Lucknow, India

UP's state capital LUCKNOW is renowned for the ordeal of its British residents during a five-month siege of the Residency in 1857. Less remembered are the horrific atrocities perpetrated by the British following their recapture of the city. Lucknow had earlier witnessed the last heady days of Muslim rule in India, and the summary British deposition in 1856 of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Avadh (Oudh), was a principal cause of the 1857 uprising.

Avadh broke away from the Mughal Empire in the mid-eighteenth century after its nawab, Safdarjang, was thrown out of office in Delhi for being a Shi'ite, but as the Mughal Empire declined, Avadh became the centre of Muslim power. The later nawabs are a byword for indolence and decadence, but under their rule the arts flourished. Lucknow, the Avadhi capital, became a magnet for artisans. Courtesans took on the roles of poets, singers and dancers, and under the last nawab's patronage the amorous musical form called thumri emerged here. The city was also an important repository of Shi'a culture and Islamic jurisprudence.

Extraordinary sandstone monuments, now engulfed by modern Lucknow, still testify to the euphoric atmosphere of this unique culture. European-inspired edifices, too, are prominent on the skyline, often embellished with flying buttresses, turrets, cupolas and floral patterns, but the brick and mortar with which they were constructed means that they are not ageing well. Old Lucknow is, literally, crumbling away.

Most of Lucknow's monuments are spread along or near the southern bank of the Gomti River, which is sluggish and weed-covered except at monsoon time. Close to the main central bridge lies the modern commercial centre of Hazratganj, with the Shah Najaf Imambara to its north near the riverbank. Further west, beyond the ruins of the Residency, the road passes the majestic Bara Imambara, leading through the large gate of Rumi Darwaza to the Hussainabad Imambara. South of Hussainabad, between Hazratganj and Charbagh, the old city sector of Aminabad holds a maze of busy streets and fascinating markets.