"The Siege of Lucknow" a Lucknow Travel Page by Willettsworld

Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, is located about 500km (310 miles) from Delhi and 238km from Allahabad. I came here from Jhansi before moving on to Allahabad. Lucknow is sort of off the beaten path to western tourists as many would head straight from Delhi to Agra and then on to Varanasi. In fact, I only saw one other western tourist at the Residency and heard another western girl at an internet place. There is plenty to see and do here so if you have time then why not stop off and see.

Lucknow was once the capital city under the Nawabs (Muslim rulers) of Awadh (also known as Oudh - a region of northern India before independence) and so features several imposing monuments. Some of the one's still standing today include the Bara Imambara, Hussainabad Imambara and the Rumi Darwaza gateway. Awadh was then annexed by the British East India Company in 1856. Lucknow's infamous place in history came the following year during the Indian Uprising when the ruling British Resident, Sir Henry Lawrence, and 2,000 others died at the garrison based at the Residency during the Siege of Lucknow. The Residency buildings all lie in ruins today, a testament to those who died.