Lucknow: north Indian city’s architecture, food and bazaars an enticing mix for tourists

The capital of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, Lucknow offers a rich mix of architecture, craft and culinary heritage reflecting its colourful history

The city features Indo-European style buildings, bustling bazaars and delicious street food, as well as glitzy malls and five-star hotels

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The Asafi Mosque in Lucknow, India, viewed from the terrace of the Bada Imambara. Lucknow has a rich history of architecture. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Published: 5:15am, 19 Nov 2019Updated: 5:56am, 19 Nov 2019

With tourists avoiding New Delhi because of the harmful air quality and smog, Lucknow, just over an hour’s flight from the capital, is a great alternative, offering a rich mix of architecture, craft and culinary heritage.

The capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of the River Gomti, Lucknow has been ruled by the Mughals, the Nawabs of Awadh, and the British through the ages, and its history remains visible in its buildings, arts and cuisine.

When Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth Nawab of Awadh (state rulers of the area now known as Uttar Pradesh), shifted the state capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775, it led to a cultural renaissance. An exodus of architects and craftsmen landed there from Delhi, and many other poets, artists and learned men from all around made Lucknow their home. It is said that artisans from as far as the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent, and masons from Isfahan in Iran, were brought to Lucknow by the Persian Nawabs.

Nawabs such as Saadat Ali, who ruled from 1798 to 1814, encouraged the building of European structures, and from the 1800s a hybrid architecture emerged fusing elements of Indo-Muslim and European.

The entrance to the Bara Imambara, which was inspired by Persian architecture with multiple domes, balconies and arched windows. Photo: Kalpana Sunder

Lucknow’s cuisine, also known as Awadhi cuisine, is known for its rich birianis, kebabs and breads.