Lucknow

For other uses, see Lucknow (disambiguation).

Lucknow लखनऊ لکھنؤ
Metropolis
1st row Bara Imambara, Chota Imambara main gate. 2nd row Chota Imambara, Rumi Darwaza, Interior Mosque of Husainabad. 3rd row Kashiram Smarak at night. 4th row Tomb of Raja Saadat Ali, La Martiniere College, 5th row Ambedkar Park at night. 1st row Bara Imambara, Chota Imambara main gate. 2nd row Chota Imambara, Rumi Darwaza, Interior Mosque of Husainabad. 3rd row Kashiram Smarak at night. 4th row Tomb of Raja Saadat Ali, La Martiniere College, 5th row Ambedkar Park at night.
Nickname(s):  The City of Nawabs, The Golden City of India, Constantinople of East, Shiraz-i-Hind
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Lucknow
Founded by	Maharaja Lakhan Pasi
Government
• Mayor	Dinesh Sharma (BJP)
Area
• Total	689.1 km2 (266.1 sq mi)
Elevation	128 m (420 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	4,801,474
• Rank	7th
• Density	4,218/km2 (10,920/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Organised alphabetically: English Hindi Urdu
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	2260xx / 2270xx
Telephone code	91-522
Vehicle registration	UP-32
Sex ratio	871 ♂/♀
Website	lucknow.nic.in
General Data: Longitude-Latitude: population_District(extrapolation): population_total(interpolation):

Lucknow /ˈlʌknaʊ/ is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the largest and most developed city in North India after Delhi. This metro city is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division. Lucknow has always been known as a multicultural city and flourished as a cultural and artistic capital of North India in the 18th and 19th centuries and as a seat of power of Nawabs. Today it continues as an important centre of education, commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, music, and poetry. Lucknow ranked 6th among all the cities in India for fastest job-creation. It is the largest city of Uttar Pradesh, and after Delhi the second largest metro of North and Central India.

Lucknow stands at an elevation of 123.45 metres above sea level and covers an area of 689.1 km². It is surrounded on the eastern side by District Barabanki, on the western side by district Unnao, on the southern side by Raebareli and on the northern side by Sitapur and Hardoi districts. The city is on the northwestern shore of Gomti river, which flows through it. Lucknow is accessible from every part of India through air, rail, and road. It is directly connected with New Delhi, Patna, Calcutta, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, and other major cities by Amausi airport. The airport is suitable for all-weather operations and can provide parking facility up to 50 aircraft. At present, Air India, Air India Express, Jetlite, Jet Air, GoAir, IndiGo, Saudi Airline, Flydubai, Oman Air and SpiceJet are operating domestic and international flights from and to Lucknow.

As the seat of the government of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow is the site of Vidhan Sabha, the High Court (Allahabad bench) and numerous government departments and agencies. Since May 1, 1963, Lucknow is the headquarters of the Central Command of the Indian Army prior to this it was headquarters of Eastern Command. Lucknow has several educational and research organisations like La Martiniere Lucknow, IIM Lucknow, Central Drug Research Institute, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, National Botanical Research Institute, IET Lucknow, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences and King George Medical College.

Lucknow is the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Kathak, Khayal, Nawabs and Classical music. It is the birthplace of British pop star Cliff Richard,the great Indian musician Naushad Ali, Indian playback singer Talat Mahmood, the founder of the Hindi Theatre Movement and founder-director of Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts:Raj Bisaria, film-maker Muzaffar Ali and the resident city of Subrata Roy, the founder and chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar. Other famous people with close links to Lucknow include Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi, Javed Akhtar who spent his formative years here and former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who had Lucknow as his constituency.

The city's primary official language is Standard Hindi, but the most commonly spoken language is colloquial Hindustani. Indian English is also well understood and is widely used for business and administrative purposes, as a result of India's British heritage and of Commonwealth tradition, as well as globalisation. The language of Urdu is also a part of Lucknowi culture and heritage. Mostly it is used by the more wealthy families and the remaining members of the royal family, but also in Urdu poetry, and on public signs.

The city's design was heavily influenced by the several emperors and incorporates significant areas of natural imperial that have earned Lucknow the title of the "city of nawabs". It is also known as the Golden City of India, Shiraz-i-Hind and the Constantinople of the East. Lucknow's society is very famous for its etiquette and traditions to attain a rare degree of sophistication. Be it the cultural charm or the monumental one, all are well conserved here to make Lucknow "The city of many splendours". Distance between Lucknow and New Delhi is 498 km and it takes 5 hours 20 minutes by train, 7 hours by road & 45 minutes by air to reach Lucknow from New Delhi.

History

Further information: Awadh

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 Lakhanmau (लखनमऊ). 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 Yamuna rivers known as the Doab. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas, the British and 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 the Mughal 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 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. 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 syncretic composite 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 Sir Colin 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. 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.

Geography and climate

Monsoon clouds over Lucknow.

Situated in the middle of the Gangetic plain, Lucknow city is surrounded by its rural towns and villages viz. the orchard town of Malihabad, Kakori, Mohanlal ganj, Gosainganj, Chinhat, Itaunja. On its eastern side lies Barabanki District, on the western side is Unnao District, on the southern side Raebareli District, and on the northern side the Sitapur and Hardoi districts. The Gomti River, the chief geographical feature, meanders through the city, dividing it into the Trans-Gomti and Cis-Gomti regions. Lucknow city is located in the seismic zone III.

Lucknow has a warm humid subtropical climate with cool, dry winters from December to February and dry, hot summers from April to June. The rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September, when Lucknow gets an average rainfall of 896.2 millimetres (35.28 in) from the south-west monsoon winds, and occasionally frontal rainfall will occur in January. In winter the maximum temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the minimum is in the 3 °C (37 °F) to 7 °C (45 °F) range. Fog is quite common from late December to late January. Summers are extremely hot with temperatures rising to the 40 °C (104 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F) range, the average highs being in the high of 30s (degree Celsius). On January 9, 2013 Lucknow recorded its temperature of −0.7 °C (31 °F), lowest in 49 years.

Climate data for Lucknow, India
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	22.6 (72.7)	26.0 (78.8)	32.2 (90.0)	38.1 (100.6)	40.5 (104.9)	38.7 (101.7)	33.6 (92.5)	32.5 (90.5)	33.0 (91.4)	32.5 (90.5)	28.9 (84.0)	24.1 (75.4)	31.9 (89.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	14.7 (58.5)	17.6 (63.7)	23.2 (73.8)	29.3 (84.7)	32.6 (90.7)	32.9 (91.2)	29.8 (85.6)	29.0 (84.2)	28.6 (83.5)	25.7 (78.3)	20.3 (68.5)	15.7 (60.3)	24.9 (76.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	6.9 (44.4)	9.3 (48.7)	14.2 (57.6)	20.5 (68.9)	24.7 (76.5)	27.1 (80.8)	26.1 (79.0)	25.6 (78.1)	24.3 (75.7)	19.0 (66.2)	11.8 (53.2)	7.4 (45.3)	18.1 (64.6)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	21.9 (0.86)	11.2 (0.44)	7.7 (0.30)	4.9 (0.19)	16.5 (0.65)	107.4 (4.23)	294.3 (11.59)	313.9 (12.36)	180.6 (7.11)	45.2 (1.78)	3.8 (0.15)	7.3 (0.29)	1,014.7 (39.95)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	1.6	1.1	0.7	0.5	1.0	4.2	11.6	13.1	7.4	2.0	0.3	0.7	44.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	203.4	217.5	248.7	271.0	283.5	198.0	167.4	166.7	219.0	269.7	246.0	217.0	2,707.9
Source: climatetemp.info

Flora and fauna

Lucknow has a very low proportion of area under forest. The total area under forest (4.66 percent) is much less as compared to state average which is barely around 7 percent. The forest area is negligible in the district. Shisham, Dhak, Mahua, Babul, Neem, Peepal, Ashok, Khajur, Mango and Gular trees are grown here. Different varieties of mangoes specially Dasheri are grown in Malihabad block of the district and exported to other countries too. The main crops are wheat, paddy, sugarcane, Mustard (plant)|mustard, potatoes, and vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, brinjals are grown here. Similarly sunflowers, roses, and marigold are cultivated on quite a large area of the land. Apart from this many medicinal and herbal plants are also grown here. The City Zoological Garden is making efforts to have chinkaras from the Lucknow zoo.

Demographics

An official Census 2011 detail of Lucknow, a district of Uttar Pradesh has been released by Directorate of Census Operations in Uttar Pradesh. Enumeration of key persons was also done by census officials in Lucknow District of Uttar Pradesh. As reported in the Census of India 2011 Lucknow had population of 2,908,455

Religions in Lucknow
Religion			Percent
Hindus			70%
Muslims			26%
Jains			1.7%
Others†			2.3%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

An official Census 2011 detail of Lucknow, a district of Uttar Pradesh has been released by Directorate of Census Operations in Uttar Pradesh. Enumeration of key persons was also done by census officials in Lucknow District of Uttar Pradesh. As reported in the Census of India 2011 Lucknow had population of 6,000,455 of which male and female were 3,180,455 and 2,820,000 respectively. There was change of 35.79 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Lucknow District recorded increase of 32.03 percent to its population compared to 1991. Between 1991 and 2001 the population registered a decadal growth of 32.03 percent which was much less than the 37.14 percent which was registered between 1981 and 1991 decade. The initial provisional data suggest a density of 1,815 in 2011 compared to 1,443 of 2001. Total area under Lucknow district is of about 2,528 km². However, the density of population was much above that obtained at the state level (690 persons per km².). The SC population of the state at 21.3 percent to total population is above the state average (21.15 percent). A very high percentage of the total population (36.37 percent) resides in rural areas which means that barely around 63.3 percent is urban in nature. These are very high figure as compared to the state as whole, where urban population constitutes around 21 percent only of the total state population. With regards to Sex Ratio in Lucknow, it stood at 906 per 1000 male compared to 2001 census figure of 888. The average national sex ratio in India is 940 as per latest reports of Census 2011 Directorate.

The another indicator where the district leads ahead of the state is in terms of literacy. Total literacy level is 79.33 percent as compared to 56.3 percent in U.P. as a whole. Average literacy rate of Lucknow in 2011 were 79.33 compared to 68.71 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 84.27 and 73.88 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 75.98 and 60.47 in Lucknow District. Total literate in Lucknow District were 3,226,214 of which male and female were 1,799,177 and 1,427,037 respectively. However, there has been a marked improvement in the literacy rate in the district as compared to 1991. Despite the fact that the overall work participation rate in the district (32.24 percent) is higher than the state average (23.7 percent), the work participation rate among females in Lucknow is very low at 5.6 percent which has registered a decline from 1991 status of 5.9 percent.

See also: List of cities in Uttar Pradesh

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.

Architecture

Main article: Architecture of Lucknow

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 fusion of European and Indian style as the La Martiniere Lucknow
• The Baradari ( the twelve doorway pavilions)
• Rumi Darwaza
• Enclosed Baghs like Sikandar Bagh
• Vaulted halls such as the Asafi Imambara
• The labyrinth at Bara Imambara
• 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. And La Martiniere Lucknow on the other hand, is a testament to the Indo-European 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.

Civic administration

Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha

Lucknow is the political and administrative capital of Uttar Pradesh. The city elects members to the Lok Sabha as well as the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (State Assembly). Lucknow has two lok sabha Constituencies named Lucknow & Mohanlalganj and 9 Vidhan Sabha constituencies. The Chief Minister of the state for the 2012 Vidhan Sabha is currently Shri Akhilesh Yadav.

The city is under the jurisdiction of a District Magistrate, who is an IAS officer. The Collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central Government, and oversee the national elections held in the city. The Collector is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the city. The city is administered by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation with executive power vested in the Municipal Commissioner of Lucknow, who is an administrative officer. The corporation comprises elected members (corporators elected from the wards directly by the people) with City Mayor as its head. An Assistant Municipal Commissioner oversees each ward for administrative purposes.

The Lucknow Police is headed by a Deputy Inspector General, who is an IPS officer. The Lucknow Police comes under the state Home Ministry. The city is divided into several police zones and traffic police zones, each headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Lucknow Police. The Lucknow Fire Brigade department is headed by the Chief Fire Officer, who is assisted by Deputy Chief Fire Officers and Divisional Officers. Former Prime Minister A.B.Vajpayee had been member of Parliament for the Lucknow Parliamentary constituency until recently where he has been replaced by Lalji Tandon in elections of 2009.

The Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety of India, the National Agency under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has its head office in the Northeast Railway Compound in Lucknow.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Lucknow

The economy of Lucknow city was earlier based on the tertiary sector with about majority of the workforce being employed as government servants. Large-scale industrial establishments are low compared to other north Indian state capital like New Delhi. Currently the economy is growing with the contributions from more professionals in the fields of IT, Manufacturing and Processing and Medical/Bio-Technology. Business-promoting institutions viz. CII and EDII have a presence in city. On October 2010, Lucknow ranked 6th among cities in India for fastest job-creation. The city has steadily grown into a competitive IT centre.

Pratibimb Sthal

Ambedkar Stupa Night view

Lucknow has a great potential in handicraft sector and it accounts for 60% of the total exports from the state. The major export items from are marble products, textiles, handicrafts, art pieces, gems and jewellery, textiles, electronics, software, computer, hardware and software, apparel, brass work, silk, leather and leather goods, glass items, art metal, chemicals. The city has promoted public‐private partnerships in big way in sectors such as power, roads, expressways, and education.

Education and research

Main article: List of educational institutes in Lucknow

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.

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. 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. 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 Lucknow, 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. 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 Urdu language. 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. The surrounding towns like Kakori, Daryabad, Tehseel Fatehpur, Barabanki, Rudauli and Malihabad 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.

Cuisine

Main articles: Awadhi cuisine, Mughlai Cuisine, Moghlai, and Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh

The Awadh region has its own distinct Nawabi style cuisine, the most famous cuisine of Awadhi Region consist of various kinds of biryanis, kebabs and breads. Kebabs are also of different types – Kakori Kebabs, Galawati Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kababs, Patili-ke-Kababs, Ghutwa Kababs and Seekh Kababs are among the known varieties.

Gilawati Kebabs and 'Kakori kebabs' are very popular with food lovers. Among sweets lucknow's rewadi is famous all over India.

• 
  Biryani
• 
  Uttar Pradeshi thali with naan, sultani dal, raita, and shahi paneer.
• 
  Kebabs are an important part of Uttar Pradesh's cuisine. Lucknow is known for its galawat ke kawab
• 
  Naan is one of the staple breads of Uttar Pradesh.
• 
  The Kofta is a popular main dish of Uttar Pradesh.
• 
  Raita has its roots in Uttar Pradesh as well.
• 
  The samosa is a popular snack from Uttar Pradesh.
• 
  Paan Shop

Muharram

Main article: Azadari in Lucknow

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 an autonomous 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.

Apart from government 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.

Sports

Lucknow has traditionally been a sports-loving city. In the past pehlwani, kabbadi, chess, kite flying, pigeon flying, and cock fighting were popular pastimes. For decades Lucknow hosted the prestigious Sheesh Mahal Cricket Tournament. Today cricket, football, badminton, golf and hockey are among the most popular sports in the city.

The city has a good record in modern sports and has produced several national and world-class sporting personalities. Lucknow sports hostel has produced international-level cricketers such as Mohammed Kaif, Piyush Chawla, Anurag Singh, Suresh Raina, Gyanendra Pandey, Praveen Kumar and R. P. Singh. Other famous sports personalities include hockey Olympians K. D. Singh, Mohammed Shahid and Ghaus Mohammad Khan, the tennis player who became the first Indian to reach the quarter finals at Wimbledon. There has been a proposal by the Indian Olympic Association to make joint bid from Lucknow – Delhi for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

City based Clubs

Club	Sport	League	Stadium	Span
Awadhe Warriors	Badminton	Indian Badminton League	Babu Banarasi Das U.P. Badminton Academy	2013 –
Uttar Pradesh Wizards	Field hockey	Hockey India League	Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium	2012 -

Stadiums

K. D. Singh Babu Stadium, Lucknow

The main sports hub is the K. D. Singh Babu Stadium which also has a world-class swimming pool and indoor games complex. The other stadiums are Dhyan Chand Astroturf Stadium, another at Babu Banarsi Das Engineering College, Babu Banarsi Das UP Badminton Academy, Charbagh, Mahanagar, Chowk and Sports College near Integral University.

The Lucknow Golf Club, on the sprawling greens of La Martinière College, is a famous golf course.

An Inspiration for films

Lucknow has been a major influence on the Hindi film industry of India. Many script writers and lyricists hailing from Awadh like Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Himanshu Sharma, Ikram Akhtar (writer of films like Ready, Thank You No Problem) Ali Raza, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Kumud Nagar, Dr. Achala Nagar, Wajahat Mirza (writer of Mother India and Ganga Jamuna), Amritlal Nagar, Ali Sardar Jafri, K. P. Saxena and music famous music director Naushad Ali have enriched Indian cinema. Veteran Bollywood and Bengali film actor Pahadi Sanyal came from the renowned Sanyal family of Lucknow. Moreover, several famous movies have used Lucknow as their backdrop, such as Shashi Kapoor's Junoon, Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan and Gaman, Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khiladi. Ismail Merchant's Shakespeare Wallah, PAA, Seher was partly shot in Lucknow.

In the movie Gadar: Ek Prem Katha Lucknow has been used to depict Pakistan. Anwar (2007) written and directed by Manish Jha, starring Siddharth Koirala and Manisha Koirala was shot in Lucknow and surrounded areas like Kakori and Bakhshi ka Talab. Places like Lal Pul, Taj Hotel, Roomi Darwaza (or Roman Gate) have been used in Tanu Weds Manu. Recently some parts of Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Bullet Raja,Ishaqzaade and Dabangg 2 have been shot in Lucknow or at other sites nearby. Some parts of Baabarr were shot here.

Transport

Road transport

From Hazratganj intersection in Lucknow city, four Indian National Highways originate, viz, NH-24 to Delhi, NH-25 to Shivpuri, Jhansi (M.P. Border), NH-56 to Varanasi and NH-28 to Mokama (Bihar).The available multiple modes of public transport in the city are taxis, city buses, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and CNG Low Floor AC or Non AC Buses. CNG was introduced as an auto fuel to keep the air pollution in control.

City bus service

See also: Lucknow Mahanagar Parivahan Sewa

Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (JNNURM of UPSRTC). It has a fleet of 300 buses. All are CNG. At present, there are around 35 routes in the city. Terminals for city buses are Gudamba, Virajkhand, Alambagh, Scooter India, Engineering college, Babu Banarasi Das University, Pasi qila, Charbagh, Andhe ki chowki,Budheshwar Chauraha. There are 4 bus depots for city bus: Gomti Nagar, Charbagh, Amausi, Dubagga.

An AC Tata Marcopolo bus

Low floor bus AC Purple TATA Marcopolo in Lucknow

Inter-state bus service

See also: Kanpur Lucknow Roadways Service

One of Lucknow's major bus terminals is Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar inter state bus station (ISBT) at Alambagh. It has very modern facilities and is the main inter- and intrastate terminal in Lucknow. Another important bus station is at Qaiserbagh. Earlier, another bus terminal operated at Charbagh, directly in front of the main railway station, but this has now been re-established as a City bus depot. The move was taken to remove congestion in front of the railway station. Kanpur Lucknow Roadways Service is a very important service for commuters.Swanky VOLVO named Royal cruiser AC bus service is run by UPSRTC for many cities.Buses being very comfortble are very much in demand nowadays. Main cities they serve are Allahabad, Varanasi, Jaipur, Agra, Delhi, Gorakhpur.Bus service to inter state cities is also very good. All the Main and important cities of north India is connected by bus. The cities outside Uttar Pradesh that are covered by bus service are Jaipur, New Delhi, Gwalior, Bharatpur, Singrauli, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Dausa, Ajmer, Dehradun, Haridwar.

Rail transport

Charbagh Railway Station at Lucknow

See also: Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway and Barabanki-Lucknow Suburban Railway

The city is served by several railway stations at different parts of the city. The main railway station is Lucknow Railway Station at Charbagh. It has an imposing structure built in 1923. The main terminal belongs to Northern Railway (NR) (station code: LKO) division of Indian Railways and the second terminal is run by the North Eastern Railway (NER) (Station Code: LJN). Lucknow is a major junction with links to all major cities of the state and country such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Siwan and many more. Lucknow has a further thirteen railway stations viz. Alamnagar, Malhaur, Utretia, Transport Nagar, Dilkhusha, Gomti Nagar, Badshahnagar, Manak Nagar, Amausi, Aishbagh junction, Lucknow City, Daliganj and Mohibullapur. Now meter gauge services originate from Aishbagh and connect to Lucknow city, Daliganj and Mohibullapur. Except Mohibullapur all the stations are also connected to Broad gauge. All the stations are within city limits and are well connected with each other via road networks and public road transport. Other suburban stations include Bakshi Ka Talab and Kakori.Many stations are covered by Lucknow-Kanpur Suburban Railway. It serves daily commuters. Some of the trains are operated from Barabanki city.

Air transport

Terminal-2 of CCS International Airport, Lucknow.

The Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Amausi serves as the city's main airport and is located about 20 km from the city centre. Lucknow is directly connected by air with New Delhi, Bangalore, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad, Goa and Pune. Oman Air, FlyDubai,Saudi Airlines, Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Go Air, IndigoAir and many more international airlines that are operating international flights from Lucknow. International destinations include Dubai, Muscat, Sharjah, Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Najaf.

Metro and Mono Rail service

Plans for high capacity mass transit system, The Lucknow Metro and Mono rail Services have been finalised. Delhi Metro rail (DMRC) is preparing plans for its constructions. The collection of soil samples for metro construction began on 5 August 2009.[8] and was completed in September the same year. The report concluded that the soil condition was feasible for metro rail.[9] Decision to go ahead with the Lucknow Metro project was taken in the Uttar Pradesh state budget for 2013–14.[10] In February, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had given the green signal to set up a metro rail system for the state capital. This would be the most expensive public transport system in the state, providing speedy mass transport and decongesting city roads. A committee headed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani will oversee the "formative steps" of the ambitious metro rail project for the state capital, officials said on Friday. Lucknow, 14 May (IANS) The Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) has offered the Uttar Pradesh government financial assistance for the Metro rail project.First phase approved by government of Uttar pradesh and construction likely to start from November 2013.construction of First phase will be completed by 2016-17

Media

Local channels

There are numerous local channels in Lucknow. Most of them show movies throughout the day and then news and educational programmes in the evening. There are many TV channels catering to the Muslim population in the city like Husaini Channel. All the channels are run by local cable operators.

Press

Lucknow has historically been a major centre of journalism. "The Pioneer", started in 1865, is the second oldest English language newspaper in India that is operational. The "National Herald", the newspaper started by India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru before World War II was published from Lucknow and edited by Manikonda Chalapathi Rau.

The prominent English dailies of the city are The Times of India, North India Times ', The Hindustan Times, The Pioneer and Indian Express. Several daily newspapers in Hindi and Urdu are published in the city. Amongst the Hindi papers are Dainik Jagran, Amar Ujala, Dainik Hindustan, Rashtriya Sahara, Jansatta, I Next and Swatantra Bharat. The main Urdu papers are Rozanama Rashtriya Sahara, Sahafat, Avadhnama, Qaumi Khabrein, Aag, Roznama Urdu, Subahnama Urdu and Jayeza Daily.

The Press Trust of India and United News of India have their offices in the city and all major Indian newspapers have correspondents and stringers in Lucknow.

Radio

One of the earliest stations of All India Radio has been operational in Lucknow for quite some time.

FM radio transmission started in Lucknow in 2000, and the city today has following FM radio stations.

• Radio City 91.1 MHz
• Red FM 93.5 MHz
• Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz
• AIR FM Rainbow 100.7 MHz
• Gyan Vani 105.6 MHz (Educational)
• CMS FM 90.4 MHz (Educational)

Internet

The city has broadband internet connectivity and video conferencing facilities. Major companies like BSNL, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Tata Communications,Aircel, Tikona, Hathway & STPI, have a wide infrastructure to provide broadband Internet Bandwidth.

Sister Cities

• Brisbane, Australia
• Montreal, Canada

Notable people from Lucknow

See also: List of people from Lucknow

• Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri- Noble Prize Winner (2007)
• Brijendra Chandra Raijada, Editor
• Tripuresh Tripathi, Journalist & Social Worker
• Amrendra Chandra Srivastava- Criminal Advocate
• Kalbe Jawad, Shia leader
• Mirza Hameedullah Beg, Indian Jurist
• Asif Khan, Indian Shayer
• Saleem Kidwai, Professor and author
• Cliff Richard, British pop singer
• Muzaffar Ali, Veteran Film maker
• Jagdish Gandhi, Academician and Entrepreneur
• Subrata Roy, Industrialist
• Javed Akhtar, Lyricist and Scriptwriter
• Wajahat Mirza, Screen Writer, Dialogue Writer & Director
• Naushad Ali, Composer and Music Director
• Naresh Trehan, Cardiologist
• Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan, Actress
• Birju Maharaj, Kathak Dancer
• Nadira Babbar, Dramatist
• Mir Taqi Mir, Poet
• Nur Jahan

List Of Historical Places

• Bara Imambara
• Chhota Imambara
• La Martiniere Lucknow
• Rumi Darwaza
• Shah Najaf Imambara
• Dargah of Hazrat Abbas
• Dilkusha Palace
• Karbala of Dayanat-ud-Daulah
• Maqbara of Mir Anis
• Imambara Sibtainabad(Maqbara of Amjad Ali Shah)
• Rauza Kazmain
• Residency
• Talkatora Karbala
• Bhool Bhulaiya (Labyrinth)
• [2]

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.

Shopping and shopping-centres

A major part of Lucknow is its shopping-centres and markets/bazaars. Hazratganj (Hindi: हज़रतगंज, Urdu: حضرتگںج) is a major shopping area situated in the heart of Lucknow in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to bazaars, it also contains shopping complexes, restaurants, hotels, theatres and offices.
A shopping in Lucknow which had firm cultural links from mediaeval time of the navabs. In spite of its shayri and mujras, the noble city of Lucknow is famous for cotton textiles and chikankari work from the ancient times. Perfumes of Lucknow are well known in India. The major shopping markets are Hazratganj, Yahiyaganj, Aminabad, Kapoorthala, Janpath, Chowk, Bhootnath & Gomti Nagar.

Lucknow is also famous for its jewellery and ornament shops.

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." 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; and jali 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.

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.

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 Shopping-Centres

Although not well known for clubs and casino establishments, there are lavish shopping-centres in major shopping areas of Lucknow.

Name	Location
Saharaganj	Hazratganj
Fun Republic	Gomtinagar
Wave	Gomtinagar
City Mall	Gomtinagar
Phoenix	Kanpur Road
Rizwan Mall (Essar)	Rajajipuram
Gardens galleria	National Highway 24B
Felix Square	Shushant Golf City
Bharti Wal-Mart	Amar Saheed Path
Riverside	Near Hotel Taj Residency
Crescent	Ansal API

Felix Square in under development by Ansal API and will be the largest shopping-centre in Uttar Pradesh and comes at number 4th in the list of top 10 shopping-centres in India

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Lucknow

Further reading

• Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. City of Illusion. Prestel Verlag, 2006, 295pp. ISBN 3-7913-3130-2. ISBN 978-3-7913-3130-0.
• Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. Lucknow Then and Now. Marg Publications, India, 2003. ISBN 81-85026-61-0. ISBN 978-81-85026-61-9.
• Anurag Kumar. Recalcitrance- a historical novel on events of Great Uprising of 1857 AIP Books, India, 2008.
• Madan Lal Verma 'Krant' Krantikari Bismil Aur Unki Shayri (Urdu/Hindi), 2009, 1/1148A Subhash Park Extension, Naveen Shahdara Delhi 110032, Prakhar Prakashan

External links

• Media related to Lucknow at Wikimedia Commons
• Lucknow travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Template:Dmoz
• Official Site of Lucknow
• The India of the Nawabs, The New York Times, Published: 25 February 1990
• Local News of Lucknow
• Lucknow Weather