Indian Heritage and Culture
- Experience a train journey on the Indian railway system, one of the most extensive in the world, and a legacy of the British Raj.
- Appreciate the Indo-Sarcenic style of architectural wonders
- Enjoy the scenic beauty of the Hill stations of India, once summer retreats of the rulers of the Raj era.
One definition of the British Raj era in India is the magnificence of its architectural legacy. The Military boards set up by the English contributed the bulk of secular architecture, like barracks, housing for soldiers and other assorted buildings. But for the purposes of the Government and the church, something more assertive was needed to proclaim the supremacy of the British. While conforming more or less to Europe's Greco-Roman heritage, architectural ideas and patterns from the sub-continent were also merged. Calcutta was stamped with the hallmark of authority while the new imperial capital of New Delhi saw the zenith of the British architecture and town planning. Bombay and Madras are other cities with notable British colonial buildings, including beautiful churches. Other colonial powers in India such as the Portuguese left grand buildings including many churches in Goa, as did the Fench in Pondicherry and Chandernagor. Located on peaks that loom like sentinels over heat-shimmering plains, "hill stations" are the most unique monuments that remind of the British colonial presence in India's history. Developed by the British in India, as a solution to the difficulty to adjust to Indian summers, the "hill stations" of India range from an elevation of 600mtrs to 3500 mtrs, and are endowed with best of scenery, landscapes, flora and fauna. The popular summer gateways during the Raj era were, Shimla and Dalhousie to the North, Darjeeling to the east and Ooty in the southern part of India.
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