History

Lucknow derives its name from legendary hero of Sagar rajani, Lakshaman, who was younger brother of
Lord Rama and was also known as Lakhan (लखन). At the orders of his elder brother, Lakshaman set-up
his capital at the present site of Lakshaman Tila, and city was named Lakshamanpur or Lakhanpur.
However, this issue is still a hot topic between the Muslims and the Hindus, with the Muslim minority
claiming the land was called Nucklow. With the passage of time, the city came to be known as Lakhnau
(लखनऊ), and the British anglicized it as Lucknow.

Awadh, known as the granary of India, was important strategically for the control of the fertile plain
between the Ganga and the Yamunarivers known as the Doab. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to
maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas, the Britishand the Afghans.

Since 1350 CE Lucknow and parts of the Awadh region were ruled by the Delhi Sultanate, Sharqi
Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Nawabs of Awadh, East India Company and the British Raj. Lucknow was one
of the major centres of Indian rebellion of 1857, participated actively in India's Independence movement,
and emerged as an important city of North India. Until 1719, subah of Awadh was a province of
theMughal Empire administered by a Governor appointed by the Emperor. Saadat Khan also called
Burhan-ul-Mulk, a Persian adventurer was appointed the Nazim of Awadh in 1722 and he established his
court in Faizabad[21] near Lucknow.

For about eighty-four years (from 1394 to 1478) Awadh was part of the Sharqi Sultanate of Jaunpur;
Emperor Humayun made it a part of the Mughal Empire around 1555. During Emperor Jehangir's rule, he
granted an estate in Awadh to a nobleman, Sheik Abdul Rahim, who had won his favour. Sheik Abdul
Rahim later built Machchi Bhawan in this estate; this later became the seat of power from where his
descendants, the Sheikhzades, controlled the region.

Nawab - the plural of the Arabic word 'naib', meaning 'assistant' - was the term given to governors
appointed by the Mughal emperor all over India to assist him in managing the Empire. In the absence of
expeditious transport and communication facilities, they were practicallyy independent rulers of their
territory and wielded the power of life and death over their subjects. The Nawabs of Lucknow were in fact
the Nawabs of Awadh, but were so refrred to because after the reign of the third Nawab, Lucknow
became the capital of their realm. The city was North India’s cultural capital, and its nawabs, best
remembered for their refined and extravagnt lifestyles, were patrons of the arts. Under them music and
dance flourished, and many monuments were erected.[22] Of the monuments standing today, the Bara
Imambara, the Chhota Imambara, and the Rumi Darwaza are notable examples. One of the more lasting
contributions by the Nawabs is the syncreticcomposite culture that has come to be known as the Ganga-
Jamuni Tehzeeb.
Gates of the Palace at Lucknow by W. Daniell, 1801

Many independent kingdoms, such as Awadh, were established when the Mughal empire disintegrated.
The third Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula, fell out with the British after aiding the fugitive Nawab of Bengal Mir
Qasim. He was comprehensively defeated in the Battle of Buxar by the East India Company, which forced
him to pay heavy penalties and cede parts of his territory. Awadh’s capital, Lucknow rose to prominence
when Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth nawab, shifted his court here from Faizabad in 1775. The British
appointed a resident in 1773 and over time gained control of more territory and authority in the state.
They were, however, disinclined to capture Awadh outright and be brought face to face with the Marathas
and the remnants of the Mughal Empire. In 1798, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan alienated both his
people and the British, and was forced to abdicate. The British then helped Saadat Ali Khan to the throne.
Saadat Ali Khan was a puppet king, who in the treaty of 1801 ceded half of Awadh to the British East
India Company and also agreed to disband his troops in favour of a hugely expensive, British-run army.
This treaty effectively made the state of Awadh a vassal to the British East India Company, though it
nationally continued to be part of the Mughal Empire in name until 1819. The treaty of 1801 formed an
arrangement that was very beneficial to the Company. They were able to use Awadh's vast treasuries,
repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. In addition, the revenues from running Awadh's
armed forces brought them useful revenues while it acted as a buffer state. The Nawabs were ceremonial
kings, busy with pomp and show but with little influence over matters of state. By the mid-nineteenth
century, however, the British had grown impatient with the arrangement and wanted direct control of
Awadh.

Lucknow towards Cawnpore c1860

In 1856 the East India Company first moved its troops to the border, then annexed the state under
the Doctrine of Lapse, which was placed under a chief commissioner – Sir Henry Lawrence. Wajid Ali
Shah, the then Nawab, was imprisoned, and then exiled by the Company to Calcutta. In the
subsequent Revolt of 1857 his 14-year old son Birjis Qadra son of Begum Hazrat Mahal was crowned
ruler, and Sir Henry Lawrence killed in the hostilities. Following the rebellion's defeat, Begum Hazrat
Mahal and other rebel leaders obtained asylum in Nepal.

In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the First War of Indian Independence and the Indian
Mutiny), those company troops who were recruited from the state, along with some of the nobility of the
state, were major players. The rebels took control of Awadh, and it took the British 18 months to
reconquer the region, months which included the famous Siege of Lucknow. The garrison based at
the Residency in Lucknow was besieged by rebel forces. The siege was relieved first by forces under the
command of Sir Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram, followed by a stronger force under SirColin
Campbell. Today, the ruins of the Residency, and the picturesque Shaheed Smarak offer reminiscences
of Lucknow's role in the stirring events of 1857.

Oudh was placed back under a chief commissioner, and was governed as a British province. In 1877 the
offices of lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces and chief commissioner of Oudh were
combined in the same person; and in 1902, when the new name of United Provinces of Agra and
Oudh was introduced, the title of chief commissioner was dropped, though Oudh still retained some
marks of its former independence.

The Khilafat Movement had an active base of support in Lucknow, creating a united platform against the
British rule. In the Khilafat Movement Maulana Abdul Bari of Firangi Mahal, Lucknow actively participated
and cooperated with Mahatama Gandhi and Maulana Mohammad Ali. In 1901, after remaining the capital
of Oudh since 1775, Lucknow, with a population of 264,049, was merged in the newly formed United
Provinces of Agra and Oudh.[23] However, it became the provincial capital in 1920 when the seat of
government was moved from Allahabad. Upon Indian independence in 1947, Lucknow became the
capital of Uttar Pradesh, the erstwhile United Provinces.

Architecture

Bara Imambara
Chhota Imambara

The Lucknow School of Architecture was an experiment by the resurgent Nawabs of Awadh. It was an
attempt to preserve the Mughal school of architecture by experimenting with different materials and
innovating new concepts.

Among the extant architecture there are religious buildings such as Imambaras, mosques and
other Islamic shrines, and secular structures like enclosed gardens, baradaris, palace complexes.

Night View of the Ambedkar Memorial at Lucknow

Way to the Elephant Gallery

The following are distinct features of Lucknow architecture :

 Use of Fish as a decorative motif especially on Gates

 The use of Chattar ( umbrella ) as in the Chattar Manzil
 The Baradari ( the twelve doorway pavilions)
 Rumi Darwaza
 Enclosed Baghs like Sikandar Bagh
 Vaulted halls such as the Asafi Imambara
 The labyrinth Bhulbhulaiyan
 Taikhanas
Jama Masjid near Hussainabad, LUCKNOW

Ambedkar Udyaan Lucknow Left Dome

The Bara Imambara, Chhota Imambara and Rumi Darwaza are testament to the city's Nawabi mixture of
Mughlai and Turkish style of Architecture. Even the new buildings are fashioned with the characteristic
domes and pillars, and monuments lit at night form a main attraction of the city. The city's main market of
Hazratganj is a fusion of the old and modern.

Pratibimb Sthal
Ambedkar Stupa Night view

Education and research

Central Drug Research Institute

La Martiniere College

As far as education is concerned there were almost 68 primary schools per lac of population while the
corresponding figure for upper primary schools was around 26.6.[50] Lucknow is one of the leading cities in
India in terms of number of institutions including 7 universities, 1 technical universities and a large
number of polytechnics, engineering institutes and industrial training
institutes.[51] Other research organisations in the state include Central Drug Research Institute, Central
Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Central Food
Technological Research Institute, National Botanical Research Institute, Central Glass and Ceramic
Research Institute, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and King George Medical
College.[14][15] Lucknow is home to IIM Lucknow, a well known management institute, Dr. Ram Manohar
Lohiya National Law University, one of India's National Law Schools, U.P. Sainik School La-Martiniere
College ,Lucknow Public School and City Montessori School, the only school in the world which holds a
Guinness World Record and has been awarded UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.

Culture
A small part of Lucknow's society still possesses much etiquette. This sublime cultural richness blends
the cultures of two communities living side by side for centuries, sharing similar interests and speaking a
common language.

Many of the cultural traits and customs peculiar to Lucknow have become living legends today. The credit
for this goes to the secular and syncretic traditions of the Nawabs of Awadh, who took a keen interest in
every walk of life, and encouraged the traditions to attain a rare degree of sophistication. The Raja Sahib
of Mahmudabad, popularly known as Suleiman Mian, is a living example of all the great traditions of this
region and has been written about by authors like V.S. Naipaul, William Dalrymple and many others.

Urdu literature
The City Homed the Great legends of Urdu poetry, especially in Marsiya Nigari like Mir Anees and Mirza
Dabeer.

 Marsiya is elegy composed in aspects of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husaain(as) grandson of
Prophet Muhammed in Kerbala Iraq in 61ah.
 Mir Anees and Mirza Dabeer composed most of the renowned marsiya in the history of Urdu
language and are still being recited during Muharram in various Majalis and other Azadari events.
Lucknow is famous for Azadari because of its history of Shia Kingdom of Nawabs of Oudh who promoted
Muharram and its religious events on very high regards. The culture of Urdu poetry is still popular,
especially in Muharram and other occasions related with Islamic lunar calendar.

Lucknow hosts the most number of poetic events in India, and poets from various parts of the world come
to participate in these events. Some of the famous poets of recent times are

 Dr. Surendra Kaur Preet,

 Kazim Jarwali,
 Sarwar Nawab Sarwar,
 Qaim Naqvi Jaysi
 Nawab Baqar Ali Khan "Ravish Lakhnavi
 Surror Lucknowi
 Shauq Lucknowi
 Aslam Taaba

 Sharib Kausar Alavi "Sharib Kakorwi"

 People, especially Muslims, of Lucknow are known for their excellent Urdu and their Tehzeeb.
Lucknow is famous for its Urdu literature and shayari.
Language and poetry
Lucknow is one of the world's great cities for Muslim culture.[citation needed] Two poets, Mir
Anis and Mirza Dabeer, became legendary exponents of a unique genre of Muslim elegiacal poetry
called Marsia centred on Imam Husain's supreme sacrifice in the Battle of Karbala which is
commemorated during the annual observance of Muharram.
Day-to-day transactions in the city are typically performed in Hindi or English. Nevertheless, Lucknowites
are still known for their polite and polished way of speaking which is noticed by visitors to this city. In
recent time the government is taking many path breaking steps to promote Urdulanguage.[52] The great
revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil, who was hanged by the British at Gorakhpur jail, was largely influenced
by the culture of Lucknow and remembered its name in his poetry. [53] The surrounding towns like Kakori,
Daryabad, Tehseel Fatehpur, Barabanki, Rudauli andMalihabad produced many eminent poets and
littérateurs of Urdu like Mohsin Kakorvi, Majaz, Khumar Barabankvi and Josh Malihabadi. Recently in
2008 which is the 150th year of 'mutiny' of 1857 a novel has been released which uses 1857 as a
backdrop. 'Recalcitrance' is the first English novel by a Lucknowite on the 'mutiny' of 1857.

Lucknow Chikan and other embroidery

Lucknow is known for the embroidery works like chikankari, zari, zardozi, kamdani, gota making (goldlace
weaving), etc.
Chikankari is a famous and popular embroidery work that is known all over India. The 400-year old art of
Chikan embroidery in its present form was developed on Lucknow and it is the only place to preserve this
art to this day; in other places this craft is extinct. It is mainly practiced in and around Lucknow, famed for
its tehzeeb or refined style of behaviour where chikan reached its most elaborate and distinctive form.
Chikankari is famous as 'shadow work' and is a very delicate and artistic hand embroidery done using
white thread on fine white cotton cloth usually fine muslin or chiffons. Sometimes yellowish muga silk was
also used in addition to the white thread. The work is done on topis (caps), kurtas, saris, cogds (a kind of
scarf) and other outfits. There are number of tales narrate about the birth and development of this subtle
art. The word chikan itself is said to have been derived from the Persian word chakeen meaning
embroidery or designs. Abdul Halim Sharar, a novelist and historian, in his book 'Lucknow: the Last
Phase of an Oriental Culture', says that "chikan embroidery became popular during the time of Nazir Ud
Din Haidar in the second quarter of the 19th century when in a mohalla in Daliganj, Lucknow, Bade Miya
Zazira designed the first piece of chikan embroidery on an angarkhan (waistcoat) and showed it to the
Badshah, who was delighted and paid him generously for it."[59] During the first half of the 19th century a
school of chikankari developed in Lucknow with its own unique style and aesthetic. It is an intricate
embroidery involving 38 types of stitches (morri, katao, and bakhia) produced on textiles. Lucknow has
lost most of its old culture and etiquette, celebrations and processions, it is the chikan industry which was
almost unknown in the nawabi has not only survived but is in flourishing state, to-day and is destined to
last long. Chikankari industry has grown to great proportions within the last 20 years due to increasing
demand within and foreign countries, chikan craft has become an important industry of Lucknow and
Awadh. About 2500 entrepreneurs are engaged in manufacturing the chikan for local, national and
international market. Lucknow is the largest exporter of Chikan embroidery garments. The four kinds of
chikan work in Lucknow are: katao, where minute patterns of different materials are sewn into the
muslin; murri, where designs are embossed upon the muslin with the use of thread ; phanda, a design
made of thread in chain stitich; andjali kholna, in which individual threads are carefully removed from
material and re-used in the same place to form design. As the ultimate proof of recognition, Geographical
Indication Registry (GIR) accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) status for chikankari in December
2008, which recognized Lucknow as an exclusive hub of chikankari.[60]

Lucknow has also a name for other forms of embroidery. Gold and silver embroidery is executed with a
variety of tinsels, such as salma, ghizai, sitara, kamdani, and kalabatun. Lucknow's zardozi and kamdani
work is quite popular, and for decades, dazzled the courts of the Nawabs of Oudh. Zardozi and kamdani
are the two variants of gold and silver embroidery work being carried out in Lucknow. The essential
difference is that kamdani is work done with gold or silver thread (fir) and Zardozi done with salma and
sitara, also zardozi is heavy and elaborate and the kamdani is lighter and simpler. The well-known
kamdani work is similar to chikan but is done in gold and silver threads on white cloth. Kamdani is done
with flattened silver or gilt wire on lighter materials. The needle is threaded with ordinary thread which is
doubled, the two ends being secured with a knot. In Lucknow, zardozi and chikan were co-existent, but
more or less in parallel. Zardozi is the name given to heavy embroidery on silk fabric in raised silver and
gold thread. The fabric is stretched in a frame and the design traced. The zardozi of Lucknow is of a
bareek or fine variety, however it is the quicker zari work that is more popular. In 2013 the GIR accorded
the GI registration to the Lucknow Zardozi – the world renowned textile embroidery from Lucknow. The
Zardozi products manufactured in areas in Lucknow and six surrounding districts
of Barabanki, Unnao, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Hardoi and Amethi became a brand and can carry a registered
logo to confirm their authenticity.[61]

The principal kinds of lace made at Lucknow from gold and silver wire are called lachka, kalabatu,
and lais. In lachka the warp is of silver-gilt strips, woven with a woof of silk; it is often stamped with
patterns in high relief. Kalabatu consists of strips of gilded silver twisted spirally round threads of yellow
silk and then woven into ribbon. In lais the warp is of silk and the woof of the wire. Lucknow is also
famous for gota (gold lace) and kinari (silver lace). Gota work involves placing woven gold cloth onto
other fabric to create different surface textures. Kinari is the fringed or tasselled border decorations. The
weaving of gota gota and kinari is still done in Lucknow.

Chowk area of Lucknow still houses the exotic crafts of Lucknow such as making of warq, itra, zarda,
chikan, kamdani, zari, gota, kinari etc.

List Of Historical Places

1. Bara Imambara
2. Chhota Imambara
3. Rumi Darwaza
4. Shah Najaf Imambara
5. Dargah of Hazrat Abbas
6. Dilkusha Palace
7. Karbala of Dayanat-ud-Daulah
8. Maqbara of Mir Anis
9. Imambara Sibtainabad(Maqbara of Amjad Ali Shah)
10. Rauza Kazmain
11. Residency
12. Talkatora Karbala
13. Bhool Bhulaiya (Labyrinth)

Important Annual Events

Chup Tazia

The procession under the name of Chup Tazia have originated in the Indian city of Lucknow before
spreading to other parts of South Asia.[3] The procession dates back to nawabi era and was started by
Nawab Ahmed Ali Khan Sahukat Yar Jung a descendent of Bahu Begum.[4] It is one of the most
important processions of azadari in Lucknow and is currently one of the nine allowed processions.[5]
During nineteenth century this procession of Nawab Aggan Mian's family which earlier was raised on the
day of Chehlum (20th Safar) was shifted to eighteenth day of Chehlum i.e. 8th of Rabi' al-awwal.[6] This
last mourning procession taken out on the morning of 8th of Rabi' al-awwal,[2][7] includes alam, zari and
tazia, originates from Imambara Nazim Saheb in Victoria street and moves in complete silence while
passes through Patanala until it terminates at Karbala Kazmain, where the colossal black tazia is
buried.[1][8][9] On 26 May 1969, after a series of fairly serious clashes and murders, another riot broke
out when a Shia Alam and Chup Tazia procession which had passed through the predominantly Sunni
mohallas of Pul Ghulam and Mahmoodnagar almost peacefully was suddenly brick-batted from a Sunni
mosque as the procession reached Mahmoodnagar

 Nowruz
Along with the Twelver Shi’a, the Ismailis,[82] Alawites and Alevis also hold the day of Nowruz in high
regard. The day upon which Nowruz falls has been recommended as a day of fasting for Twelver Shi’a
Muslims by Shi’a scholars, including Abul-Qassim al-Khoei, Imam Khomeini[83] and Ali al-Sistani.[84] The
day also assumes special significance for Shias as it was on 21 March 656 CE when the first Imam
Hazrat Ali assumed the office of Caliphate.

Muharram
Lucknow is known as a seat of Shi'ism and the epitome of Shia culture in India. It is famous
for Muharram and associated azadari movement. All the communities including Hindus, observe the
Moharram on the 10th of Moharram in the memory of Imam Husain (the grandson of the
prophet Muhammad). Fourteen hundred years back in Karbala Iraq Yazid's forces killed Immam Hussain
and his family on the day of Ashura and imprisoned remaining family.

The processions of Muharram in Lucknow have a special significance. They were started during the reign
of the Awadh Nawabs. The Majalises, processions and other rituals that are observed by the Shia
community to commemorate the sacrifice of Husain are known as Azadari.

The processions like Shahi Zarih, Jaloos-e-Mehndi, Alam-e-Ashura and that of Chup Tazia have special
significance for Shia community, which are taken out with great religious zeal and fervour. These
processions which started during the reign of the Awadh Nawabs continued till the year 1977
when Government of Uttar Pradesh banned the Azadari processions in public. For next twenty years
processions and gatherings were carried in private or community space like, Talkatora karbala, Imambara
Asifi (Bara Imambara), Imambara Husainabad (Chhota Imambara), Dargah Hazrat Abbas, Shah
Najaf, Imambara Ghufran Ma'ab etc. Ban was partially lifted in 1997 and Shias were successful in taking
out the first Azadari procession in January 1998 (21st of Ramzan). Today the Shias have been given nine
processions out of nine hundred that are registered in the festival register of the Shias.all the other things.

Dance, drama and music

Kathak, the classical Indian dance form took shape here. Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, was a
great patron and a passionate champion of Kathak. Lachhu Maharaj, Acchchan Maharaj, Shambhu
Maharaj and Birju Maharaj have kept this tradition alive.
Lucknow is also the city of eminent Ghazal singer Begum Akhtar. She was a pioneer in Ghazal singing
and took this aspect of music to amazing heights. "Ae Mohabbat Tere anjaam pe rona aaya" is one of her
best musical renditions of all times.

The Bhatkande Music Institute University at Lucknow is named after the great musician Pandit Vishnu
Narayan Bhatkhande. People from Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries come to Bhatkhande to study
music or dance.
Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts (BNA), also known as Bhartendu Natya Academy, a Theatre
Training institute situated at Gomti Nagar in vikas khand-1, is deemed university and
anautonomous organisation under Ministry of Culture, Government of Uttar Pradesh, set up in 1975 by
the Sangeet Natak Akademy (Government of Uttar Pradesh), and became an independent Drama school
in 1977. Official Website of The BNA

Apart from govt. institutes there are many private theatre groups like IPTA, Theatre Arts Workshop
(TAW), Darpan, Manchkriti and the largest Youth theatre group JOSH. Josh Group is basically a group for
youth and kids theatre activity, workshops and training. Lucknow has given music stars like Naushad
Ali, Talat Mehmood, Anup Jalota and Baba Sehgal to the entertainment industry. It is also the birthplace
of British pop star Sir Cliff Richard.