My Visual Travel Experience: Lucknow

I've been to Lucknow many times on work, largely during my days as Regional Sales Manager (North India) with Britannia from 2002 to 2006. I would have spent a cumulative of over 3 weeks in Lucknow. Then in 2014, I went for a couple of days to soak in the sights and sounds of this historic city, with no agenda other than sight seeing. It was a wonderful, enriching visit, and the only disappointment was that the famous Bara Imambada was shut during my stay there due to some protests that were taking place.

Lucknow is the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, and is a city having a population of 3 million. The city was ruled by the nawabs of Avadh in the 18th and 19th centuries and it owes much of its architectural heritage to that period. The nawabs were of Persian origin and the state of Avadh was established by Saadat Khan, the first nawab, in 1724. The capital was initially in Faizabad. The nawabs owed allegiance to the Mughal emperor in Delhi, but Avadh became an independent state under the nawabs.

Avadh became more and more independent from the Mughals, but then the British came and started controlling the state. In 1773, a British Resident was established in Lucknow. The city’s golden age commenced when Asaf ud Daulah, the fourth nawab, shifted the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775. The Bara Imambara and the Roomi Darwaza were built by him as a means to give employment to the town’s citizens.

In 1798, the British Governor General removed Wazir Ali Khan, the fifth nawab, from the throne because he was agitating for independence. His uncle, Saadat Ali Khan, was made the nawab. The tenth nawab, Amjad Ali, was a ruler who was very spiritually inclined and not very strong on governance. His son, Wajid Ali Shah, was the eleventh and last nawab of Avadh. He was a patron of the arts and governance suffered under him. The British levied charges of mismanagement on him and in 1856, he was stripped off his title and exiled to Calcutta. The British then took over the state. The ruins of the British Residency are a reminder of the 1857 mutiny and the 18 month siege of Lucknow.

The Bara Imambara was built by the fourth nawab of Avadh,  Asaf Ud Daulah, to provide employment to the town’s citizens. It was completed in 1786. The imambara’s main hall is remarkable because it has no pillars supporting it, despite its large size. Above the hall lies the Bhool Bhulaiya (or labyrinth). 

Bara Imambara

Asafi Mosque, Bara Imambara

Roomi Darwaza lies close to the Bara Imambara complex. It was made by workers from Rome, and hence the name. 

Roomi Darwaza

The Chhota Imambara, also known as the Hussainabad Imambara, was completed in 1840. It was built by Nawab Muhammed Ali Shah, the third nawab of Avadh, to serve as his mausoleum.

Chhota Imambara

Chhota Imambara

Koran, Chhota Imambara

The Shahnajaf Imambara was constructed in 1816 by Nawab Ghazi Ud Din Haidar (the seventh nawab of Avadh) as his mausoleum. The nawab and his three wives were buried inside the imambara.

Shahnajaf Imambara

Dome Ceiling, Shahnajaf Imambara

The Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan is a beautiful structure that has the grave of the sixth nawab. It lies within a large park in the heart of the city.

Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan

Dome Ceiling, Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan

The Tomb of Khurshid Zadi is a beautiful structure. She was the wife of Saadat Ali Khan, and her tomb lies close to that of her husband.

Tomb of Khurshid Zadi

Victoria Memorial is a memorial to the British Queen who reigned from 1837 to 1901. The memorial lies in the same park that houses the Tomb of Saadat Ali Khan and the Tomb of Khurshid Zadi.

Victoria Memorial

The Hussainabad Clock Tower is a fine example of British architecture in Lucknow.  The clock tower is approximately 70 meters high, and it India’s tallest clock tower. It was built in 1887 to commemorate the arrival of Sir George Cooper, the first Lieutenant Governor of Avadh. The large clock has a diameter of 13 meters and was brought in from London.

Hussainabad Clock Tower

The Baradari was built by Nawab Muhammed Ali Shah. It contains a Picture Gallery that has life size portraits of the nawabs of Avadh.

Baradari

The Vidhan Sabha is the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, and has a distinctive dome.

Vidhan Sabha

Side View, Vidhan Sabha

The Hazratganj crossing has the Statue of Sardar Patel, independent India’s first Home Minister, who united the various princely states and brought them under the union of India.

Statue of Sardar Patel

The General Post Office Building has an impressive white clocktower and lies close to the Hazratganj crossing.

General Post Office Building

Hazratganj is a major shopping area in the heart of Lucknow. It was built by Nawab Amjad Ali Shah. The main street has a series of impressive buildings, like the Central Bank of India, and Capoor’s Hotel, which has two well known restaurants – Nawabs and Royal Café.

Hazratganj

St Joseph’s Cathedral lies in Hazratganj, in the heart of the city. It was built in the 19th century by an Irish priest, Father William Gleeson. The front façade of the church has a statue of Christ with his arms wide open to welcome all.

St Joseph's Cathedral

Sikander Bagh is named after the favourite wife of Wajid Ali Shah, the last nawab. It was the royal pleasure garden. The garden has an impressive gateway with the fish emblem of Avadh.

Sikander Bagh

The Residency was an enclosed area within which the British inhabitants of Lucknow used to reside. The complex was extensively damaged during  the 1857 mutiny. It is still in the condition it was in at the end of the siege, which saw the deaths of over 2,000 people. The siege lasted for a total of 18 months. Sir Henry Lawrence was the commander of the troops that were inside the Residency. Help came from a force led by Sir Henry Havelock. However, the troops found themselves trapped inside. It was weeks later that the Residency was rescued under the leadership of Sir Colin Campbell.

Imambara, The Residency

Henry Lawrence Memorial, The Residency

Bailley Guard Room, The Residency

Tunday Kababs are a Lucknow speciality. They are made out of minced meat and are said to contain 160 spices. These kabas were introduced to nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Tunday Kababi, in old Lucknow, is an outlet that opened in 1905. It is a "dhaba" and is far from being posh, but it is extremely popular and is even frequented by Bollywood celebrities. These kababs have now gone across the city's borders and are available in places like Delhi and Gurgaon as well.

Tunday Kabab

Lucknow is a city that is known for a lot of things - its history and the legacy of its nawabs, its architecture (exemplified by the Bara Imambara), its cuisines (the biryanis and the kababs), its costumes (in particular, the well known chikan kurtas), its "tehzeeb" (the legendary Lucknow politeness) and its political importance (being the capital of India's most populated state). As a visitor, I was not at all disappointed. I found Lucknow's cleanliness levels and infrastructure to be quite good. The city has hotels like Taj and Clark's, it has large urban parks, and in recent times, a metro system has also been introduced. All in all, it is one of India's most livable cities, and for a visitor, it is certainly one of the country's most interesting cities!