Ganesh Festival and Sacred India
Tour 2008
September 1-15, 2008
Click here to view a PDF of the trip brochure
Our journey begins in Mumbai (Bombay), the epicenter of the annual Ganesh Festival which honors the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesh, known as the Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings and Patron of the Arts. The Ganesh Festival is without a doubt one of the most important and flamboyant religious festivals celebrated throughout India. In 2008, for 12 days, the people of Mumbai will celebrate Ganesh with a palpable sense of deep devotion, sanctity and fervor second to none. While ecstatic outbreaks of song and dance and explosions of colored powder spontaneously burst out in the streets, quiet family rituals are performed in small groups throughout the city. At the end of the festival a monumental procession of Ganesh statues up to 35 feet high are paraded through Mumbai. Their final destination is the Arabian Sea where thousands of Ganesh statues are immersed - bringing the festival full circle.
In between the start and finish of the festival, you will travel to the holy city of Varanasi (Benares); nearby Sarnath, where Buddha gave his first teaching; Khajuraho, a UNESCO World Heritage site, known for its ancient temples adorned with erotic sculptures; the Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of world; and the bustling capital city, Delhi.
This trip has been organized by the international tour operator, Celestial Voyagers, and New York based photographer and multimedia producer, Shana Dressler, who has attended the festival annually since 2004 while working on her multimedia project, Discovering Ganesh.
Click here for the trip itinerary.
On this incredible fourteen day journey, you'll experience the festival in an intimate way and meet Shana's Mumbai collaborators which no tour company could provide without this unique partnership. This is a perfect trip for people interested in Indian religion, spirituality, culture, the arts, textile design, photography and Bollywood!
Click here to view a PDF of the trip brochure
Package includes:
- First class accommodation
- All travel, including internal flights, in India
- Arrival/departure transfers in air-conditioned vehicles
- Professional English speaking guides
- Entry fees to Taj Mahal, Ganges boat trip, Khajuraho temples, Bollywood tour, Mumbai museums, and Elephanta caves
- In Mumbai, small groups (4-6 guests) will tour city to see festival at night
- View of festival finale by boat
What's not included:
- Roundtrip airfare from the US to Mumbai
- Visa charges
- Travel Insurance (highly recommended)
- Meals except where indicated in itinerary
- Any camera fees at monuments and sites
- Personal expenses such as laundry, dry cleaning, telephone calls, etc.
- Undue escalation in fuel prices, new taxes levies on hotels and transportation services
Click here to see Ganesh Festival video shorts