Kohima War Cemetery with a historian

In April 1944, Japanese forces advancing from Burma surrounded a small British and Indian garrison at Kohima. For about two weeks the defenders held a ring of positions on the ridge, fighting at close quarters, until relief arrived; heavy fighting continued until June. The battle, together with Imphal, turned back the Japanese invasion of India, and it is often ranked among the most important battles of the war in Asia.

The cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, lies on Garrison Hill where much of the fighting took place. Its terraces hold more than 1,400 graves, each with a bronze plaque on a stone plinth. The tennis court of the Deputy Commissioner's bungalow, where the lines were only metres apart, is marked out in white stone. At the lower end stands the memorial to the 2nd British Division, carved with a well-known epitaph about sacrifice for the future.

Your guide, a local historian, tells the story from both military and Naga perspectives: many Naga villagers carried supplies, guided troops and suffered heavy losses. We end at the cross of sacrifice with a view over the town. Allow two to three hours, and dress respectfully.