About Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital of India's most populous state - Uttar Pradesh. This city is evocative of a lifestlye long gone by, only its vestiges are still to be found in Lucknow's mannerisms and habits. Lucknow was the abode of the Nawabs of Awadh, and their regal pastimes and pleasures were legendary. They refined their formal speech, were fond of song and dance, and nurtured Urdu verse as well as the Kathak School of dances. The food from the royal kitchens was the result of creative expeimentation, exquisite and delicate in taste. Their monuments excelled in the use of the arches, pavilions and domes. Many of the royal residences are now crumbling, but the best known of Lucknow's architectural representatives are the Imambaras, and the Bhulbhulaiyan. Lucknow also contnues to be home to fine chikan embroidery executed with fine skill on fabrics, sarees and kurtas.
Area: 79 sq km
Altitude: 111 meters (370 ft) above sea-level.
Languages spoken: Hindi, Urdu, Awadhi and English
STD Code: 0522
Climate:
Lucknow has a typical Indian summer. Summer lasts a three-month time from April-June, cooling off only when the rains come in end July. The climate is pleasant throughout the year, the best time being the spring months of September and October. Winters are cold.
Summer: April-June (low thirties to mid forties degrees Celsius)
Winter: October-February (high single digit to low twenties degrees Celsius)
Monsoon: July-September (approx 40 cm of rain)
Clothing:
Summer - Cotton
Winter - light woolens
Food:
Lucknow is well known for its food and the Awadhi cuisine.
Shopping:
The main areas of shopping in Lucknow are the Aminabad and Chowk areas where it can be interesting even if one is only window shopping. Most shops overflow onto the roads with vendors sitting with their wares on the road. Wholesale markets sell a wide range of goods from antique furnitures, furnishings to utensils and dress materials. Of course, by far the most common on a visitors shopping list should be the Chikan embroidery dress which is famous and also available at affordable prices compared to other cities in India.
Places to visit:
Bara Imambara
It shows a blend of Mughal and Rajput schools of architecture and share of the Gothic. The excellence of the stucture lies its its extensive interior. The structure took years to be completed. Built over the hall is the "Bhulbhulaiya", a maze of corridors in a honeycomb of architecture.
The Residency
This was located on the banks of the river Gomti to accommodate British visitors who found the the tropical climate uncomfortable, and still continues to be a favorite picnic spot.
Getting There:
Situated about 450 km to the south-east of the capital New Delhi, Lucknow is well connected to the rest of the world by air, rail and roadlinks.
Amausi airport has direct flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Sharjah.
Lucknow is a major railway junction with convenient overnight trains to and from New Delhi.
Staying at Lucknow:
There are hotels to suit every budget and need.
Currency:
The units of Indian currency are the Rupee (INR) which is further denominated into the paisa with 100 paise(plural of paisa) forming a Rupee. The Rupee seen in both paper and coin form. The paper form is seen in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 whereas the paise is seen in 25, 50 paise and also in 1, 2 and 5 Rupees.
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