‘The City of Nawabs’, Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh and renowned for its rich culture and heritage. Situated along the banks of Gomti River, the city flourished as a cultural and artistic capital in the 18th and 19th centuries and developed as the cultural hub of the state. The city of Lucknow is popular all over the globe for its special Chikkan Embroidery. Built by Nawab Asaf ud Daula, Luknow is also popular for Urdu poetry and music. The city houses several historical monuments that narrate the saga of rich and glorious yesteryears of the Nawabs. These historical monuments are as well a symbol of architectural marvel. Geography and Climate 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). Demographics As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Lucknow in 2011 is 2,815,601; of which male and female are 1,470,133 and 1,345,468, respectively. Total literates in Lucknow are 2,147,564 of which 1,161,250 are males while 986,314 are females. Average literacy rate of Lucknow city is 84.72% of which male and female literacy was 87.81% and 81.36 %, respectively. The sex ratio of Lucknow city is 915 per 1000 males. History of Lucknow The history of Lucknow can be traced back to the ancient times of the Suryavanshi Dynasty. It is said that Lakshmana, who was the brother of Lord Rama, laid the foundation of the ancient city. This was near the Gomti River on an elevated piece of land. It was then called Lakshmanpur. However, the city came into notice only during the 18th Century. In the year 1720 the Mughal Empire began to appoint Nawabs in order to ensure smooth administration in the province and in 1732, Mohammad Amir Saadat Khan was appointed as the viceroyal of Awadh of which Lucknow was a major province. It was then that the powerful dynasty of the Nawabs, which changed the history of this unknown place. Under the rule of the Nawabs, Lucknow flourished like never before. After 1755, Lucknow grew by leaps and bounds under the rule of the fourth Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula and burgeoned in every aspect, such as poetry, dance, music and the other finer aspects of the lifestyle of Lucknow. Lucknow was made the administrative capital when finally it fell into the hands of East India Company after Lord Clive defeated the combined armies Of Nawab of Awadh, Mughals and Nawab of Bengal. The city of Lucknow was included in the British Empire in 1857 and during the Khilafat movement it had a strong base in the city under Maulana Abdul Bari of Firangi Mahal Lucknow. In 1920, Lucknow was made the provincial capital of United Provinces, the name given by British to the state of Uttar Pradesh. Culture of Lucknow The sublime cultural richness of Lucknow blends the cultures of two communities living side by side for centuries, sharing similar interests and speaking a common language. The culture of Lucknow is still very much alive and retains its old world charm even today. The city is famous for its traditional cuisine, fine arts and hospitality. Lucknow is also called the 'City of Adab' and is synonymous with architectural beauties of 'Lakhauri' bricks, the fragrance of 'itra', musical notes, the sound of dancers' trinklets, the sweetness of 'dussheri' mangoes, 'malai' and 'gulab revadis', and its 'Mehman Nawazi'. Lucknow became the focal point of a cultural renaissance with theshifting of capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1776. Under royal patronage Kathak, Thumri, Khayal, Dadra, Gazals, Qawalies and Sher-o-Shairi reached their summit. 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, namely Kakori Kebabs, Galawati Kebabs, Shami Kebabs, Boti Kababs, Patili-ke-Kababs, Ghutwa Kababs and Seekh Kababs are the most popular. Tourist Destinations in Lucknow Lucknow, a world of magic is a place that clings effortlessly to times that have passed, where appreciation of food and art is only surpassed by the importance of being polite and maintaining the strictest etiquette. A city where modernity and ancient traditions co-exist lures the travelers from various parts of the orb. Lucknow has much to offer to its visitors, from the traditional 'chikan' wear that the city is famous for, to cuisine that teases the taste buds to the people whose hospitality and charm is warmth incarnate. The city has numerous places of tourist interest. Some of these include: Bara Imambara British Residency Lucknow Chattar Manzil Jama Masjid Rumi Darwaza Clock Tower Moti Mahal Lakshmana Hussainabad Imambara Transportation Air The Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Amausi serves as the city's main airport and is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city centre. Lucknow is directly connected by air with New Delhi, Bangalore, Patna, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad, Goa. 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. Rail The main railway station is Lucknow Railway Station at Charbagh, which 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, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jammu, 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. Road Four Indian National Highways originate from Lucknow, namely NH-24 to Delhi, NH-25 to Shivpuri, Jhansi (M.P. Border), NH-56 to Varanasi and NH-28 to Mokama (Bihar). The city has different modes of transportation in order to make traveling around the city easier. Taxis, city buses, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws and CNG Low Floor AC or Non AC Buses are some of the common means of transportation within the city.
