I am on what is probably the most important route during the British Raj, the Great Trunk Road. I suspect it wasn’t always this good a drive. History proves that this northern highway has been in use since at least the 3rd Century BC. In the 16th Century, a road was built by the Pushtun emperor Sher Shah Suri, who ruled across northern India. This is largely considered the beginnings of the Great Trunk Road we see now.
Today, the Great Trunk Road is a collection of modern highways and A roads that span a distance of 2,500 km (1,600 mi) from Chittagong, southern Bangladesh, in the East to part of the Jalalabad-Kabul Road in Afghanistan in the west. As I head east, I am sure to meet it further along.
 The Ambala cantonment during the British Raj. |
 A modern highway through Barkatha. |