A dusty, bumpy drive from Khajuraho and an overnight train took me to Lucknow. I checked into the Carlton Hotel in a weak moment but rapidly checked out again when I found a better place nearby. The British Residency in Lucknow was besieged for months during the rebellion of 1857 and relieved only after heavy fighting. Today the park-like grounds are dotted with ruins. Elsewhere I saw the handsome entrance to Sikander Bagh (gardens), also the scene of fierce fighting during the Mutiny, but closed when I was there. At Allahabad I visited Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan, formerly homes of Indira Gandhi, her parents and grandparents, and now open to the public.