Lucknow Tourist Attractions
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Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. It was a prominent city during ancient times as part of the Kosala kingdom. The Nawabs of Awadh made the greatest architectural contributions to Lucknow and most of the monuments date from that period.Lucknow is a city of culture and famous for culinary delights. Aminabad is a quaint bazaar situated in the heart of city that offers a variety of upmarket shopping. Residents of Lucknow were patrons of the culinary and other arts, especially dance and music, and this continues today.
Residency
The Residency was started in 1780 by Asaf-ud-Daulla, the local nawab, and completed in 1800 by Saddat Ali. The Residency complex was built for the British Resident and his associates.Now in ruins, the Residency has the remains of a church, mosque, post office, jail, school, banquet hall and houses. The buildings were the sight of the 1857 Uprising when rebels occupied the Residency but the building was soon recaptured by the British. The rebels did not leave easily resulting in heavy cross firing, which badly damaged the structure.The on site museum includes the original buildings as scale models. The cemetery near St Mary's Church has 2,000 defenders buried on its grounds.
Bara Imambara
Built in 1784, the Bara Imambara is a decaying structure that houses tombs as well as courtyards, two gates, a step well, and a mosque for Muslims only. It was built by Nawab Asaf ud Daula and provided food to the famine stricken people of the Nawab. Nawab Asaf ud Daula, his senior wife and architect are buried here.Bara Imambara has a large hall with 50-foot ceilings and is one of the largest vaulted galleries in the world. A labyrinth of passageways, called the 'bhul bhulaiya' can be explored but does lead to many dead ends.
State Museum
The State Museum in Lucknow features exhibit of sculptures dating back to the 3rd C, paintings, natural history and anthropological displays, coins, textiles and decorative arts. Rare silver and gold coins, an inscribed wine jar from the 17th C, and an Egyptian mummy are a few of the specific items that are found in the museum.The garden located behind the State Museum has an array of statues from the Raj period.
