50 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 XXX XXX The Victorian Era THE CAST OF A DIE THE FIRST SIKH WAR - AND INDIAN HILL STATIONS This 13 day tour travels to the heart of Indian Punjab and to the foothills of the Himalaya. During our journey we will witness the wonderful changing of the guard ceremony in Delhi, travel through rural India to explore the key battlefields from the First Sikh War, visit the beautiful Golden Temple and tragic Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, enjoy the competitive Wagah border parade, drive through the verdant valleys of Himachel-Pradesh to reach the home of the Dali Lama and the picturesque colonial hill station of Shimla. Our hotels have been selected on the basis of their quality, character and location: in Delhi and Shimla they are 5 star, at Ludhiana and McLeod Ganj they are 4 star, at Amritsar it’s a highly rated boutique heritage 3 star whilst our one night stay at Ferozepur is more modest, albeit in the best in the area. Though the distance that we cover is not particularly great, the state of some of India’s roads means that some journeys may take some time. 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 – 25 March 2020 13 days with Patrick Mercer with Patrick Mercer with Patrick Mercer with Patrick Mercer with Patrick Mercer Activity Level 2 Activity Level 2 ESSENTIALS Return flights from London, 1st class rail fares, 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, buffet breakfast, all lunches, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour Price: £3795 Single supplement: £695 Deposit: £350 Price without train: £3395 In 1842 the disastrous and humiliating campaign in which the British “were thrashed out of Afghanistan” ended, but it had severely damaged their reputation for invincibility in India and beyond. Smarting from indignation, a hawkish Lord Ellenborough despatched a small professional army under the command of a pugnacious, God-fearing Sir Charles Napier intotheSindtoquellaperceivedresurrection against British hegemony. Victory at Miani and the subsequent sequestration of the province caused outrage both in India and in Britain resulting in the recall of the Governor-General. His replacement was the peace-minded, forward-thinking Sir Henry Hardinge, whose aspirations to develop India’s infrastructure were thwarted by the growing unrest in the Punjab. For years this province had been robustly ruled by ‘The Lion of Lahore’, the pro-British Ranjit Singh, who had created one of the most formidable fighting forces in the sub-continent: the Khalsa. But his passing in 1839 had led to a power-vacuum in the Khalsa’s leadership, it being increasingly directed against British interests and when it crossed the River Sutlej in December 1845, Hardinge felt obliged to declare war against the Punjab. In the words of historian Lawrence James, “the British were about to fight the first and only ‘modern’ war in India against an army of 60,000 who matched them in discipline, training and weaponry”. From the middle of the 19th century the region of Himachal Pradesh saw the development of hill station retreats amidst the cool verdant foothills of the Himalaya, none more important than that of Shimla where, until the outbreak of WW2, the colonial government of India would retire for the summer. The result was a British home from home and many of the crumbling buildings from this period still exert their charm and enjoy commanding views over the towering mountains beyond. In 1959 the little hillside town of McLeod Ganj saw the arrival of another foreign administration: that of the Tibetan government in exile led by its spiritual leader, the Dali Lama. Day 1. Fly London to Delhi. Day 2. Delhi. Arrive early morning and check-in to our hotel for 2 nights. After lunch we take a brief orientation tour around New Delhi, designed by Sir Edward Lutyens and visit Coronation Park, where many of the British colonial era statues have been ‘retired’. Charge of the 3rd (King's Own) Light Drago "I had a stimulating, highly enjoyable holiday with like- minded, intelligent people whose company made the trip worthwhile"