Timeless Victorian Enchantment- Experience Kipling's India: Ashley Doyle Charleston SC/NYC

Welcome to Kipling's India - an India that is steeped in British Imperialism and the awe inspiring tales of tiger infested jungles. This journey takes you from his birthplace in Mumbai, through Pench National Park (his inspiration for the Jungle Book) and ending with Shimla where he settled towards the latter part of his life.

On a tour of "Kipling's India", you would also follow some of the colonial cities of India. Mumbai was reclaimed from the sea to act as a port. Shimla was the summer office of the Viceroy for an extended period of history. This Kipling-esque tour of India should ideally also be mixed with the post-independent vibrance that you seein the society today.

For many English speakers, it was the Indian-bo
literary great, Rudyard Kipling who has give
India is enigmatic global persona. His extraordinary narrative gifts, bringing to life the exotic enchanting land of Victorian India is what has been ingrained in the minds of many who celebrate Kipling's genius. For those who have been inspired by his captivating stories of childhood in India, a tour of Kipling's India will bring this mesmerizing country to life. I fell in love with Kipling's work and therfore the very idea of India, as a small child. My grandmother, who had also fallen prey to his genius as a child herself, read his stories and poems to me before I could even read a word myself. Today I count the novel Kim as one of my favorites and to read it again and again allows me to travel in my mind into that faraway exotic and magnificent place we know as India.

Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), in the days of "British India. Kipling is best known for his works of fiction, including The Jungle Book, Just So Stories, Kim and many short stories and poems. He is regarded as a major "innovator in the art of the short story"; his children's books are enduring classics of children's literature; and his best works are said to exhibit "a versatile and luminous narrative gift. Without a doubt, Rudyard Kipling has captivated the imaginations of millions with his brilliant tales of his experiences as a boy in the magnificent country of India and to tour India and see it through his eyes, is for many, the experience of a lifetime.
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In describing Bombay, Kipling wrote

Mother of Cities to me,
For I was born in her gate,
Between the palms and the sea,
Where the world-end steamers wait

So why wait? Consider a tour of Kipling's India with this suggested itinerary.

MUMBAI-

Morning- Excursion to Elephanta Caves

9 kms off the coast of Mumbai and an hour ride by motor launch from the Gateway of India. The cave temples of Elephanta date back to the 7th century. Four rows of massive columns cut into solid rock from three magnificent avenues, lead to the outstanding three-headed sculpture representing Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer. Dedicated to Shiva, the beauty and power of these phenomenal sculptures depicting the various manifestations of Shiva is overpowering.

Afte
oon: Visit the Rudyard Kipling's museum

PENCH

Pench, the jungle set in the central India, is considered to be the home of Mogli, Kipling's immortal creations. (Jungle Book) Pench National Park has been known through the ages for its rich flora and fauna. Many writers like Captain Forsyth, A.A.D. Brander, R.A. Strendale and Rudyard Kipling have all mentioned Pench in their books as the place with rich and beautiful flora and fauna. Pench is named after the river that flows nearby and was declared a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1983.

DELHI

Delhi - the capital of India, is a fascinating city with complexities and contradictions, beauty and dynamism, where the past co-exists with the present. Many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Delhi is not only the present metropolis of India but also a necropolis. Located on the banks of the river Yamuna, Delhi has witnessed the rise and fall of many cities over the last five millennia

SHIMLA

Shimla , the capital of Himalachal Pradesh spills over the steep slopes of a 12kms long crescent shaped ridge in the lower Himalayas. It was once the glamorous summer capital of British India. Shimla has a number of pretty walks and the highest point on the ridge with the Jakhu temple is a 45 minute walk from the Mall. From here one can have an excellent view of snow peaks and dark forested slopes.

While Kipling's great works spur a brilliant and fascinating image in our minds, nothing can compare with a real life visit to this extraordinary place. Enjoy your experience.