Somewhere near Amritsar, I sat on a rattling bus as the driver pointed to the road ahead with a certain non-chalance. “This is the Grand Trunk Road,” he said.
I wasn’t perturbed, or bothered. I had heard the words GT Road multiple times in my life. The broad ribbon of asphalt shimmered in the midday heat, lined with mango orchards, petrol pumps, and dhabas where parathas sizzled on iron griddles. But I hadn’t paid much attention. It was, to me, just another busy Indian highway. But it wasn’t. This was the road that had carried emperors and merchants, pilgrims and armies for more than two millennia. And it merited research, and a conversation.
GT Road: A Road Older Than Empires
There is a reason there is a grand in the Grand Trunk Road. Long before expressways and flyovers, long before the idea of modern India even existed, this was the route that stitched the subcontinent together. Its origins go back to the Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BCE, when Chandragupta Maurya established a route connecting his capital at Pataliputra (modern-day Patna) with Takshashila (Taxila, now in Pakistan). It was known as Uttarapatha.It was later called Shah Rah-e-Azam, and was a network of roads extending from Cox’s Bazar to Peshawar, effectively knitted together largely by Sher Shah Suri in 15th century AD. The Afghan ruler of North India extended it, planting shade trees along the roadside, digging wells, and setting up caravanserais (rest houses) for weary travellers. He also introduced the kos minars—stone mile markers—that can still be spotted if you look carefully along certain stretches.
Rulers like Akbar, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb also built many sarais along the imperial road, Many of these caravansarais can still be explored near Gurgaon, on the Delhi-Ambala road, in Ludhiana and Amritsar as well. The name GT Road was, however, bequeathed by the British, who rebuilt the road in the 19th century.
The Artery Of Empires And Commerce
Over its long history, the GT Road has borne the weight of armies and the bustle of caravans. It carried Alexander the Great’s troops, Mughal processions, and British regiments. It ferried silks, spices, salt, and stories from one corner of the subcontinent to another. For the Mughals, it was indispensable; Emperor Akbar relied on it to move troops swiftly and consolidate power. For the British, it became a backbone of colonial administration and trade.
In literature, too, the road made its mark. Rudyard Kipling described it in Kim as “such a river of life as nowhere else exists in the world.”
The Grand Trunk Road Today
For travellers today, the Grand Trunk Road exists under new names. In India, its largest portion runs as NH 19 (formerly NH 2) from Kolkata to Delhi, and as NH 44 farther north into Punjab. It also forms part of the Asian Highway 1 (AH1), a 20,000-kilometer route stretching all the way from Japan to Turkey.The full historic stretch once ran from Chittagong in Bangladesh to Kabul in Afghanistan, but the road most people know now runs from Kolkata to Amritsar—around 1,500 kilometers if you trace it closely. The modern-day journey follows this route:
Kolkata – Durgapur – Dhanbad – Aurangabad – Sasaram – Varanasi – Prayagraj (Allahabad) – Kanpur – Tundla (Agra) – New Delhi – Amritsar.
It is mostly a six-lane highway, dotted with diversions where flyover construction is underway. Truck traffic can be heavy, especially around Bihar, but the road is smooth and efficient. After Agra, the journey merges with the Yamuna Expressway, one of India’s best stretches of tarmac.
Stops Along The Way
What makes the GT Road extraordinary today is how it still retains its role as a cultural corridor. Along its path lie cities, shrines, and monuments that tell the story of India itself.Kolkata: Leaving the city via the Nivedita Setu, you pass old colonial enclaves once held by the Danish, French, and Dutch. Too early to stop perhaps, but worth remembering that the GT Road has always been a cosmopolitan space.
Bodhgaya: Just a small detour off the main road, this is one of Buddhism’s holiest sites, where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment.
Sasaram (Bihar): The mausoleum of Sher Shah Suri rises out of a man-made lake like a vision, a fitting tribute to the ruler who made the road what it is.
Varanasi: The ghats of the Ganga, the labyrinthine lanes, the temples, the Ramnagar Fort across the river, this ancient city offers more than a night’s pause.
Prayagraj (Allahabad): The sacred confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, the historic Anand Bhavan (the Nehru family home), and the colonial-era bungalows all sit just off the GT Road.
Agra: The Taj Mahal needs no introduction, but linger for the Agra Fort, the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, and yes—a box of the city’s famous petha.
Delhi: At the capital, the GT Road threads through layers of power, Old Delhi’s Mughal walls, Lutyens’ grand avenues, and the expressways of the new city.
Amritsar: At its northwestern end lies the Golden Temple, shimmering in the heart of Punjab, a reminder that this road has always been spiritual as much as practical.
