Ganga Vilas cruise to reach Varanasi today
In Ghazipur, Ganga Vilas received a grand welcome from locals who gathered on the bank of the Ganga to catch a glimpse of the luxurious voyage.
VARANASI The Ganga Vilas cruise, which is the world’s longest river ship, couldn’t make it to the shores of Varanasi on January 6 -- which was its expected day of arrival -- due to bad weather conditions. The cruise, however, reached Ghazipur -- 60 km from Varanasi -- on Sunday and is expected to reach Varanasi on Monday, said officials engaged in the ship operation.
In Ghazipur, Ganga Vilas received a grand welcome from locals who gathered on the bank of the Ganga to catch a glimpse of the luxurious voyage. “Indeed, it is a masterpiece. I have seen such cruises only in movies. It is even bigger than what we imagined,” said locals who were spotted taking selfies with the ship.
The cruise had started from Kolkata on December 22 with 32 Swiss tourists on board. However, all the tourists deboarded the ship at Ghazipur as they didn’t want to wait another day to visit Varanasi. “As the ship was getting late, they (passengers) checked out on Sunday morning and reached Varanasi in the evening. The ship, meanwhile, will reach Varanasi on Monday,” said Priti Srivastava, deputy director tourism, Varanasi.
Before embarking upon their journey to Kashi, the Swiss tourists paid a visit to the tomb of General Lord Cornwallis in Ghazipur. This tomb is a famous historical monument visited by tourists from around the world. This memorial is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. The tomb was built in the memory of an administrator and a commander-in-chief, General Lord Cornwallis of the British Army.
The group, after reaching Varanasi, left for Dashashwamedh Ghat to witness famous Ganga Aarti. Officials with the ship said that the tourist will also be going for sight-seeing and other tourist places during their stay in Varanasi. They added that the Ganga Vilas cruise would reach Varanasi after covering around 3,200 kilometres in 50 days. As per schedule, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would flag off the cruise in Varanasi on January 13. It will then leave for Dibrugarh (Assam).
