Talk:Lucknow

Quotes sourced to websites only:

• It is believed that “Lakshman” the brother of Lord Rama laid the foundation of this city in the Tretayug. Since that day it has been known as Lakshmanpur. Origin of the name of Lakhanu is traced to a much later date after Lakhna, an Ahir, who designed the fort known as Machhi Bhavan. To the south-west of the historically significant Pir Muhammad Hill lies the Chowk area of Lucknow. It is the core of Old Lucknow.
  • Heritage Walk, in Lucknow Heritage Walk, UP Tourism.

• In 1590, when Emperor Akbar divided the whole of India into twelve Provinces, Lucknow was selected as the seat of the Subedar or Governor of Awadh. At that time, Shaikh Abdul Rehim, a noble man of Bijanpur (U.P.), went to Delhi to seek his fortune. Eventually, he became an official in the imperial service and was granted land in Lucknow. In Lucknow, he took up his residence on Pir Muhammad Hill.
  • Heritage Walk, in "Lucknow Heritage Walk"

• In 1775, with Asaf-ud-Daula’s accession, the town of Lucknow acquired great splendor. To the west of Machchi Bhavan on the banks of the river Gomti, he built Daulat Khana as a residence for himself, the Rumi Darwaza and his incomparable Bada Imambara. After the revolt of 1857, the needs of the new master grafted a different built environment onto the city. A hybrid city was created that was both peculiar to and typical of the colonial era.
  • Heritage Walk, in "Lucknow Heritage Walk"

• The treasure house of historical and cultural heritage - the Chowk, has faded in course of time. Yet it has retained some of its old glamour, in the changed harmony with modern trade and culture. Today, the rhythmic sound of workers hammering silver into thin sheets sound like the drum of symphony orchestra. There is an intermingled aroma of fragrance of “itra”, scented oil and delicious sweets.
  • Heritage Walk, in "Lucknow Heritage Walk"

• Satyajit Ray's film Shatranj ke Khilari, based on a novel by Premchand, perhaps provides the best possible cinematic footage for the city that Lucknow was.
  • Rediff, in Lucknow

• Lucknow was a bystander of those last proud days of Muslim rule in India, before it and the rest of Oudh, was summarily annexed by the British. The fall of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh and the siege of Lucknow during the 1857 Mutiny have given Lucknow special mention in all history books. The Nawabs of Lucknow are a footnote in Indian history for their degenerate, idle and lavish lifestyle.
  • Rediff, in "Lucknow"

• A lifestyle typical of many rulers of that era who squandered away their empires to the British -- in the manner of the famous scene from Ray's film that depicts Wajid Ali Shah leisurely playing chess as the British soldiers marched in. But yet these much-maligned Nawabs were responsible for nurturing Lucknow's culture of poetry, dance, music and art and inventing the famous Lucknowi traditions.
  • Rediff, in "Lucknow"