 Aerial view of Kolkata and Howrah in West Bengal Few Indian cities have such a distinctive sense of history as Kolkata. Once the capital of British India, Calcutta grew into a major centre of trade, administration, education and culture, leaving behind an extraordinary collection of colonial-era buildings and institutions.
But Kolkata is much more than a reminder of the British period. It is a city with a strong cultural identity of its own, shaped by Bengali literature, art, music, food and intellectual life. Its railway heritage adds another layer to the story, connecting the city with the wider transformation of India during the 19th and 20th centuries. For travellers on the Indian Magic Tour, Kolkata offers a fascinating counterpoint to Delhi: another historic city, but with an entirely different character and story to tell.
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 New Delhi - India Gate at sunrise A day in Delhi can feel like a journey through several centuries of Indian history. From the Mughal grandeur of Humayun's Tomb to the monumental avenues of New Delhi and the locomotives of the National Rail Museum, the city brings together remarkably different chapters of India's past.
For travellers on the Indian Magic Tour, Delhi provides an ideal introduction to the country. Its historic landmarks reveal the story of successive empires and changing capitals, while its railway heritage offers a glimpse into the network that helped connect the many different regions of India.  Rewari Railway Heritage Museum by Sudhirkbhargava, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons For anyone fascinated by steam locomotives, there are certain railway destinations that simply have to be on the list. Rewari, in Haryana, is one of them.
Tucked away just north of Rewari railway station, the Rewari Steam Loco Shed is a remarkable survivor from India's steam railway era. Built in 1893, it was once a major locomotive depot on the metre-gauge network. Today, it has a very different role: preserving some of India's most important surviving steam locomotives and keeping the story of steam alive for future generations.  Tucked into the lower reaches of the Himalayas, the Kalka-Shimla Railway is one of India’s most captivating rail journeys. While the Darjeeling line often steals the spotlight, this narrow-gauge route offers something just as memorable, a gentle, unhurried climb into the hills where the landscape shifts almost imperceptibly from plains to pine-covered slopes.
Originally opened in 1903, the railway was built to connect Kalka with the hill station of Shimla, then the summer capital of British India. Before the line existed, the journey uphill was long and uncomfortable, involving horse-drawn carriages and winding mountain roads. The railway transformed that experience entirely, turning what had been an ordeal into something far more civilised, and far more enjoyable. |
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