Lucknow is the capital city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Lucknow district and Lucknow division. Located on the banks of the river Gomti in the Awadh region of north-central India, it is one of the largest cities in India and a major cultural, political, educational and commercial centre of the Hindi-speaking belt. Historically known as the seat of the Nawabs of Awadh, the city is celebrated for its composite Hindu–Muslim heritage, courtly etiquette (often referred to as tehzeeb), Urdu literary tradition, and a distinctive cuisine and craft culture.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Region | Awadh |
| District | Lucknow |
| Division | Lucknow |
| River | Gomti |
| Official languages | Hindi, Urdu |
| Civic body | Lucknow Municipal Corporation (Lucknow Nagar Nigam) |
| Common epithets | City of Nawabs, Shiraz-e-Hind, The Golden City of the East |
Lucknow lies on the Gangetic plain, with the Gomti — a tributary of the Ganga — flowing through the city in a roughly west-to-east curve. The terrain is largely flat and alluvial, suitable for agriculture in the surrounding rural belt. The city experiences a humid subtropical climate, with hot summers, a south-west monsoon season between June and September, and cool, often foggy winters.
Lucknow is well connected to other parts of Uttar Pradesh and India. Major neighbouring urban centres include Kanpur to the south-west, Ayodhya and Varanasi to the east, and the national capital Delhi to the north-west.
The Lucknow region has been inhabited since ancient times and lay within the historical realm of Kosala. Local tradition associates the name of the city with Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, with the original settlement sometimes called Lakshmanpur or Lakhanpur. Through the medieval period the area was successively part of various north Indian polities, and came under the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire.
Lucknow rose to prominence in the 18th century as the capital of the Nawabs of Awadh, a successor state of the Mughal Empire. Under rulers such as Asaf-ud-Daula, who shifted the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow, and later Wajid Ali Shah, the city emerged as a major centre of Indo-Persian and Urdu culture, music, dance, architecture and cuisine. Notable monuments from this period include the Bara Imambara and its associated Bhulbhulaiya, the Chota Imambara, the Rumi Darwaza, and the Asfi Mosque.
Following the Treaty of 1801, parts of Awadh came under the British East India Company, and in 1856 the Company annexed the kingdom and exiled Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta. Lucknow was a principal centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, during which the British Residency was besieged for several months. The ruins of the Residency are preserved as a heritage site. After 1858, Lucknow was incorporated into the United Provinces under direct Crown rule.
In the early 20th century, Lucknow hosted the 1916 session of the Indian National Congress, at which the Congress and the All-India Muslim League concluded the Lucknow Pact. The city was an important centre of the freedom movement and of Urdu literary and journalistic activity. After Indian independence in 1947, Lucknow became the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Civic governance is provided by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, headed by an elected mayor. As the state capital, Lucknow houses the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly), the Vidhan Parishad (