Wonderstruck at Lucknow....

Wonderstruck at Lucknow....

As a student, History was my favourite subject. No wonder I postgraduated in it. My imagination would always run riot thinking about our ancient heritage and culture. The dynamics of dynasties, the rise and fall of empires were vivid in my mind. India is full of stories of such places.
Lucknow has been an important seat of power in medieval Indian History. The Nawaabs of Lucknow always bring up thoughts of Lucknowi tehzeeb and adaa.
The only Lucknow I knew was the ones we saw in Bollywood classics like Shatranj ke khilaadi or Umrao Jaan.
I kept hoping I would go there some day to experience that splendour in person. On our recent trip to Allahabad , on the way back from the Kumbh, we finally got the opportunity to visit Lucknow.
I imagined that we would be entering a sleepy city set in medieval times but was totally dumbstruck by the modern Lucknow. Well-planned roads and bridges, unique lighting, beautiful parks and public places were the highlights.
We discovered it had not lost its rustic charm either as we set out to see the historical Chota and Badaa Imaambaaras and other places.
Our journey to the nawaabi glory began with the Rumi Darwaaza which our guide told was built by Nawaab Asafudaullah. Bollywood is an all time favourite and our guide began with the information that Sunny Deol's film Gadar was shot in this 250 year old structure While the front side looked like a magnificent entrance, the backside was like a necklace, and its design is still used in Lucknavi chikankari work. Vehicles kept passing below the bridge mingling with its past glory.
Keeping cue with time, our next halt was at the famous clock tower. Before the guide uttered a word my son screamed with excitement that this was similar to the Big Ben in London. Ticking away till date, it stood tall in grandeur , a witness to the growth and development of Lucknow.
From the clock tower to the Hussainabad picture gallery was a walk through time. The several portraits in various angles with the nawaabs in their nawaabi clothes and finery were a treat.
This peep into the past made me crave for more. And so went to the to the British Residency which was a quick brush with the past wherein we came face to face with memories of 1857, the first war of independence and also a museum. Apparently 2000 soldiers were stationed here during the first war of Independence in which almost 1000 lost their lives. The tomb of Nawaab Saadat Ali Khan is also there. The ruins reminded me of the futility of war. I was more eager to be at peace and sure enough we found that in the Bada and Chota Imaam Baaraas.
As suggestive of their name, Imaambaaras are places of worship. That the nawaabs added few things of interest around them is altogether different. So the Chota Imaam baara built by Mohammed Ali Shah has a glittering dome. I kept gazing at it when a guide offered to enlighten us. If not for him we would have missed the details of the Hammam khaana and interesting anecdotes of cooling and heating system of waters. He ignited our curiosity further by pointing out to two brass statues asking us for the reason for having chains in their hand. Vishnu was quick to say that they were earthings to avoid dangers from lightning, which incidentally was true. We were then shown a tomb of the Nawabs daughter and a replica, both almost like the Taj.
Left by ourselves at the praying place, in silence we saw the grandeur, of the Chota Imaam Baaraa decorated with chandeliers and crystal glass lamp-stands. We also saw Taazias in memory of the Imaams.
The scale and grandeur of the Badaa Imaam Baaraa was bigger as the name suggests. It was certainly larger and more decorative with arches. It also houses the tomb of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula. A structure without beams supporting the ceiling , it is one amongst the largest arches in the world.
A historical Shaahi Bauli or well nearby reflects the architectural splendour. It has a huge arch leading to a step-well using a flight of stairs. Surrounding the well stands a structure with many windows. As we passed through them almost losing our way we were amazed when we explored a secret view, of the well water reflecting the shadow of the visitors standing at the entrance.
More surprises waited for us at the Bhulbhulaiyya, the famous labyrinth with passages connecting each other with 489 identical doorways. It was apparently built to provide support to the beamless Badaa Imaam Baara but our guide gave juicy stories about it being made for the queens  to play hide and seek. It is important to hire a guide here not only to hear the juicy stories but also come out of the maze effortlessly. Otherwise there are tales of people who possibly got lost in this maze and never saw daylight.
By now , we had our fill with history . It was evening and we wanted a place to relax which we found in the Ambedkar Park. Humongous and stately we wandered through the pathways, admiring the art in sandstone. We sat for a while viewing the river Gomti in the lights. The stars twinkling, the lights glowing and almost singing for us like Umraao Jaan, " Is anjuman mein aapko aanaa hain baar baar, deewaron dar ko gaur se pehchaan lijiye....' one can only want to visit this place again and again....truly there is so much to Lucknow....