Lucknow [India 2020]
Okay, I went there mainly for food. And I was definitely disappointed. Instead, I got a surprise with my first dose of Mughal architecture! Famed all over India for its food: Kebabs and Biriyani, Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous and most politically influential state of India.
Firstly, all the damn restaurants open at noon. Yes, I walked like 5 km (to save money on a three-wheeler) hopping between all the famous restaurants (that I had bookmarked from Lonely Planet) with a rumbling stomach, hunting breakfast till 12 noon under a burning sun. And even then, the mutton biriyani and paya (calf of cattle) from those famed places were really disappointing. Our Colombo biriyani is way better IMHO.
To spend the rest of the day, I visited Bara Imambara (imambara = Shiite [shia] mosque/hall) built in the 18th century. It is my first experience of Mughal architecture. My first reaction was "holy shit, that's enormous". Not just big, but the details in the red sandstone are amazing. More details on Mughal architecture were on the Taj Mahal post.
Btw, Lucknow's metro stations are like airports. I'm serious. Cleaner, bigger and grander than Australian or Singaporean metro stations. Also, Lucknow is noticeably cleaner than the rest of the Indian cities I've been to!
First posted on Facebook
