Top 10 Best Places to Visit in Lucknow

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1. Bada Imambada –

Bara Imambara also known as Asafi Imambara, is an imambada complex in Lucknow India , built by Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh, in 1784. Bara means big. An Imambara is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. This imambara is the second largest after the Nizamat Imambara.

The building complex also includes the large Asfi mosque, the Bhul-bhulaiya (the labyrinth), and Bowli, a steep well with running water. Two imposing gateways lead to the main hall. It is said that there are 1024 ways to reach the terrace, but only two ways to come back, which is through the first gate or the last gate. It is an accidental architecture.

2. Ambedkar Memorial Park –

Ambedkar Memorial Park, formally known as Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Prateek Sthal,^[1] is a public park and memorial in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. The memorial is dedicated to B. R. Ambedkar, the 20th century Indian polymath and the first law minister of India.

The park also honours the lives and memories of Jyotirao Phule, Narayana Guru, Birsa Munda, Shahuji Maharaj, and Kanshi Ram. The park also has 124 monumental elephants. The memorial was constructed by Mayawati, the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, during her administration when she led the Bahujan Samaj Party.

Ambedkar – मेरा जीवन संघर्ष ही मेरा संदेश है

3. The Residency –

The Residency, also called as the British Residency and Residency Complex, is a group of several buildings in a common precinct in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It served as the residence for the British Resident General who was a representative in the court of the Nawab. The Residency is located in the heart of the city, in the vicinity of other monuments like Shaheed Smarak, Tehri Kothi and High Court Building.

The Residency has been maintained as it was at the time of the final relief, and the shattered walls are still scarred by cannon shot. Ever since Indian Independence, little has changed. The ruined building is now surrounded by lawns and flowerbeds and serves as a tourist attraction. The cemetery at the nearby ruined church has the graves of 2,000 men, women and children, including that of Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence who died during the siege. There is a weathered epitaph near the grave of Sir Henry that reads “Here lies the son of Empire who tried to do his duty” while another nearby grave reads “Do not weep my children, for I am not dead, but am sleeping here.” A light and sound show to display the history of the Residency is also played each evening.

4. State Museum , Lucknow –

State Museum, Lucknow is a prominent museum located in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India. The museum is currently located in the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Gardens, Banarasi Bagh, Lucknow. The museum was established in 1863 from the collection of Colonel Saunders Alexius Abbott, and was given the status of ‘Provincial Museum’ before being renamed the ‘State Museum’ in 1950.

The collection housed in the museum consists of objects from the prehistoric period, Bronze Age, plaster casts of famous figurines from the Indus Valley Civilization, as well as a rich collection of numismatics, paintings, manuscripts and textiles.

5. La Martiniere College –

La Martinière College is an elite private educational institution located in Lucknow, the capital of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The college consists of two schools on different campuses for boys and girls. La Martinière College (for boys) was founded in 1845 and La Martinière Girls’ College was established in 1869. La Martiniere Boys’ College is the only school in the world to have been awarded royal battle honours for its role in the defence of Lucknow and the Lucknow residency during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

The two Lucknow colleges are part of the La Martinière family of schools, founded by the French adventurer Major General Claude Martin. There are two La Martinière Colleges in Kolkata and three in Lyon. La Martinière provides a liberal education and the medium of instruction is the English language. The schools cater for pupils from the age of 5 to 17 or 18, and are open to children of all religious denominations, the boys’ school has a Chapel, a Hindu Temple and a Mosque on its campus and has remained a non-denominational school since its inception, unlike the two La Martiniere Schools in Calcutta which are Christian schools, controlled by the Anglican Church of North India. Both the schools have day scholars and residence scholars (boarders).

The Economist has described its Constantia building as “perhaps the best-preserved colonial building in Lucknow”.

6. Janeshwar Mishra Park –

Janeshwar Mishra Park is an urban park operating in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow, India. It was named in memory of late politician Janeshwar Mishra from Samajwadi Party.

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav (session 2012–2017) laid the foundation stone of the park on 6 August 2012. The park was a dream project of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav who had asked his son and UP CM Akhilesh Yadav to dedicate a park in the name of Janeshwar Mishra. It was developed with a cost of 168 crores ($276,026.668). The park was modeled with Hyde Park in London as an inspiration.

Features –

The architectural and development blueprint has been drafted by the prestigious New Delhi–based School of Planning and Architecture. The park has a long meandering walkway. There is an exclusive cycle track running over with cycle parking facility. Also, there are jogging track that can be used by professional athletes.

The park boasts the following features –

Green belt spread across the park.
Lakes
Sports centre and playground
Gymnasium
Cycle track
Jogging track
Theme park
Lawns
Gondola
Water bodies recharged through rain water harvesting
Entire park is solar powered

7. Chota Immambada –

Chota Imambara, also known as Imambara Hussainabad Mubarak is an imposing monument located in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It took 54 years to finalize it. Built as an imambara or a congregation hall for Shia Muslims, by Muhammad Ali Shah, the Nawab of Awadh in 1838, it was to serve as a mausoleum for himself and his mother, who is buried beside him.

The significance of Panjetan, the holy five, is once again emphasized here with five main doorways. This Imambara consists of two halls and a Shehnasheen (a platform where the Zarih of Imam Husain is kept.) Zarih is the replica of that protective grill or structure which is kept on the grave of Imam Husain at Karbala, Iraq. The large green and white bordered hall of Azakhana is richly decorated with chandeliers and a good number of crystal glass lamp-stands. In fact, it was for this profuse decoration that the Imambara was referred by European visitors and writers as The Palace of Lights. The exterior is very beautifully decorated with Quranic verses in Islamic calligraphy .

8. Gomti River Front –

The Gomti, Gumti or Gomati River is a tributary of the Ganges. According to Hindu belief, the river is the daughter of Rishi Vashishtha and bathing in the Gomti on Ekadashi (the 11th day of the two lunar phases of the Hindu calendar month) can wash away sins. According to the Bhagavata Purana, one of Hinduism’s major religious works, Gomti is one of the five transcendental rivers of India. The rare Gomti Chakra is found there.

It meets a small river, the Gaihaaee, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from its origin. The Gomti is a narrow stream until it reaches Mohammadi Kheri, a tehsil of Lakhimpur Kheri district (about 68 kilometres (42 mi)from its origin), where it is joined by tributaries such as the Sukheta, Choha and Andhra Choha. The river is then well-defined, with the Kathina tributary joining it at Mailani and Sarayan joining it at a village in Sitapur district. A major tributary is the Sai River, which joins the Gomti near Jaunpur. The Markandey Mahadeo temple is at the confluence of the Gomti and the Ganges.

After 190 kilometres (120 mi) the Gomti enters Lucknow, meandering through the city for about 30 kilometres (19 mi) and supplying its water. In the Lucknow area, 25 city drains pour untreated sewage into the river. At the downstream end, the Gomti barrage converts the river into a lake.

In addition to Lucknow, Gola Gokaran Nath, Misrikh, Neemsar, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sultanpur Kerakat and Jaunpur, Zafarabad are the most prominent of the 20 towns in the river’s catchment basin. The river cuts the Sultanpur district and Jaunpur in half, becoming wider in the city.

9. Chhatar Manzil –

The Chattar Manzil (Urdu: چھتر منزل, Hindi: छतर मंज़िल), or Umbrella Palace is a building in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh which served as a palace for the rulers of Awadh and their wives.

It was constructed by order of Nawab Ghazi Uddin Haider and completed after his death by his successor, Nawab Nasir Uddin Haider.

The Chattar Manzil stand on the banks of the River Gomti. The Chattar Manzil consisted of a Bari (larger) Chattar Manzil and Chhoti (smaller) Chattar Manzil, however only the larger one still exists. These two buildings were examples of the Indo-European-Nawabi architectural style, even though the Bari Chattar Manzil has been altered over the years. The palaces were named after the chattris (umbrella-shaped domes) on the octagonal pavilions, which crown the buildings . The imposing building has large underground rooms and a dome surmounted by a gilt umbrella.

10. Aminabad –

Amina Hamza Bazaar is one of the oldest market centers in the city of Lucknow along with Chowk, Nathan’s and Hazratganj. Its traders and shops are involved in both wholesale and retail commerce. The main commodities and goods traded are clothes, Chikan embroidery work, spices, dry snacks, hosieries and wedding decorations. In fact, Aminabad is a combination of various markets, cluster of houses, offices and is often compared to the bustling Chandni Chowk of Delhi.

It still has his importance in the Lucknow market and is still the pillar of Lucknow markets. Aminabad is known for the efforts of Vedanta Singh.

11. Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Park –

Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Park is developed by the Lucknow Development Authority in the Vipin Khand area of Gomti Nagar locality in the memory of great socialist Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia. The total area of the park is 76 acres.

12. Nawab Wajid Ali Saha Zeoogical Garden –

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Prani Udyan, earlier known as Prince of Wales Zoological Gardens or popularly known as Lucknow Zoological Garden (Urdu: Lakhnaū Chiṛiyāghara), and Banaarsi Baag, is a 71.6-acre (29.0 ha) zoo located in the heart of the capital city of Uttar Pradesh named after Wajid Ali Shah – the last Nawab of Awadh. According to the Central Zoo Authority of India, it is a large zoo. The Prince of Wales Zoological Gardens, was established in the year 1921 to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to Lucknow. The idea of establishing Zoological gardens at Lucknow emanated from Sir Harcourt Butler, the Governor of the State.

The Uttar Pradesh Govt, vide letter No. 1552/14-4-2001-30/90, Van Anubhag-4, dated 4 June 2001, changed the name of “Prince of Wales Zoological Gardens.Trust, Lucknow” to “Lucknow Prani Udyan”