India is awash in history, much of which changed the world. However, there is so much history in India, it's often difficult to find a knowledgeable guide with whom to learn about and explore it. Enter Five Senses Tours. My goal in coming to Kolkata was to learn about the origins and the eventual engine of the British Raj, and to see first hand what colonialism meant from a ground-up perspective. Five Senses did not disappoint! Bratati, my guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the Raj and of Kolkata, and took me on a walking tour of the heart of Kolkata (which, if you haven't been, is stunningly like Georgian-Victorian era London, only with warmer, more humid weather). It was fascinating and enlightening. (And the chai was delicious.) But the best was yet to come. Bratati took us on a custom designed tour of the Plassey battlefield and Murshidabad, and the story of Robert Clive, Mir Jafar, the Jagath Seths, and the East India Company unfolded for me. It was, in a word, fascinating. I'm very happy that I went to Kolkata and Murshidabad, and I'm even happier that I went with Five Senses Tours!

We booked the the full day tour of Kolkata and Sauvik was our guide. It was an amazing experience as we learnt about the colonial heritage and influence of East India company. The Bengali lunch was amazing. The tour ended over a nice boat ride on the Ganges River. A fitting end to a fabulous day.

Great overview of different temples located at different areas of Kolkata allowing the visitor to see different neighbourhoods and obtain some commentary on them. Equally interesting are the choices of the temples which differ in religion, style and atmosphere. Guide was friendly and spoke clearly.

This trip more than fulfilled what I wanted to experience with a trip to Murshidabad. My guide was full of knowledge of history, local culture, and customs. He was very accommodating and was willing to show me other places I requested within the given timeframe. I had a very enjoyable trip with a pleasant guide and driver. I could fault anything.

I had booked the Mother Teresa and Churches tour from Kolkata on TripAdvisor. It was an amazing experience. The tranquility at Mother's house is quite moving. Besides, St Paul's cathedral and St Andrew's Church were spectacular. This is a great way to understand Kolkata's rich heritage and past.

Today I was fortunate to get my host Anirban again for my tour of Mother Theresa's house and missionaries of Charity along with other sights. The St Andrew's Church, St Paul's Cathedral, and my favorite the South Park cemetery. Just a delightful day with a delicious thali lunch and thoughtful as well as amusing commentary by Anirban. Traveling alone at 60 the tour guides have been so essential to making this a magical trip to Kolkata!!

Anirban was a fabulous host and we saw many of the attractions of Kolkata. The flower market was beautiful and we also took a ferry ride across the Ganges. The india national museum and St John's church. We had a delicious lunch and then the Victoria monument. Just a lovely day, highly recommend!!

Bratati my tour guide was the best I could ask for she always had a smile on her face, knowledgeable and patient. She also knew various people who allowed us to enter various sites. The transport (private car) was comfortable and had air condition. The highlight of my tour was visiting the House of Mother Theresa. It is a peaceful and spiritual place right in the heart of Kolkata. Thanks Bratati for showing me your town the only thing I would change is perhaps not visit the artisans & pottery otherwise the tour was good.

Had a lovely time with guide Sauvik during the heritage tour,he was easy to talk to and went above and beyond to show me the designated spots along with suggesting couple of other must visit spots and helped in the local recommendations for food as well, definitely recommend this tour.

Bishnupur trip that I took yesterday was wonderful and an eye opening. Though the trip to the town was arduously long but it was worth it being given the opportunity to engross into the great Bengali past glory. I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural and educational tour. My tour guide, Mr Akbishek, was a great company and a knowledgeable mentor. He could relayed well to me on the history of Bishnupur and the various places of interest including the hand loom and pottery cottage industries. Not to mention, the driver who took us around was not only a careful driver but a joyful one as well. He talked non stop throughout the journey to keep our spirit up. Overall experience was great and beyond my expectations.

Our tour-guide, Bratati, was very polite, friendly and helpful. She explained everything in a lovely manner and took us to different places and gave us knowledge about Bengali/Indian culture, history, religion, and society. We had a lovely lunch with great Indian food. Despite the heavy rain, Bratati managed to show us everything and took well care of us. The contrast with our stay in Kolkata was huge, so it was lovely to see so many things in just one day. We surely recommend this trip!

Murshidabad is the place where the history of Bengal changed itself amidst the bleeding and the power struggle that seems to rule the pages of history. Murshidabad is no different and the travel experience to the place gives you the feel of the legacy that is burdened with betrayal, defeat and sorrow running in the family of Nawabs of Bengal spanning over centuries. The idea of the history of Bengal from 16th to 18th century and its prosperity post Pala and Sena dynasty can be found in Murshidabad. That starts from the trade, palaces and the way the kingdom was ruled over the years. The invasions are there and so is the history of the fight against the Maratha Bargis and then the British which changed the destiny of India all starting from the very place Murshidabad. However, Murshidabad has more than mere historical palace which spreads across adjoining areas like CossimBazar palace. Not to forget that the adjoining areas such as Azimganj and Jiaganj has historical palaces as well as the district museum that is now being refurbished to accommodate more of the historical pieces which will create a sense of understanding that how Bengal evolved over time. The idea of the travel in Murshidabad is generally stuck around Hazarduari, Kathgola which are undoubtedly amazing. However there are amazing architectural marvels such as Char Bagh temple which are intricately designed for the pleasure and aesthetics in terms of viewing it. The master pieces of the terracotta temple which are amazing to look at in times of the intricacies. This is how the history of Murshidabad can be recreated from the way the prosperous regions of Bengal flourished. Time to take a dip in the stories of places such as Katra Mosque which is a masterpiece in terms of the design for a religious place as well as design in terms of the defence-oriented features against the Maratha bargis. The courtyard for prayers and the unique standing of the temple in the mosque itself is something which is amazing and historical as well as to look at. Indeed the precious stones are no more there which have been looted which reminds of the British colonial loot and may pain you. The idea of travelling to historical places like Murshidabad is to soak in as much history as you can. The journey through the roads surrounding the fields of mustard and long green field going around in non-polluting caddie rides known as Toto is surely a relief from the polluted city life. The movement across the river Bhagirathi would remind of the days when the nawabs used to travel in boats across the waterways. The cannons would surely remind of the industrial skills of Indians back in those time. The house of Jagat Seth which houses his unique collections of expensive crockery set, furniture and European paintings cannot be missed. The money lender from Rajasthan who only looked for his own profits surely by laundering money shows that we were experts in selling and trading at the cost of even greater good. The palace of Nasibpur also houses a lot of armoury and the amazing paintings of which pictures are not allowed to be taken. Although some of the maintenance in places such as Roshnibagh are quite questionable. The sound and light show at Motijheel park where once apparently pearls were farmed now turned into a leisure park is really pleasant and worth a visit to walk around. The same goes for entire Murshidabad with history spread around for an amazing visit.

When i saw this tour in Tripadvisor about the Great Betrayal tour of Murshidabad, i had to do it! Over 2 days Sauvik helped us retrace history and we saw the battles between the Nawabs and East India Company through the leftover landmarks. Sauvik was very read and he helped us understand that time of history very well. The Palaces and homes of wealthy merchants was enchanting. One can imagine the riches this land possessed. The company take care of hotels, private car and great guides. I would recommend this for people who want to understand a little more of the heritage of this great part of India.

Our Kolkata experiance was conducted by a very engaging young man Abhishek Roy whose knowledge of the area and command of English was excellent. We started quite early and finished, at our request, around 4:30. Our tour included comercial district, St Johns church, various monuments, museums always with good detailed history. Lunch was at local restraunt with a varied choice of regional food. It was only my wife and self running out of steam that prevented more being revealed. Overall a very interesting tour. Alan & Mo Keal

This was a long day but an amazing one. Abhishek took us first to Bishnupuir where the temples made of terracotta were outstanding. We then also saw a weavers village where people were making silk sarees using hand looms. This was the highlight of the day. We also saw some beautiful pottery being done. Abhishek was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a fantastic day. Highly recommended.