| Lucknow लखनऊ لكهنو | |
| State - District(s) | Uttar Pradesh - Lucknow |
| Coordinates | |
| Area - Elevation | 3204 km² - 123 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population (2006) - Density | 2,541,101 - 331/km² |
| Mayor | Dinesh Sharma |
| Codes - Postal - Telephone - Vehicle | - 226 001 - +0522 - UP-32 |
Lucknow pronunciation (Hindi: लखनऊ; Urdu: لكهنو;Lakhnau) is the capital city of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It had a population of 2,541,101 in 2006<ref> World Gazette. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.</ref> . Lucknow is also the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division.
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In ancient times, Lucknow was part of the Kosala kingdom (modern Ayodhya) ruled by the Ikshvaku dynasty to which Lord Rama belonged. It is believed that he gave the territory comprising of modern Lucknow to his devoted brother Lakshman. Therefore, the original name of Lucknow was Lakshmanpur, popularly known as Lakhanpur or Lachmanpur[citation needed].
Other stories mention that Lucknow was named after a very influential person called 'Lakhan Ahir' who built the fort 'Qila Lakhan'. The name 'Qila Lakhan' later became Lucknow.<ref> Misra, Amaresh (2004). Lucknow: Fire of Grace. Rupa & Co.. ISBN 8129104857. </ref>
Located in what was historically known as Awadh, Lucknow has been one of the most important centres of Muslim cultural influence in South Asia. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, qawwalis, chikan work embroidery, and the contributions of poets patronized by Lucknow nawabs are well known among South Asians and students of South Asian culture and history.
It has also been the setting for many older famous Indian films which mirror its rich and sometimes decadent past. These films include Mere Mehboob [1], Umrao Jaan [2], and Chaudhvin ka Chand [[Chaudhvin ka Chand][3]
Lucknow's medieval history begins with its elevation to a capital city under the Nawabs of Awadh. The architectural contributions of the Awadh rulers include numerous mosques and palaces; many paintings of these are now maintained at the Art Gallery. Of the monuments standing today, the Bara Imambara, the Chhota Imambara, and the Roomi Darwaza are notable examples, although neglect by the authorities has put them in danger of turning into ruins.
The province of Awadh (anglicized to Oudh) was annexed by the British rulers of India in 1856. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as First War of Indian Independence), the garrison based at the Residency in Lucknow was besieged by rebel forces. The famous Siege of Lucknow 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 events.
During the siege of the Residency in 1857, it was the students of La Martiniere College that went ahead to defend the Residency. For the valour that they displayed, La Martiniere College at Lucknow was awarded the battle honours of the British Empire. Thus making it the first college to receive such honors.
Situated in the heart of Uttar Pradesh, 500 km south-east of New Delhi, Lucknow is surrounded on the eastern side by Barabanki District, on the western side by Unnao District, on the southern side by Raebareli District and on the northern side by the Sitapur and Hardoi districts. The Gomti River flows through the city, dividing it into the trans-gomti and cis-gomti regions. Some of the tributaries of this river are the Kukrail, Loni, and Beta. The Sai River flows from the south of the city, flows eastwards, and enters the Raebareli District. This town was also the birthplace of famous singer Sir Cliff Richard Lucknow has a warm subtropical climate with a cool dry winter from December to February and a dry, hot summer from April to June. The temperature extremes vary from about 45 °C (113 °F) in the summer to 3 °C (37.4 °F) in the winter. Fog is common in winter while hot dry winds called Loo blow during the summer. It receives about 101 cm of annual rainfall mostly from the South-West monsoon winds between July and September. Mean monthly temperatures <ref> India Meteorological Department. Retrieved on 2006-09-19.</ref> January: 14.7 °C June: 32.9 °C
Lucknow city is located in the seismic zone III with majority of the city construction not being earthquake resistant<ref> UNDP report. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.</ref> .
Biotechnology and IT are the two focus areas to promote economic development in and around the city. Ministry of Science and Technology (India) is setting up a Biotech park<ref> Biotech city Lucknow. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.</ref> in the city. Lucknow is one of the selected cities of the Smart City project of STPI, where IT is being used to promote economic development. Chikan, sometimes anglicised to 'chicken' is an embroidery handicraft which has traditionally been associated with Lucknow, and 'Lakhnawi Zardozi'. IT is being introduced to the Chikan industry to increase productivity with the help of World Bank<ref> World Bank Report. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.</ref> funded projects. Chikan and ZArdozi industry are the major small scale industries in the city. During the period of the nawabs, kite making reached high level of artistry<ref> Lucknow crafts. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.</ref>, and is still a major small-scale industy. Sugarcane plantations and sugar industries are major industries in Uttar Pradesh; this attracted Mohan Meakin Brewery to set up a brewery based on molasses in the city.
Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is the MP for the Lucknow constituency. There are four major political parties in Lucknow: Bharatiya Janta Party, Indian National Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Samajwadi Party. Apart from the political theatre, student politics is also very prominent in the city. One can see budding politicians or leaders in the Lucknow University Campus.
The major local mode of transport is Bus, cycle rickshaw or Auto rickshaw ,Memu Train and Tata Sumo. The fares are very low. Majority of them run on CNG.Buses in the city are run by Lucknow Mahanagar Parivahan Sewa <ref> Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-09-20.</ref> a division of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC).
Transport can also be arranged through any of the Local Travel Agents.
Lucknow is accessible from the rest of India through air, rail and road. It is directly connected with New Delhi, Patna, Calcutta, Mumbai, Varanasi, Allahabad, Dehradun and other major cities by Amausi Airport, located around 20 km outside the city. Lucknow's amausi airport is an international airport and is the 13th online station for Air India. Some international destinations include Dubai, Jeddah, and Sharjah. Soon, flights to Bangkok are planned to be started. The Railway station is at Charbagh. The Bus station is very near & opposite to the Charbagh Railway Station.
Both Hindi and Urdu are spoken in Lucknow, but Urdu has been the lingua franca for centuries. Under the rule of the Nawabs, Urdu flourished and turned into a refined language. Hindu and Muslim poets like Aatish, Nasikh, Daya Shankar Naseem, Musahafi, Insha, Safi Lakhnavi and the famous Meer Taqi Meer took Urdu poetry to newer heights<ref> National Council of Promotion of Urdu Language. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.</ref>.
The two great poets, Mir Anis and Mir Dabeer, became legendary exponents of a unique genre of elegiacal poetry called 'Marsia' centred on Husayn bin Ali's supreme sacrifice in the battle of Karbala which is commemorated during the annual observance of Muharram. The revolutionary Ram Prasad Bismil, who was hanged by the British at Kakori near Lucknow, was largely influenced by poetry and wrote verses under the pseudonym of "Bismil". The towns like Kakori, Daryabad, Rudauli and Malihabad produced innumerable poets and literateurs of Urdu like Mohsin Kakorvi, Majaz Lakhnavi, Josh Malihabadi, and Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi.
However, in recent years, the use of Urdu has become significantly reduced; many of the residents of Lucknow are no longer able to read the rich literary tradition or historical artifacts found in the museums and archives. Day-to-day transactions in the city are typically performed in Hindi or English.
The architectural delights in Lucknow include the Vidhan Sabha (State Parliament) and the main railway station, Charbagh Railway Station, with its yellow domes and pillars. One of the oldest schools in the world is also situated in Lucknow: La Martiniere, founded by the bequest of the immensely successful colonial entrepreneur Claude Martin (1735-1800).
Locations of interest in and around Lucknow include Kukrail (a picnic spot and crocodile sanctuary), Malihabad (home of the famed Dashahri mangoes), Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi and Mirzapur.
Aminabad, a quaint bazaar quite like Delhi's Chandni Chowk, is situated in the heart of the city and is a large shopping centre, catering to a wide variety of consumers. The Hazratganj area is the upmarket shopping area with colonial style buildings that also has a number of government and administrative buildings. A popular past-time among the locals is strolling across the Hazratganj market, sometimes shopping alongwith is known as 'Ganjing'. A huge mall, Saharaganj has opened nearby with around 7000 visitors daily. Other malls are East End Mall, The Magnum, Zee Complex, Citi Centre, Singapore Mall and five proposed malls. Lucknow has multiplexes like Wave and PVR Saharagunj, giving its citizens world class movie watching experience. Some other important shopping centres are Alambagh, Kapoorthala, Bhootnath and Chock.
The Asafi Imambara (popularly called Bada Imambara), the Chhota Imambara, Dilkusha Garden, The Residency, Shah Najaf, La Martiniere, Ram Krishan Math (Nirala Nagar) are some famous monuments at Lucknow. The famous Bhul Bhulaiya (meaning labyrinth) is part of the famous Asafi Imambara. The Other places of interest are Clock Tower, Chattar Manzil,State Museum/zoo,Shaheed Smarak & Dilkusha. Lucknow is the city of gardens; some of the famous parks are Ambedkar Park, Buddha Park and Amrpali Water Kingdom.
Lucknow is also famous for culinary delights, including makkhan malai (flavoured whipped cream) and Tundey Kababs and kakori kebabs. A number of make-shift Muglai Restaurants are there adjacent to Tulsi (an erstwhile picture theatre, near District Magistrate's Residence, Hazratganj) serving local non-vegetarian specialities.
Lucknow, the 'golden city of the east', is struggling to retain the old world charm that still exists in the old quarters of the city, close to the Chowk area. Regarded as one of the finest cities of India, Lucknow represents a culture that combines emotional warmth, a high degree of sophistication, courtesy and a love for gracious living. The pehle-aap ("after you") culture, popularised as a tagline for the society of Lucknow, is waning; but there still remain people who possess those beautiful qualities. This sublime cultural richness famous as 'Lakhnawi Tehzeeb' blends the cultures of two communities living side by side for centuries, sharing similar interests, speaking a common language - Urdu.
Many of the cultural traits and customs peculiar to Lucknow have become living legends today. The credit for this goes to the Nawabs of Awadh, who took keen interest in every walk of life and encouraged them to attain a rare degree of perfection.
Old Lucknow's Chowk area is the location where the maximum number of Chikan factories and shops can be found. Apart from clothing, the Chowk area is also famous for its mouth watering sweets like 'Malai Gilauri', 'Badam Halwa' and 'Ras-Malai', as well as the famed 'Chatpati chaat'. Kathak, the classical dance form took shape here. Additionally it is also famous for its perfumes and silver-work.
Lucknow is also city of eminent Ghazal Singer Begum Akhtar who was resident of Havelock Road, near Vidhan Sabha. She was the pioneer in Ghazal singing who took this aspect of music to amazing heights. 'Ae Mohabbat Tere anjaam pe rona aaya' is still a music rendition of all times.
Lucknow gave music legends like Naushad Ali, Talat Mehmood and Anup Jalota to the entertainment industry.
Several famous Hindi movies used Lucknow as their backdrop such as Shashi Kapoor's "Junoon", Muzaffar Ali's "Umrao Jaan", Satyajit Ray's "Shatranj Ke Khiladi" and many more.
Schools and educational institutions in Lucknow are either run by the UP government or by private organistaions. Private schools in Lucknow typically use English, Hindi or Urdu as the medium of instruction and are affiliated to either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) or the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE).
Lucknow is home to the reputed University of Lucknow. The University has a reputation of excellence in India and abroad. It is a pioneer in graduate study in many fields, especially anthropology, history, law, mathematics, etc in India. From its humble roots of Canning College to the modern centre of excellence, the history of the institution is a saga in itself.
Lucknow is also home to several CSIR India research institues, medical colleges and management and engineering institutes. Lucknow also houses one of the 6 branches of the world renowned Indian Institute of Management.
Several daily newspapers in Hindi, Urdu and English are in circulation in the city. Television transmission in the city is available since 1975 <ref> Lucknow Doordarshan. Retrieved on 2006-09-25.</ref>. In 1982 colour transmission was started during the Asiad. FM radio transmission started in Lucknow in 2003, and the city has 4 radio stations<ref> FM Radio Stations. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.</ref>. - 90.4 MHz CMS, 100.2 MHz AIR, 91.1 MHz Radio City, 105.6 MHz Gyan Vani.
Several sport venues are present in Lucknow. K. D. Singh Babu Stadium has organised many international and national cricket matches. The Lucknow Golf Club is also one of the famous golf courses in India.
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