Region: East, North & Central India
Duration: 14 Days/13 Nights by road and air
Areas covered: Calcutta, Barrackpore, Delhi, Meerut, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi, Orchha, Kanpur, Lucknow
Season: All year round

Highlights: Revisit the famous sites of the Revolt of 1857 stretching between the old capital of Calcutta and the new seat of power at Delhi, several UNESCO World Heritage sites like the Agra Fort, Taj Mahal and Humayun's Tomb, traveling on the oldest metal road in India & the oldest church set up by the British in North India

The year 2007 marks the 150th anniversary of the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the bloodiest insurrection in the history of the British Empire. The Revolt of 1857, the Indian Sepoy Mutiny as it's variously called is also hailed by many as the first Indian war of independence. Like a summer fire it raged through the hot season across the Indian plains, thus earning the British epithet Devil's Wind. More Victoria Crosses were awarded in this short period than the Second World War.

It began in May 1857, with a large-scale uprising by native troops of the Bengal Native Infantry that soon developed into a general rebellion as thousands of discontented sepoys and civilians joined in. For a short period the very fate of British India hung in the balance but the superior military skills and the arrival of a steady stream of reinforcements tipped the balance in favour of the British. The key events include the epic siege and subsequent relief of Lucknow, the Cawnpore massacres and the storming of Delhi, the centre of rebel power. Even after Delhi was recaptured in September 1857, it took a further 18 months to stamp out the last embers of rebellion. After the mutineers finally surrendered on June 20, 1858, the British ended both the East India Company and the Mughal Empire, sending the deposed Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to exile in Burma. With the coming of the Raj, a British governor general (or Viceroy as he was known when representing the British crown) ruled India till it gained independence in 1947.

Starting from the eastern frontier of Calcutta and Barrackpore, the tour covers the main centers of resistance - Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur (Cawnpore) as well as Mirath (Meerut) where the mutiny began, Agra where the British were besieged in the fort for three months, Gwalior where the last major battle was fought, and Jhansi, the home of the celebrated Rani who died in battle. Highlights include walking the battlefield of Badli-ki-Serai north of Delhi, where the British secured a vital victory; the Ridge area, Kashmiri Gate and a visit to the stunning Red Fort in Delhi where the mutineers proclaimed Bahadur Shah Zafar, the 82-year-old King of Delhi as Emperor of India; Satichaura Ghat in Cawnpore, the site of the infamous Ganges massacre; and the Residency at Lucknow which held out against the odds for five months. There will also be an opportunity to see world-renowned tourist attractions such as the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Qutb Minar tower outside Delhi.

At the end of the tour you could opt for an extension to visit other relics of the Raj like the Corbett Legacy tour to India's oldest national park, Kipling's saga in the two central Indian parks of Kanha & Bandhavgarh, Bombay and Deolali in Maharashtra, Rajasthan by Road and Shimla along with colonial hotspots of Dalhousie, Naldehra and Dharamsala.

Itinerary

Day 01: Delhi
Arrive at IGI airport, Delhi. Complete customs, immigrations formalities and exit to arrival hall meeting lounge to be met by 'Wild World India' representative and transfer to the Imperial Hotel. Here you get a brief introduction to the tour and an overview on the mutiny. You have a choice of colonial hotels for your stay in Delhi - the Oberoi Grand built in 1903 in Delhi's Civil Lines area or the Claridges, Lutyens Guest House or The Imperial in central Delhi. Located on the erstwhile Queensway (Janpath) and conceptualized in 1934 by Blomfield, The Imperial was always in architect Edwin Lutyens' scheme of things as a luxurious hotel in New Delhi. Though it was inaugurated by Lord Willingdon in 1936, it was Lady Willingdon who gave the name 'The Imperial' and conferred upon it the lion insignia. Perhaps the only museum hotel of its kind in India, The Imperial houses a priceless collection of the 'British Art on India' and the largest collection of land war gallantry awards on display in India. The remainder of your day is at leisure to absorb this unique heritage hotel.

Day 02: Delhi - Calcutta
Fly to Calcutta and on arrival, transfer to hotel. After the Delhi durbar in 1911, the capital of undivided India shifted from the historical eastern outpost of Calcutta to Delhi in 1912, codenamed Operation Sesame. Visit the white marble Victoria Memorial with its fine picture collection, St John's Church, the atmospheric South Park Cemetery and down Chowringhee past Ochterlony's Column at the Maidan to Government House, Writers' Building and other vestiges of the British Empire. Overnight at hotel

Day 03: Calcutta - Barrackpore
Located on the eastern bank of the Ganges lies Barrackpore where the first seeds of revolt were planted. After the British crown assumed direct control of India, the sprawling Government House and the Government Estate were built in Barrackpore to provide the viceroy with a suburban residence 15 miles outside of Calcutta. It became more famous as Lat Bagan, perhaps a corruption of Lord Bagaan, referring to the viceroy's garden. Later, Barrackpore acquired the name as the site of the first major military base (barracks) of the British East India Company.

From Calcutta, we sail past the Old Danish colony of Serampore and cross to Barrackpore, where you disembark. Take a walk through the cantonment past the Semaphore Tower, Government House, the Temple of Fame and Flagstaff House, its garden housing many of the British statues removed from central Calcutta. The old 'Sarkar Bari', a large red brick house with ramparts, which was the home of the zamindars, still stands in Barrackpore. We drive back 25 km from Barrackpore to Calcutta via the legendary Barrackpore Trunk Road (BT Road), one of the oldest metal roads in India for in time transfer to airport to fly to Delhi. Overnight at hotel

Day 04: Delhi to Meerut (80 km 2 hours) & back
After early breakfast visit the battlefield site of Badli-ki-Serai on G.T. Road near Adarsh Nagar. It was here that a battle was fought on the 8th June 1857 between the sepoys and the Gordon Highlanders to whom a memorial exists in the nearby market. Continue by road to Meerut and visit the first church built by the British in Northern India. Established in 1819 St John's Church was set up in Meerut Cantonment by Chaplin Rev. Henry Fish on behalf of the East India Company. It was built over three years and had a seating capacity of 15,000 people. During the 1857 uprising this church was the scene of heavy fighting between the rebels and the British forces. According to folklore the bells for evening service are said to have given the signal for the mutiny to begin. We also visit the cemetery nearby, which houses the grave of General Ocheterlony (whose monument dominates the Kolkata maidan) and other graves of people who died during the Mutiny.

Drive through the Indian and British Cantonments passing the Parade Ground in Lehka Nagar where the court-martial of 85 Indian sepoys triggered the Mutiny, see the residence of Col. Carmichael Smyth, the Commandant of the 3rd Light Cavalry Regiment, the Race Course that was the site of Col. John Finnis's death, the first British to be killed in the Mutiny. After visiting the lines of the native infantry regiment and Kali Paltan Temple, some of the other important sites of the Mutiny at Meerut, you drive back to Delhi.

Day 05: Delhi to Agra (204 km)
Early morning drive to Agra. After lunch you drive outside town to explore the battlefield of Sasia where the British suffered one of their most humiliating defeats in the entire campaign. Visit Agra Fort where over a thousand British took refuge for four months in 1857. This is also the site where the Emperor Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his own son but allowed to view his creation, the Taj Mahal, across the Yamuna. Afterwards continue to the Taj (closed Fridays), arguably the greatest monument to love, built by Shah Jahan as a memorial to his wife Mumtaz. After the demise of the Mughal Empire it was partially restored by Lord Curzon. The craftsmanship is outstanding with semi-precious stones inlaid into the marble in beautiful patterns, a process known as pietra dura. The white marble reflects every change in light and the Taj appears to change its hue according to the light and time of day.

Day 06: Agra - Gwalior - Jhansi - Orchha (236 km)
This morning drive south to Gwalior where will make a brief visit to the magnificent fort and to see the Rani of Jhansi statue in the Lushkar district of the city. After lunch continue onto Jhansi to visit the queen's palace and the Jokun Bagh where 67 British men, women and children were massacred. In the afternoon make the comparatively short journey to Orchha and stay overnight at the Orchha Resort.

Day 07: Orchha to Kanpur (236 km)
After breakfast return to Jhansi to visit the well preserved fort. See the great cannon Kadak Bijli, or 'Hard Lightning', and the battlements from which the brave Rani of Jhansi jumped with her horse to escape from the British. Later this morning travel by road eastwards on the long drive to Kanpur (Cawnpore), which traverses through interesting country. Kalpi on the Yamuna River was a rebel headquarters and arsenal for many months until General Rose captured it and nearby Kunch too was a rebel town. All this territory was part of Bundelkhand where the Rani of Jhansi and Tatya Tope held sway for many months. In Kanpur we stay for two nights at the Landmark Hotel.

Day 08: Kanpur
Today visit the All Saints Memorial Church, built on the site of Wheelers Entrenchment as you follow in the footsteps of the garrison's bedraggled survivors to Satichaura or Massacre Ghat. At Nana Rao Park visit the site of the Bibighar Well into which two hundred British corpses of butchered women and children were dumped. The well is now covered and capped by a bust of the Nana Sahib's general, Tatya Tope. Further afield, the railway bridge is situated close to where the bridge of boats was moored in 1857 and by which the British troops crossed the river into the Kingdom of Oudh. If time allows there are other things to see such as the Assembly Rooms and a possible excursion to nearby Bithur on the Ganges, Nana Sahib's home where the Rani of Jhansi grew up and received military training as a little girl.

Day 09: Kanpur to Lucknow (80 km)
This morning travel to Lucknow. The road we follow passes through small towns and villages which Havelock and his men had to fight through, against great odds in July and August 1857, to relieve the Residency. We pause at Alambagh, 7 km from Lucknow, where Sir Henry Havelock is buried. After lunch at your hotel visit the Great Imambara, the ruins of the Machhi Bhawan or the 'Fish House', a great fort in 1857. Also visit the Shah Nujeef, a tomb that was heavily fortified by the rebels. Unfortunately little remains of Kaiserbagh, except its name, however in the 19th Century this was the palace of the King of Oudh. Wajid Ali Shah (1847-56) was an extravagant ruler and in 1856 the British annexed Awadh, exiling the incompetent Wajid Ali Shah to a palace in Kolkata with an annual pension of UK � 1,20,000. The annexation was another spark that ignited the Indian Uprising of 1857. Stay for two nights at the Taj Residency Hotel.

Day 10: Lucknow
Today we see Secunderbagh, stubbornly defended by the mutineers - about 2,000 perished here - before passing through the Zoological Gardens to the vicinity of the State Museum where we take a look at the extraordinary statue graveyard where the stone images of the Raj period still stand in a wide circle facing each other. Afterwards visit the Martiniere Boy's School, dating back to 1857, for a look at the tomb of General Claude Martin. The grave of Captain Hodson and the Dilkusha are nearby. A complete tour of the 37-acre Residency Site, well preserved by the State Government, takes around three hours. Overnight at hotel

Day 11: Lucknow to Delhi by air
This morning transfer to Lucknow airport in time for the flight to Delhi. You will be met on arrival and transferred to the Oberoi Maidens Hotel for a two night stay. Today you have the rest of the afternoon at leisure. There are a number of interesting walks possible from the hotel or you may wish to have a last opportunity for shopping or any further sightseeing.

Day 12: Delhi - North Ridge & Old Delhi
The Ridge, a last outcrop of the Aravalli Hills rising in a steep escarpment 60 ft. above the city, was where the British pitched camp just 1200 yards from the city walls during the siege of Delhi from June to September 1857. Visit the Flagstaff Tower, the first rallying point for the Europeans when the mutiny reached Delhi, and the Mutiny Memorial, an ornate 110 feet Gothic edifice, which was erected after the mutiny at the site of Hodgson's battery. The red sandstone octagonal structure was built in 1863 in memory of the soldiers of the Delhi Field Force, who were killed in action or died of wounds or diseases between 30th May and 20th September, 1857. The names of the British soldiers can be found etched on marble slabs around its base, which also bear a passing mention of the native soldiers who fought on their side.

Today you also visit the Red Fort, the Kashmiri Gate where the British assault centered on the city of Delhi on 14th September 1857. The Kashmir gate itself bears a slab recording the gallant deed of the party under Lieutenants DC Home and P Salkeld, who blew in the gate in broad daylight on the day that Delhi was taken by assault. Also nearby is St James Church, built by James Skinner in 1836 who once lay wounded on the battlefield and took a vow that if he survived he'd build a church where the British could pray on Sundays. The church was badly damaged during the 1857 Mutiny, its dome was pitted with holes and the ball and cross were used by the sepoys as targets for firing practice. But the structure was later repaired by the British restoring it to its old glory. However, the point of most interest to every English visitor is Brigadier General John Nicholson's grave, which lies surrounded by an iron railing in the Kashmir gate cemetery. British casualties were very great and around a thousand men are buried in the Rajpur cemetery nearby.

Day 13: Delhi
After breakfast, you undertake a guided tour of New Delhi, the planned city of late colonial Britain which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens combining western and eastern styles. Proceed up to Rashtrapati Bhavan, once the Viceroy's abode, but now the official residence of the President of India; then cross to the eastern end of Rajpath to the imposing India Gate. This war memorial commemorates the Indian soldiers who died in the First World War, on the Northwest Frontier, in the Afghan War of 1919 and most recently, in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. After an optional stopover at the Railway Museum, you visit Humayun's tomb, where Captain Hodgson arrested Bahadur Shah Zafar who was hiding there with his three sons and a grandson. His sons and grandson were killed; their severed heads were brought before him while Bahadur Shah Zafar himself was tried for treachery and exiled to Rangoon in 1858. You cap a memorable tour of Delhi with a visit to the Qutab Minar, followed by a farewell dinner.

Day 14: Delhi to Onward destination
Early this morning transfer to Delhi airport to catch your flight to the onward destination.


Culture Tours in India:
1857 Mutiny Tour, North India Culture Tour,
Varanasi and Khajuraho Tour, Kerala Spice Coast Tour,
Rajasthan Culture Tour, Camel Safaris in Rajasthan