Lucknow- The city of Nawabs, tehzeeb and kebabs

Sanjula Chanda
Sep 1, 2018
3 min read

‘Lucknow’ is a journey into the heart of a city that owes its rich culture to the Nawabs who were patrons of the arts.

Arriving at the City of Nawabs was recognizable once we come across the language alteration from arrogance to humble words ..

“JANAB KYA AAP KABHI LUCKNOW GHUME HAI ?” Lucknow is not just called as the City of Nawabs but also City of Love. The out shower of love from the people would imprint in your hearts.

Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh was historically known as the Awadh region.

Lucknow is a historic city, which is located on the banks of river Gomti. Hindi is the official language of the city, however, here the language finds its origin from Urdu. Traditionally, it was the capital of Awadh Pradesh and was administered by the Delhi Sultanate during Mughal rule. In the later stages, it was given to the Nawabs of Awadh. After Lord Clive defeated the armies of the Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of Awadh as well as the Mughals, it went under the rule of the East India Company. In the year 1857, it went into the hands of the British Empire.

DR. AMBEDKAR PARK

Dr. Ambedkar Park which is famous for its lighting and infrastructure. It’s a massive park takes at least an hour to roam and explore . Perfect place for photography and of course attraction for selfie backgrounds!!

Not just that many films have been shot here, one being the song “Maula mere Maula mere” from the movie Anwar.

MARINE DRIVE OF LUCKNOW

Later that evening the E-Rickshaw windy ride parallel to the Marine Drive of Lucknow which had musical fountain going on made it perfect to witness

PRAKASH KI KULFI

India’s famous PRAKASH KI KULFI, since 1956. That’s not enough, Netraram ki Puri sabzi made it even more special, consisted aloo jeera dry; aloo rassa; baigan ki sabzi; khatti chutney; bundi raita. Amriti and kullad doodh was mouth watering.

BRITISH RESIDENCY

British Residency; it’s a place where British resided. The broken buildings with thin width brick which is unavailable nowadays made the location look remarkable. As it was Friday the museum was closed.

DASTARKHWAN

One famous lunch break at DASTARKHWAN: a house of Mughlai Cuisine. It truly is as it’s said. It’s most popularly known for its Tundei or Galout Kebab.

Undoubtedly food struck by Chicken Biryani, Boti kebab as Tundei was over, Mutton Korma, Ulta tawa parantha, Paneer Butter masala; Disclaimer for vegetarians there is no dish except Paneer butter masala.

RUMI DARWAZA

Rumi Darwaza is a gate on the name of the Begum Rumi. Chota imambara is a place of worship for muslims. It’s a copy of masjid in Iraq and has a similar infrastructure as Taj Mahal with the water reflection.

BADA IMAMBARA

Bada Imambara is huge and divided into parts. It has a Shahi baoli, similar to Agresen ki baoli in Delhi.

Main attraction is the Bhool Bhulaiya which has to be explored with a guide or else will be lost. It is a maze with numerable pathways which makes one get lost effortlessly.

One tip to remember, on Fridays its more crowded or else it’s an excellent experience for all ages.

The designs on the ceilings were made in such a way that even the whispers echoed.

As well as the walls were hollow and made with Urad dal and mixture of other materials thus it made whispers travel so far and acted as walkie talkie. Hence it’s so commonly said “DEEWARO KE BHI KAAN HOTE HAI”.