Gems of Lucknow

Summary: In many ways, living in Lucknow is like living in history, with many old, historical buildings that few people pay attention to, and even fewer know about. But if you take the time to look around when you walk, meander through less common streets, you’ll find something that just amazes you because of its simple, quiet presence. And, if you stay and listen long enough, it just might tell you a story.

You never know what you’ll find when you wander the streets of Lucknow. A few Sundays back, my friend Will and I spontaneously decided to search for a eunuch’s tomb, which he had read about in a newspaper. So we set out on our treasure hunt, and started by trying to locate the general colony. The folks we asked included baristas at Barista, a local travel agent, and Google (courtesy of a friend). About 30 minutes into our search for fool’s gold, we decided to delay our search until further information can be found.

It was at this time, standing on the main street in Hazratganj (the “downtown” of Lucknow), that I saw an architecturally fascinating structure beyond small arched alleyway. We walked through the alley, which opened up to an imambara.

But Lucknow is full of such gems and surprises; there’s so much history embedded into the nooks and crannies of everyday life, though much of it is poorly maintained and documented, and generally withering.

Of course, when I tried to tell my coworkers about it the next day, they immediately tried to convince me that I was wrong, and that I must have been talking about a more famous imambara in a nearby area. It was only after hard proof (a picture on my camera of the sign that said “Imambara Waqf Sibtainabad. Mubarak, Hazratganj, LKO” that they relented, claiming that my imprecise description of the location threw them off.

You may not be aware of this, but it is a fact. As a foreigner, I must accept that I know nothing, even when I know that I know.