The British royal couple, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla Parker Bowles, arrived in Dehradun, northern India Wednesday to start a nine-day tour of India, reported Press Trust of India.

Upon arrival in the afternoon on a special plane, the royal couple were received by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and senior state government officials.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall left with their entourage by road for Rishikesh, a Hindu holy town, for an elaborate "Ganga Arti" held at a Hindu temple for the peace of those who died in the heavy rains and flashfloods in June in the northern Indian state, said the report.

The couple are scheduled to attend programs in Dehradun Thursday, to be hosted by the Indian Military Academy, the Forest Research Institute and the Doon School, institutions all set up first by the British during colonial times.

The nine-day Indian tour of Prince Charles and his wife is their most extensive trip to the country as a married couple.