A brief history of Lucknow - I

Disclaimer: This post is written mainly by compiling pieces from various sources, and for the purpose of serving someone who belongs to Lucknow and is appearing for an interview. I have been reading about the city for the past couple of days, as, in my opinion, it constitutes an integral part of my ‘personality’ – I’ve been living here for the past 22 years. So, this blog post was long overdue, kind of. Anyway, cutting the flab and coming to the point, here’s ‘A brief history of Lucknow’, limited to the period prior to the annexation of Awadh by the British, in 1857.

Lucknow is located in what was historically known as the Awadh (Oudh) region. The name Awadh is derived from Ayodhya; legend has it that after coming back to Ayodhya from Lanka, Rama gave his brother Lakshmana the area which comprises today’s Lucknow to rule, and after him the place came to be called Lakshmanpuri, and later Lakhnau (Lucknow).

Lucknow has always been a multicultural city, and flourished as the cultural and artistic capital of North India in the 18th and 19th centuries. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving Shia Nawabs of the city are well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow is popularly known as The City of Nawabs (the plural form of the Arabic word Naib, meaning ‘assistant’; it was the term given by the Mughal emperor to the Governors appointed by him all over India to assist him in ruling). It is also known as the Golden City of the East, Shiraz-i-Hind and The Constantinople of India.

The emblem of the Uttar Pradesh state government depicts two fishes; in fact, fishes were a prominent theme – as a symbol – throughout Awadh’s history. The Nawab’s seal had them, and even after they proclaimed themselves to be kings, they continued with the theme. The fishes trace their roots to Machchhi Bhawan (on the ruins of which stands King George Medical College today), built by Sheik Abdul Rahim, whose descendents, the Sheikhzadas came to rule Lucknow until they were defeated by Saadat Ali Khan I to establish the Nawabi era in 1722.

Muhammad Shah, the Mughal Emperor, made Saadat Ali Khan I the governor of Awadh and the army-in-charge of Gorakhpur on Sep 9, 1722 AD. As mentioned earlier, Sadat Khan tamed the local kings, zamindars and jagirdars, made his own palace near Ayodhya, and founded a new city Faizabad, which became the capital of the new government. Due to his management policy state's income swelled from Rupees 70 lakhs to 2 crores. Later on, when Nadir Shah invaded Delhi, Saadat Khan was called on to fight him; he fought valiantly, but lost. He later instigated Nadir Shah to invade Delhi, and committed suicide the night before the grand massacre at Delhi.

He was succeeded by his nephew and son in law Safdarjung, who apparently paid Nadir Shah two crore Rupees. He was an able administrator. He was soon given governorship of Kashmir as well, and became a central figure at the Delhi court. After Ahmad Shah acceded the throne of Delhi in 1748, he made Sufdarjung his Chief Minister and gave him the charge of ‘Harem’. However, due to corrupt policy of Delhi court and confrontation with Ahmad Shah, Safdarjung came to Awadh in December 1753, where he died in October 1755 at the age of 46. He was buried in Delhi, at Safdarjung's Tomb, now situated on a road known as Safdarjung Road.

Safdarjung was succeeded by Shuja-ud-daula, who is best known for his key roles in two definitive battles in Indian history - the Third Battle of Panipat which ended Maratha domination of India (he sided with Ahmad Shah Abdali), and the Battle of Buxar that definitively established British domination (Robert Clive decisively defeated the trio of Shah Alam II, Mir Qasim, and Shuja-ud-daula). He again fought British with the help of Marathas at Kara Jahanabad and was defeated. On Aug 16, 1765 he signed the Treaty of Allahabad, which said that Kora and Allahabad district will go to Company and Company will get 50 lakh Rupees from Awadh.

After the humiliating defeat at the hands of the British, Shuja-up-daula was reduced to misery and penury. However, his wife, Bahu Beghum, who is the single most important woman in the history of Awadh, stood by him in this crisis and helped him with money and support. She did a lot of work in Faizabad – which was the capital of Awadh at that time – and in Lucknow as well, in the reign of Asaf-ud-daula.

Shuja-ud-dalula was succeeded by his son Asaf-ud-daula, who shifted the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775, ostensibly to escape the domination of his mother, Bahu Beghum. Towards the beginning of Asaf-ud-daula's rule, men of learning and art avoided Lucknow – because Asaf-ud-daula was said to have no regard for such people – and gathered round the Beghums' and their eunuchs' court at Faizabad, but later on Asaf-ud-daula took greater interest in such people and induced most of them to attach themselves to his Court at Lucknow. During the time of Asaf-ud-daula – and also during Shuja-ud-daula’s time – the Mughal Empire was steadily declining and due to this the rulers in Delhi didn’t have the money to support artists, etc. who started coming to the Awadh court. The prominent ones among these artists were poets like Mir Taqui Mir, Sauda, and Mir Siraj-ud-din Khan Arzoo.

Nawab Asaf-ud-daula is considered the architect general of Lucknow. With the ambition to outshine the splendour of Mughal architecture, he built a number of monuments and developed the city of Lucknow into an architectural marvel. Several of the buildings survive today, including the famed Asafi Imambara (Bada Imambara) which boasts of one of the largest domes in the World built without Iron or Wood, and the Qaisar Bagh area of downtown Lucknow.

The Asafi Imambara is a famed vaulted structure surrounded by beautiful gardens, and the Nawab started it as a charitable project to generate employment during the famine of 1784. In that ghastly famine, even the nobles were reduced to penury. It is said that Nawab Asaf employed over 20,000 people for the project (including commoners and noblemen). The Nawab's sensitivity towards preserving the reputation of the upper class is demonstrated in the story of the construction of Imambara. During daytime, common citizens employed on the project would construct the building, whereas, on the night of every fourth day, the noble and upper class people were employed in secret to demolish the structure built, an effort for which they received payment. The Nawab became so famous for his generosity that it is still a well-known saying in Lucknow that "he who does not receive (livelihood) from the Lord, will receive it from Asaf-ud-daula" (Jisko de na Moula, usko de Asaf-ud-daula).