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Far Pavilions cont’d...
Day 8 – Tue 18 Jan
This morning our coach takes us on a tour of the city. We spend time at the grandiose Victoria Memorial and visit St John’s Church, before a rare look inside the Raj Bhavan, the former residence of the Governor–generals and Viceroys of India and modern-day headquarters of the Governor of West Bengal. In the afternoon we take a cruise on the River Hooghly (one of the mouths of the Ganges) to see temples and much of the old British riverfront. In the evening, we board our overnight train at Calcutta’s Howrah station for our journey to Kanpur.
Day 9 – Wed 19 Jan
Our train arrives in Kanpur in the early afternoon. We visit Wheeler’s Entrenchment, All Souls’ Memorial Church and Garden and the Satichaura Ghat – sites that had a profound impact on the conduct of the 1857 Mutiny. We then travel the 50 miles to Lucknow where we drive to our hotel, the lovely Taj Residency, to relax for the remainder of the day.
Day 10 – Thu 20 Jan
We start the day with a tour of Lucknow which includes the amazing Bara Imambara, and the historic monument that is the Residency Compound, the site of one of the defining battles in the history of the British in India. During the 1857 Mutiny, the tiny British garrison took refuge in the Residency, which became the focus of a fierce struggle for survival. The battle-scarred complex has been left exactly as it was when finally relieved by Sir Colin Campbell’s forces. In the afternoon we visit La Martiniere College, one of the most prestigious schools in India. Founded by Major-General Claude Martin in 1845, it is the only school in the world to have received British battle honours following its role in helping to defend the Residency in 1857.
Day 11 – Fri 21 Jan
Today is free to relax in the wonderful surroundings of the Taj Residency hotel, or explore more of Lucknow. Why not visit the wonderful Advani bookshop or the Sikander Bagh gardens? In the evening we take a flight back to Delhi and taken to our hotel close to New Delhi railway station, in preparation for an early train to Shimla tomorrow.
Day 12 – Sat 22 Jan
An early start – we need to leave the hotel at 06:30 to catch the 07:40 train to Kalka, where we transfer onto the narrow-gauge line for the five hour climb to the traditional British summer capital of Shimla. We arrive at around 1800, and transfer to the Oberoi Clarke’s Hotel, one of Shimla’s finest. This involves a short but steep walk, as the hotel is in a pedestrian precinct and has breathtaking views over the town.
Day 13 – Sun 23 Jan
This morning we have a walking tour of Shimla, summer capital of the Raj. We’ll see the recently-restored Gaiety Theatre, the very British Christ Church right at the top of the town and, for the fit, a climb to the Hanuman temple on Jakhu Hill. The afternoon is free with an optional visit to the gardens at the Viceregal Lodge.
Day 14 – Mon 24 Jan
Another free day in Shimla. Take in the mountain views and promenade on The Mall like generations of British residents. We will lead an optional visit to Wildflower Hall, former residence of the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener, and now a wonderful Oberoi hotel.
Day 15 – Tue 25 Jan
Today we journey by road from Shimla in the state of Himachal Pradesh to Amritsar in the Punjab, a distance of approximately 200 miles.
After an early morning start, we stop briefly at Kasauli, an army cantonment town almost unchanged since the British left in 1947. After checking into our hotel, why not visit the Sikh Golden Temple to see the evening ceremony of putting the holy book - the Granth Sahib - to bed.
Day 16 – Wed 26 Jan
This morning we visit the amazingly beautiful Golden Temple – centre of the Sikh religion. Up to 10,000 people are fed here every day. It’s a fascinating sight. We then pay a visit to nearby Jallianwala Bagh, the site of the massacre in 1919 when, following rioting in the city, General Reginald Dyer ordered British Indian troops to fire on unarmed protestors gathered there. This action fuelled the independence movement leading ultimately to Indian independence in 1947. In the late afternoon, we drive to Attari to see the evocative (and amusing) ”lowering of the flags” ceremony on the border between India and Pakistan - a poignant reminder of Partition in 1947, when the Punjab was divided between two nations.
Day 17 – Thu 27 Jan
We have an early start for our transfer to the airport to catch the 09:40 Jet flight from Amritsar to Delhi, connecting with Jet flight 9W122 to London Heathrow, arriving at 17:40.
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