Day 7

This morning the girls enjoyed their 2^nd lie in of the week (lucky us), taking the bus at 9.30am to begin our fun filled day! We began the day with a bus tour around the city seeing sites such as the GPO of Kolkata and the town hall.

Our busiest and most colourful stop was the flower market in Kolkata. As overwhelming as it was with all the hustle and bustle, it was a beautiful and necessary experience to get an idea of the day-to-day busy lives of many of the locals in the area. However, we must admit that we were picturing a very different flower market to the sprawling maze we experienced. We travelled through the market, passing beautiful bouquets and arrangements and exited onto the ghatt - the ghatt is the steps that sit beside the river and descend into the water. We also went onto Howrah Bridge and learned that five million people cross every day. After many photos on phones and cameras we headed back to the bus to continue onto our next stop. The bus was filled with chatter and Taylor Swift from Emma’s speaker.

After a quick journey on the bus, we arrived at the Jain Temple. It was an amazing experience. The architecture was next level, with beautiful intricate designs we have never seen before. Every inch of the temple was decorated with gems, beautiful tiles and gilded in gold. We took off our shoes before entering the temple. Inside it was just magnificent, with many statues and a light called the Akhand Jyot that was not allowed to be put out. There was also a small shop in the temple, in it was so many souvenirs such as coasters, magnets and keychains. The man working in the shop’s great grandfather built the temple and lived in a house within the building. We then continued the bus to our next stop.

There was an interesting street we walked down where clay sculptures were being handmade with bamboo structures beneath the clay followed by a layer of paint to decorate the final piece. These sculptures were all being created for tomorrow’s festival Panchang- Maha SHIBRATRI.

This short detour was followed by a delicious lunch in an Indian/Chinese fusion restaurant called ‘Bar-B-Q’, most of the girls opted for the Chinese dishes. Unfortunately, as much as the teachers did try and warn us of the portion sizes, some of us continued ordering and were filled with regret as the large dishes started piling on tables. After many failed attempts of finishing off the food, we admitted defeat and packed up the leftovers to bring back to the accommodation.

After our huge lunch, we went to the Victoria Memorial temple. This was built by Queen Victoria’s cousin following her death. Our tour guide described it as ‘the British’s response to the Taj Mahal’, referring to the marble material and similar architectural style. The Victoria Memorial was a blend of Eastern and Western architecture, housed in splendid, green gardens. We walked around the palatial space and enjoyed the experience. It was a packed area filled with people enjoying their Saturday and Valentine’s Day.

After this, we drove to the James Prinsep Ghatt. This place commemorates the chemist and scientist who deciphered the ancient Brahmic script and gave meaning to thousands of years of ancient Hindu manuscripts. We then made our way across the rail tracks and down to the River Hoogly for sunset which was such a beautiful experience. After a beautiful sunset we made our way to our final destination of this incredible day, the Birla Hindu temple. We learnt about the celebrated Hindu gods and their associated deitys, their significance within the religion and the culture surrounding them. A highlight of the day was when we were called over by one of the attendants working in the temple and received traditional Bindi markings on our foreheads. What an experience. It was a day none of us will ever forget full of joy and learning. The experience was so fascinating and inspires us all to learn even more about the history of such a fascinating country with such a rich cultural past. The experience would not have been the same if we were not guided by our expert tour guides.