Thread: Awadh, Nawabs & Lucknow.
'Ayodhya' <from Sanskrit='unconquerable'> was the original Ramaraj place. Modified as Awadh, & Lakshman laid the formation of Lucknow.
नवाबों की नगरी लखनऊ=अलहदा तहज़ीब। जिन्होंने अवध को एक नई पहचान दी। आइए शुरुआत करते है ट्विटर पे ये क़िस्सागोई।
'Ayodhya' <from Sanskrit='unconquerable'> was the original Ramaraj place. Modified as Awadh, & Lakshman laid the formation of Lucknow.
नवाबों की नगरी लखनऊ=अलहदा तहज़ीब। जिन्होंने अवध को एक नई पहचान दी। आइए शुरुआत करते है ट्विटर पे ये क़िस्सागोई।
From 1500 the Ottoman Empire expanded and conquered Syria and Iraq. The Safavid Empire, based in Azerbaijan, subdued the Iranian plateau. All this will force another set of migration from that land. First one was by Parsi. Read more about them & Bombay
A dynasty by Shias <from the Persian city of Nishapur on Silk Route > begins with Saadat Khan in 1722 <Nawabs= Arabic 'naib', ='assistant'>. He will later betray Mughals and invite Nadir Shah to attack Delhi, and sadden by his act, he will commit suicide. More from @anmol_dhawan
He was followed by his son-in-law (also nephew), Safdar Jung, he will bribe Nadir Shah for the title & took it as divine gift and renamed his residence to 'Faizabad' <Faiza=profit +Abad>. Plus it was the name of the small town in the Khurasan province of Iran that he was from.
He also started the Ganga-Jamuni virasat, as he granted land to Baba Abhay Ram Das. Hanuman Tilla, developed as temple & later as a fortress – Hanumangarhi. A decade later, when a Muslim Mob wanted to destroy it, A Hanuman Bhakt Wajid Ali Shah will send his army for protection.
Another Hanuman connection is when Begum Alia (Chhattar Kanwal) built a temple in Aliganj in little Islamic style (Dome) and started the tradition of Bada Mangal/Fair will get started from ~1780 onwards. 
Coming back to Jung, he will become very powerful in Delhi, and later when his son, Shuja-ud-daulah, constructed an imposing tomb at the cost of Rs. 3 lakh. The entire area around this tomb in New Delhi is now known as Safdarjung. Later, Shuja lost in the battle of Buxar.
Awadh was forced to compromise on very humiliating terms. They have to lay-off some of the soldiers. High 'protection' money was to be paid to EIC ~ start of the debt trap. EIC will also push for the like cotton, indigo, opium, sugarcane, tobacco, to be grown in the areas.
Then, Tippu Sultan along with Zaman Shah was turning their thought on Awadh. When nawab rushed to EIC, who asked disband the army and take my army <for supporting them>. Unable to Pay, Nawab had to give away Agra and Allahabad in return.
Meantime, Lucknow had become the capital (1775), and many monuments were constructed. And, it started replacing as the gateway to the artists who were looking for royal patronage. They also gifted 5 villages to the ancestors of Raghupati Sahai, <Firaq Gorakhpuri>.
In 1784, during the famine, as a relief and an act of food-for-work Asaf-ud-Daulah started Bada Imamabada. Legend it that in the daylight common man used to work and in the night folks from higher-order will destroy the construction, all in the return of food. @IndiaHistorypic
He also made Rumi Darwaza <Current Symbol>, while it was named after the Turkish capital it faced – Roum – by natives of India. Folk like P.N. Oak will comically argues that it was the Islamic twist given to its ancient name Rama Dwar named after the divine Ramayanic hero Rama.
During this time, Nawab Saab gave succour to his people by feeding them rice and meat that was cooked in giant pots which were then sealed with dough and allowed to simmer and cook. Thus was born the dum-pukht style of cooking.
Even throwaway bread was being transformed into a dessert called Shahi Tukra (a royal tidbit): a creative cook decided to gather some stale bread, deep-fry them in ghee, steep them in syrup, and serve them with a garnish of thick evaporated milk—creating a new dessert.
The nawabs of Lucknow devoted considerable resources to the development of huge mango orchards and the cross-breeding of different varieties. Dusseri (from the village of Deshe-hari near Lucknow), Chausa, and Langra.
Then came our last King. His love for a vegetable made Lucknow = potato specialities. The samosa, in its present form (with Aloo) Aloo-Chat, Dum-Aloo and Aloo-ka-Halwa were all invented in Lucknow. Remember, it was very costly, after all it was been imported via Goa sea route.
All this was on the borrowed money and Private lenders were making the kingdom in the perpetual debt. One such person was a Frenchman ~ Claude Martin <> (a thief, moneylender, smoked opium , farmed indigo, collected books & paintings. But most imp. ~La Martiniere college .
Lucknow was expanding and new mohallas like Sadatganj, Rakabganj, Golaganj & Molviganj were coming up. As @ankitjoshi says
लखनऊ को समझना है ज़रा पास आइये।
इस काम के लिए बतौरे-ख़ास आइये।
गोमतीनगर में लखनऊ मिलता नहीं हुज़ूर,
अमीनाबाद, चौक और नक्खास आइये।
लखनऊ को समझना है ज़रा पास आइये।
इस काम के लिए बतौरे-ख़ास आइये।
गोमतीनगर में लखनऊ मिलता नहीं हुज़ूर,
अमीनाबाद, चौक और नक्खास आइये।
Not all Nawabs were the same, Amjad Ali Shah (2nd last) who erected the iron bridge over Gomti, was quite Islamic. One of his courtier Mir Mehadi (with Imdad Hussain ~Amin-ud-daulah, the founder of Aminabad) did dismantle few temples. But, EIC can have their role in that.
EIC wanted to expand their land for two cash-crops (Cotton and Opium) and Dalhousie decided to annexation Awadh in 1856. He also confiscated estates of Taluqdars <with NO proof of ownership>. All this, along with the religious missionary work led to Revolt of 1857.
A set Taluqdars (led by King of Balrampur) supported EIC,. All, esp Balrampur king got huge landholding in Lucknow, he constructed Hospital, gave a donation to Canning College (LU) and will later start a School (named after Auckland Colvin). <~11 years of my life>
@TanvirSalim1
@TanvirSalim1
Man Singh (originally named Hanuman) was another beneficially <Made Raja>, ironically his successor would later get the title of Ayodhya Naresh. Do you wonder, why we have a place named as Kapurthala? King of Kapurthala's reward for 1857, so did the family of Naseeruddin shah.
Another fun part is while Wajid Ali shah was declared harem lover, more British soldiers died around the 1850s due to STD than the actual battle combat during 1857 revolt in Lucknow. Revolt was hugely unorganized and hence failed.
Read on our Last Nawab
Read on our Last Nawab
IMHO, the biggest contribution of all these Nawabs was Hindus-Muslims taraanah (symphony). Biryani shops used to remain closed on Tuesdays, as was during Navaratri. And, I will watch the Ramayana as a Kid in the house of Jamaal Uncle.
More on Ramayana
More on Ramayana
In case, if you want to read. Recommend book is by Ravi Bhatt. The most comprehensive and balanced.
