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OVERLAND CARAVAN2,700 km Total NetworkActive: 300 BCE – Present Day

The Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha)

The great highway of northern India, running from Bengal up the Ganges plain and across the Punjab to Kabul, in use for more than two thousand years.

5.0
Type: overland-caravanMap centre: [77.23°, 28.61°]Line: YearMaps schematic line drawn between the documented stations.

Places Along the Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha)

Kos Minar, on the Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha)
Kos MinarCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Khyber Pass, on the Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha)
Khyber PassCC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Rohtas Fort, on the Grand Trunk Road (Uttarapatha)
Rohtas FortCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Commercial Genesis & Spatial Network

A royal road from the Mauryan capital Pataliputra to the north-west frontier was described by the Greek envoy Megasthenes around 300 BCE. In the sixteenth century Sher Shah Suri rebuilt the line as the Sadak-e-Azam, planting shade trees and building a sarai, a fortified inn, at regular intervals. The Mughals added the tall kos minar distance markers that still stand along it, and the British metalled it in the nineteenth century and gave it its present name. Much of it survives as national highways in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

Economic Impact & Cultural Diffusion

The main artery for armies, administration and commerce across northern India, linking the Ganges plain with Central Asia through the Khyber Pass.

Caravanserais and Halting Places on This Route

11 caravanserais recorded within 40 km of the mapped line. A caravanserai is a roadside inn; a halting place is a named camping ground with no permanent building. How caravans travelled and how a caravanserai worked.

Akbari Sarai, Pakistan

Akbari Sarai

Caravanserai · Pakistan · 31.6225° N, 74.2997° E

The Akbari Sarai (Punjabi, Urdu: اکبری سرائے, romanized: Akbarī sarā'ē) is a large caravan inn (sarai), located in Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Dating from 1637, the sarai was originally built for travelers, as well as for caretakers of the Tomb of Jahangir. The sarai is most notable for being the best-preserved example in Pakistan, as well as for its large gateway that is richly embellished with pietra dura that serves as a portal to the tomb of Jahangir.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Arab Serai, India

Arab Serai

Caravanserai · India · 28.5914° N, 77.2483° E

Arab Serai is a 16th century caravanserai within the Humayun's tomb complex at Delhi, India. It is said to have been built by Mughal emperor Humayun's widow Haji Begum. In recent times, it has been conserved by Aga Khan Trust for Culture.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Begum Ki Sarai, Pakistan

Begum Ki Sarai

Caravanserai · Pakistan · 33.8949° N, 72.2383° E

Begum ki Sarai is a caravanserai, located near Attock Fort across the Attock Bridge in Punjab, Pakistan. It was built in the early 16th century during the Mughal period. The caravanserai is in a square shape, measuring 112 by 112 yards. Its three bastions have survived. There is a baradari in the centre of the caravanserai. Begum ki Sarai was located on the historic Grand Trunk Road, connecting Agra with Jalalabad. It is one of the series of caravanserais constructed in the 16th and 17th centuries; other notable surviving examples on the Lahore-Peshawar section include Sarai Akbari, Rawat and Gor Khatri. Due to its location near the Attock Fort the Sarai is currently closed to public visitors.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Dakhni Sarai, India

Dakhni Sarai

Caravanserai · India · 31.1724° N, 75.4115° E

Dakhni Sarai, also known as Dakhini Sarai, is a caravanserai located on the outskirts of Mallian Kalan, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located on the medieval route between Agra and Lahore, it was built in the 17th century. It is an example of Mughal architecture. It is in the form of a quadrangle, with large gateways on the eastern and western sides. A mosque is also located within the complex.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Mehram Serai, India

Mehram Serai

Caravanserai · India · 28.5647° N, 77.1189° E

Mehram ki Serai is a 17th-century caravanserai listed as a protected monument by the ASI, located on the land owned by the Ministry of Defence in the north-east corner of IGI airport. It was built by Mehram Khan, a eunuch and keeper of Jahangir's harem.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Mughal Serai, Doraha, India

Mughal Serai, Doraha

Caravanserai · India · 30.7983° N, 76.0217° E

Mughal Serai, Doraha is a caravanserai located at Doraha in Ludhiana District, India. Its popularly known as Mughal Caravan Serai as well as Doraha Sarai . It should not be confused with Serai Lashkari Khan, which is situated at 8–9 km (5.0–5.6 mi) away.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Sarai Amanat Khan, India

Sarai Amanat Khan

Caravanserai · India · 31.5108° N, 74.6931° E

Sarai Amanat Khan is a caravanserai located in the Indian state of Punjab. Built in the 16th century, it was commissioned by Amanat Khan, who was a Mughal nobleman and calligrapher known for his work on the Taj Mahal. The sarai is located on the highway between Agra and Lahore, and was intended to provide shelters to travelers along the route. Its neighboring sarai was Sarai Khan Khana which was built by Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan in Manhala, a town near Lahore. A mosque and a well are located within the sarai. A tomb, presumably containing the remains of Amanat Khan, is located nearby. It is listed as a monument of national importance.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

Serai Lashkari Khan, India

Serai Lashkari Khan

Caravanserai · India · 30.7550° N, 76.0900° E

Serai Lashkari Khan located near Gurdwara Manji Sahib, Kotan (near Doraha) in Ludhiana District, Punjab, India is a historical inn, or caravanserai, built by Mughal military general Lashkari Khan in 1667 CE, during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo via Wikimedia Commons

All Recorded Stopping Places

NameTypeCountryCoordinates
Akbari SaraiCaravanseraiPakistan31.6225° N, 74.2997° E
Arab SeraiCaravanseraiIndia28.5914° N, 77.2483° E
Begum Ki SaraiCaravanseraiPakistan33.8949° N, 72.2383° E
Dakhni SaraiCaravanseraiIndia31.1724° N, 75.4115° E
Mehram SeraiCaravanseraiIndia28.5647° N, 77.1189° E
Mughal Serai, DorahaCaravanseraiIndia30.7983° N, 76.0217° E
Sarai Amanat KhanCaravanseraiIndia31.5108° N, 74.6931° E
Serai Lashkari KhanCaravanseraiIndia30.7550° N, 76.0900° E
Karwan SaraiCaravanseraiIndia27.0978° N, 77.6628° E
Sarai ShahjiCaravanseraiIndia28.5393° N, 77.2106° E
Serai NurmahalCaravanseraiIndia31.0928° N, 75.5943° E

Sources: Wikidata (caravanserais, CC0) and the OWTRAD project (halting places). All caravanserais and halting places

Logistics, Caravanserais & Overland Hazards

  • ▲Sarais spaced roughly every two kos gave travellers lodging, wells and stabling
  • ▲Major river crossings on the Ganges, Yamuna, Sutlej, Jhelum and Indus were by ferry or boat bridge
  • ▲Monsoon floods cut the road each summer before embankments were built
  • ▲The Khyber Pass stretch depended on agreements with the tribes who controlled it

Custodial Empires & Polities

Sovereign states that safeguarded, taxed, or maintained garrisons along this route:

Maurya EmpireKushan EmpireGupta EmpireDelhi SultanateSur EmpireMughal EmpireBritish Raj

More Routes in This Region

The Himalaya and South Asia

The Leh–Kullu Road and the Zanskar and Spiti Tracks480 km

overland caravan • 1600 CE – 1950 CE

The Leh–Lhasa Road and the Western Tibet Passes1,700 km

overland caravan • 1684 CE – 1950 CE

The Leh–Yarkand Caravan Route (Karakoram Pass)770 km

overland caravan • 1600 CE – 1949 CE

Nearby Routes in Other Regions

The Great Silk Road6,400 km

overland caravan • 130 BCE – 1453 CE

Maritime Spice & Incense Routes15,000 km

maritime sea-lane • 2000 BCE – 1700 CE

Caravan Routes of the Persian Deserts3,200 km

overland caravan • 550 BCE – 1930 CE