LUCKNOW- HISTORICAL CITY OFINDIA.

Lucknow’s foundations were laid in the 13th century a.d., a fairly recent date as compared to other cities in India. Lakshman Tila, the central part of the city, is believed to have been the site where a fort was built by a clan from Bijnor. By the end of the 13th century a.d., the fort had fallen into the hands of the Sharqi rulers of Jaunpur, who held it till a.d. 1476. In the 1540s, the fort was annexed by the Sultan of Delhi, Sher Shah Sur (reigned a.d. 1540-45).During the Mughal Emperor Akbar’s reign (a.d. 1556-1605), Oudh, as Lucknow was then called, flourished under imperial patronage. In 1724, the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah, appointed Nawab Sadat Khan Burhan-ul-Mulk as the Governor of Oudh. Thus began the reign of the Nawabs over Oudh, which continued till the close of the 18th century a.d.

The Process of Modernizing:

The TownNawab Asaf-ud-Daula, who had his capital at Faizabad, was the last Nawab of Oudh. In 1775, he shifted his capital to Lucknow, and proceeded to ‘modernise’ the town by building numerous monuments. When the region was struck by a famine in 1784, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula offered ‘food for work’.Under his directions and funding, work began on the Bara Imambara.The generous Nawab, who employed more than 22,000 people, including nobles, adopted a dual policy of construction. During the day, the Imambara was built, and at night, the workers destroyed parts of what had been built. This was to ensure that no one remained unemployed, and the edifice was not completed too soon.

¤ Lucknow Came Under The Rule of British:

By 1854, the British, under Lord Dalhousie, had taken Lucknow. An unconcerned Nawab Wajid Ali Shah played chess while British troops entered and occupied Lucknow. By the time he realised his folly, it was too late. The British had come to stay.In 1857, India revolted against British dominion. British troops in and around Lucknow retreated to the Residency, with Indian sepoys and civilians laying siege to the complex. When Sir Colin Campbell took on the Indian forces in a bid to rescue his countrymen, the siege lasted 87 days during which cannon and small arms fire ruined the Residency.After India gained independence from the British in 1947, Lucknow was made the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh. Today, the city is a busy political centre, and the hometown of India’s current Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee.