring home to the grandchildren and neighbours or for themselves.
We found a street vendor selling socks – it was still winter after all – which all had toes for flip flops! I did not remember ever see something like it … or maybe I did … but it was funny. Well, the locals do wear flip flops most of the time no mater what the weather, so this would only be feasible to have.
There was much to see and take photos of. It was buzzling even for a Sunday. Unfortunately most guests had left their cameras on the ship as so not to have to pay the hefty camera fee at the museum they recently imposed. But taking photos with the mobile phone is also an option …
We came across the most beautifully set up vegetable street stalls. I mean, they always display their vegetables beautifully – colour sorted, lined up, set up in pyramids etc. But here they had done an indeed artsy presentation predestined for a photo shoot.
There were plenty of vegetables the guests did not know. Or they knew that they ate them before but they did not know how they actually looked like. So it was a bit of a vegetable lesson again.
There was Bitter Gourd – which we had as chips before – and Okra – often used in vegetable curries. We had Drumstickbeans the other day for lunch – Moringa Oleifera a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree with the name coming from the long, slender, triangular seed-pod – horseradish tree – from the taste of the roots, which resembles horseradish – and benzolive tree – from the oil which is derived from the seeds. Ridge Gourd was there – Luffa – which is in German called Flügelgurke – Cucumber with Wings … such a funny name. Red Chilis, Green Mangoes, Orange Carrots …
Aubergines in different sizes and shades of purple, Papaya, even Kohlrabi – called German Turnip as well – Red Radish and Lemons. Everything almost artisticly arranged as if so just set up for us to take photos.
We passed many snack stalls and then reached the wholesale part of the fruit bazaar. They had all kinds of imported exotic fruits there. As well as bananas … en gros … There was an entire section only with bananas. Photo opportunities were endless again …
I also got a present from Mohan one day … Old Monk Rum … an iconic vatted Indian dark rum launched in 1954, blended and aged for a minimum of 7 years. It is a dark rum with a distinct vanilla flavour … it even came wrapped in a very appropriate paper … I loved it …
Back at the ship, the anchor was lifted and we sailed into the sunset towards Sualkuchi which we would visit the next day. Leaving the city we crossed another double bridge. The Saraighat Bridge is a rail-cum-road bridge over Brahmaputra River and was the first of its kind bridge over the river. The bridge is 1492 m long. The idea of constructing a bridge over the Brahmaputra was first mooted in 1910 and the thought gathered momentum during WW II. Initially there were doubts over the stability of the railway line between Bongaigaon and Amingaon following devastating floods in 1942-43. However, when the line had been satisfactorily stabilized, the Railway Minister announced the decision to construct the bridge in 1958 and it was then built between 1959 and 1962. The bridge is known to connect Northeast India with the rest of the country. It is actually a doubbledecker bridge – a road on the upper level and the railway line on the lower level.
The New Saraighat bridge was constructed beside the old bridge which is slightly longer than the old bridge. This road bridge was inaugurated in 2017. There are not many bridges over the river around here, so for the guests is always something special. Imagine, we would always make a happening out of passing a bridge on any of the rivers in Europe …
Soon after it was time for a sundowner, as well. Sunsets on the river are always amazing and that Kingfisher just went down very well with the sun.
Just before sunset the ship moored next to a sandbank opposite of the small town of Sualkuchi. Sometimes the sun dropped down behind the small head land in a big red ball.
In the meantime we also watched a flock of Kites settle on the sundbank for the night. The Indian Kite – formerly known as Pariah Kite – Milvus migrans Govinda – is a medium-sized bird of prey and thought to be the world’s most abundant species of the family. They are opportunistic hunters and are most likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. The Indian populations are well adapted to living in cities and are found in densely populated areas. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify. In winter, Kites form large communal roosts. Flocks may fly about before settling at the roost. It seemed as if the entire city population of Kites had come to roost on the sandbank near our ship that day.
After this eventful day, it was soon time for dinner. Tomorrow would be our last day on the ship before departing for Delhi. We would visit the Silk Weavers tomorrow in Sualkutchi – another highlight on this cruise!
