Bengal, India Craft & Textile Tour
India Craft & Textile Tour – Kantha, Khadi, and Tigers
| 6 – 20 Jan 2026 | 15 days / 14 nights | Bookings open Feb 2025 |
Embark on an unforgettable Indian adventure to the sub-tropical region of West Bengal, a heartland of ancient kingdoms and a longtime center of the British Raj in India. This region is renowned for its excellence in crafts, particularly textiles.
Bengal: A Land of Poets and Culture
West Bengal is a land rich with stories and cultural heritage, offering a vibrant tapestry of experiences.
Kantha
From simple cotton cloths made at home to sophisticated silk artworks, Kantha is a beautiful textile tradition. Meet various groups working in this art form and handle some truly exquisite pieces.
Khadi Weaving
Discover the finest muslins, saris, silk, and Khadi cotton production. Explore a wealth of crafts including pottery, sculpture, and seashell carving.
Tagore
Celebrate the legacy of Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore, whose beautiful words and ideals continue to inspire.
Rich Historical Heritage
Learn about the history of Hindu Maharajas, Muslim Nawabs, and the British Raj through their stories and stunning architecture.
Bengal Tigers
Search for the majestic Bengal tigers in the world’s largest mangrove swamp. Whether we spot them or not, the cruise boat journey through the mangroves promises peace and beauty.
Culinary Delights
Savour the delicious, freshly prepared cuisine with subtle spicing and an abundance of seafood.
Explore the best of Bengal on this carefully handcrafted textile tour, designed to provide you with wonderful experiences and memories. Book your tour of India today and immerse yourself in the rich craft and cultural heritage of Bengal.
| Dates 6 to 20 Jan 2026 Itinerary & Costs – please scroll down. Itinerary & Costs, TBA | 15 days/ 14 Nights |
| Booking Link Will open March 2025 | 14 breakfasts/…. Lunch/ ……dinner |
| Indian Travel Notes to help you prepare | |
| Indian Inspiration and stories to get you in the mood | |
| Check out my blog and pondering Bengal over the years. |
| Share with a friend: | TBA – when booking two places at the same time, twin or double room share. We can match you with a roommate if there is someone available. |
| Require a Private room: | Add AUD $ |
| Deposit: | TBA due today secures your place |
| Early Bird Rebate | |
| Booking Deadline: | |
| Date full payment due: | |
| Airport for arrival | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India |
| Airport for Departure | Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India |
| All prices in Australian Dollars. You can check online for equivalent in your currency. A site like www.wise.com or www.xe.com can quote on current exchange rates. They also reliably handle funds transfer with low fees. |
| Day | Location & activity NOTE workshop Group size 8 to 14 people. | Included meals |
| Day 1 Sat | Stay Kolkata | |
| Arrival at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India | ||
| Airport pickup any time night or day | ||
| Day 2 Sun | Stay Kolkata | B,L,D |
| We will start the day with Sunday at the Maidan [Green]and a spot of people watching as we visit the Victoria Monument. This memorial was opened in 1921 funded by ‘voluntary’ donations from both within India and Britain. Enjoy checking out the saris of the visitors outside and the informative display inside detailing the history Kolkata, from its beginnings in 1630 until the departure of the British to Delhi in 1911 and on to the Independence Movement. | ||
| A quick lunch at the iconic Indian Coffee house | ||
| and onto the Marble Palace. | ||
| Later in the afternoon to head down to Malik Ghat- the flower market. No way to describe this other than WOW, so come along for the experience under the edge of the famous Howrah Bridge. | ||
| Welcome dinner tonight- delicious traditional cuisine | ||
| Day 3 Mon | Stay Krishna Nagar | B,L,D |
| Leaving town this morning we will head out to rural Phulia, an area famous for its superb weaving. We’ll spend the day wandering around the village, seeing all aspects of fine cotton and silk weaving, check out the village market for gamcha- Bengali bath towels and other things destined for the local market. | ||
| Day 4 Tues | Stay Murshidabad | B,L,D |
| We will start out early to wander around the ruins of Krishna Nagar’s old Rajbari [Ruler’s mansion] | ||
| and then visit the nearby sculpture village and an amazing garden. | ||
| Halfway to Murshidabad we will turn off the highway to the peaceful fields around Plassey for a picnic lunch. Once a grisly scene of battle where Clive [of India as he was later known] orchestrated the defeat of the Nawab of Bengal through bribery and deception and annexed the rich state of Bengal for the British East India company. Tonight we have a Rajbari [Palace ] to call home. | ||
| Day 5 Wed | Stay Murshidabad | B,L,D |
| Murshidabad is a wonderful town that time seems to have forgotten, once the principal seat of a very rich kingdom and it is now home to a thousand wonderful photographs of crumbling mansions, palaces, mosques and temples, beautiful gardens, and fields. We will spend the day exploring – a mansion housing a car that cost 80 Rupees, superb garden of Rajasthani merchants, a Palace of 1000 Doors. Yes, we love the place | ||
| Day 6 Thurs | Stay Murshidabad | B,L |
| A short drive out to a weaver’s village, experience the medieval feeling of the steamy silk processing rooms where they reel off the silk, the women working on spinning cotton threads for weaving and the riverbank for washing, a hive of activity. | ||
| Lunch will be as the very lucky guests of a local family, a truly delicious treat. | ||
| Day 7 Fri | Stay Shantiniketan | B,L,D |
| Travelling across a landscape of rice fields, bananas, and mango trees, we are heading to a small village income generation project of Muslim design Kantha- geometrical motifs, bright colours, beautiful work. We are guests of the village | ||
| We will share lunch and spend time with a group of local women who will be our teachers starting us off on a cushion cover for you to finish along our travels. | ||
| If we are lucky, we will see or even have the opportunity to purchase some older kanthas as well | ||
| Day 8 Sat | Stay Shantiniketan | B,L,D |
| Shantiniketan is the location of a university set up by Rabindranath Tagore, a Renaissance man and one of India’s most famous artists he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Tagore was and is a major influence on the arts especially in Bengal and more widely in India. The University of Shanti Niketan’ s degree awards are handed out by the Prime Minister of India each year. | ||
| We will start the day visiting our friend Mrs Khatun and through her tutelage start a fine silk kantha piece to work on as we travel | ||
| In the afternoon tour the galleries and grounds of the University | ||
| Day 9 Sun | Stay Kolkata | B,L |
| Heading to Kolkata via Bishnupur. Once capital to the Malla kingdom, Bishnupur is a lovely spot to wander around and visit its 400-year-old terracotta temples. Superb. | ||
| Day 10 Mon | Stay Kolkata | B,L |
| The legacy of poverty, whilst being addressed in India is still a work in progress. We will visit The Mother’s House, home and headquarters of The Sisters of Charity. Mother Teresa and her group have done so much in building awareness about poverty and its effects. Along the way you will see much Gamcha- the bright checked handwoven bath towels of Bengal, like us you might even be a little addicted to them by this stage. | ||
| Today we will visit a designer who turns bright bold gamcha into fabulous fun clothes and accessories. | ||
| Day 11 Tues | Stay Kolkata | |
| We have a workshop visit planned today- indigo | ||
| Free afternoon | ||
| Day 12 Wed | Stay Sundarbans | B,L,D |
| Heading out of town to one of the world’s biggest mangrove swamps and home to the largest population of Bengal Tigers- The Sundarbans National Park and Tiger Reserve. We’ll spend the days cruising, hoping to catch a glimpse of tigers as well as the many other creatures of the swamps- crocodile, birds, birds, birds, smaller cats, antelopes and reptiles. Night-time we will retire to cosy cabins on shore. During our visit to the area, we will visit a local village, an interpretation centre and the shrine where the local honey collectors pray before entering the Sundarbans, a dangerous occupation | ||
| Day 13 Thurs | Stay Sundarbans | B,L,D |
| Time on the boat will allow time to work on our stitching as well as enjoying the view | ||
| In the afternoon the weekly local market is on, so we will join the locals and walk across the rice fields to visit. | ||
| Day 14 Fri | Stay Kolkata | B,L,D |
| Ferry this morning After lunch we will return to Kolkata | ||
| Get your good gear on we are going out for a farewell dinner! | ||
| Day 15 Sat | Departures from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata, India | B |
