Unit 32 Case Study: Lucknow*

UNIT 32 CASE STUDY: LUCKNOW* Structure 32.1 Introduction 32.2 The Origins and Growth of Lucknow 32.3 Political Prowess of the Nawabs and Begums of Awadh 32.3.1 Genealogy of the Nawabs 32.3.2 Lucknow as an Administrative and Economic Center 32.3.3 The Mughal, Nawabi and European Architectural Legacy 32.3.4 Art and Cultural Efflorescence 32.4 Political Events and the City 32.4.1 Impact of the Annexation of Awadh (1856) and the Revolt of 1857 32.4.2 Changes in the Layout and Administration of Lucknow 32.4.3 The Colonial Built Heritage 32.5 The Decline in the Nawabi Patronage 32.6 Re-emergence of Lucknow in the Twentieth Century 32.7 Summary 32.8 Timeline 32.9 Exercises 32.10 References 32.1 INTRODUCTION Places embody a meaningful past, either ensconced in myths or steeped in a historical, social-political context. The primal culture associated with a place often augments the aura of a region and imparts uniqueness to its existence. Lucknow is no exception to the aforementioned axiom and the city draws its customary legacy from the affluent Shia Nawabs, who ruled it from 1775-1856 CE. As a provincial capital of Awadh (anglicized as Oudh by the British after its annexation), Lucknow epitomized the values of its prodigal rulers, who on the one hand were admired for ushering in the refined and unfailing courtesy of adabs (a way of greeting/salutation) and on the other were vilified for their whimsical propensities. The place may be associated with the legendary duality of a resplendent yet decadent culture of the aristocracy, but its inhabitants relate more often to its fabled pristine past. It is a region to reckon with since it did not lose its charm despite the profligacy of the Shia dynasty and the ignominious ouster and exile of its last Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to Matiaburj (in the suburbs of Calcutta). This Unit will take you through the tale of this city, which underwent remarkable changes in three centuries. It transformed from a pargana headquarter to the provincial capital of Awadh in 1775. After the British annexation in 1856, it became a major colonial centre. The revolt of 1857 and its aftermath shook the city in many ways and it underwent significant morphological changes to pacify the wrath of the colonial authentics. A major blow to its prestige came with its demotion to a provincial town when Oudh was absorbed in the North West Provinces in 1877. Finally, Lucknow was restored as the capital of the United Provinces in 1920.The region is significant from the perspective of varied changes it underwent in a short span of time. It witnessed the confluence of Mughal 8 8 * Dr. Rachna Mehra, Department of History, Ambedkar University, New Delhi. decline, the ascendance of the Nawabi supremacy and finally the dominance of a colonial Case Study: Lucknow rule. However, the imprint of a short-lived Awadhian culture remains pervasive and unsurpassed in the city even today. 32.2 THE ORIGINS AND GROWTH OF LUCKNOW Lucknow was a flourishing town in the sixteenth century, which lay between Gonda in South and Ayodhya in North. It shared proximity with vital centers of trade and pilgrimage like Varanasi, Allahabad and Gorakhpur (Graff,1997: 2). Lucknow etymologically derives its name from Lakshman, brother of Ram Chandra of Ayodhya and was known as Lakshmanpur, Lakhanpur or Lachmanpur (Oldenburg, 1984:6). The town’s most prominent landmark was a hillock named Lakshman Tila. According to another popular belief, when Mahmud of Ghazni invaded India, he brought with him Sheikhs and Pathans, some of whom settled in Lakshmanpur. A Hindu architect named Likhna designed a fort for them known as Likhna Kila, which probably later shortened to Lucknow (Hay,1939: 160). The initial settlements included two small hills on the southern bank of Gomti, occupied mainly by Brahmins and Kaysthas initially. (There is a significant omission in the ethnographic narrations of Lucknow regarding the menial and other important castes present in Lucknow during this period. The Gazetteer of Oudh and William Crook’s handbook on ‘Castes and Tribes of Oudh and North Western Provinces’ do not enumerate them specifically). The Kaysthas occupied the highest government offices under all three reigns as they served as ministers in the Mughal Empire, held political sway under the Nawabs and also played a key role in the administration of the British rule (Hasnain, 2015: 64). A Hindu shrine existed on one of the hills, which was later replaced by a mosque during Aurangzeb’s period. The Chawk or the main market place lay southwest of the mosque where a Muslim mystic Shah Mina’s tomb (who settled in 1450) served as a site for veneration and pilgrimage (Jones, 1985: 8). It was a walled city during the medieval times, though there is no record of the demolition of the same. In the eighteenth century, there was a decline in the Mughal courtly culture and in the population of major cities like Lahore, Agra and Delhi. It was an opportune moment for towns like Lucknow and Varanasi to grow and thrive during this period (Graff, 1997: 3). By this time, politically the Mughal Emperors began to lose hold over Shaikhzadas and the tussle for power intensified with the entry of a Shia nobleman Saadat Khan from Iran. 32.3 POLITICAL PROWESS OF THE NAWABS AND BEGUMS OF AWADH Awadh acquired its initial social and political distinction in the eighth century BCE as Kosala, one of the sixteen mahajanapadas of the later vedic period (Graff, 1997: 17). Lucknow was a significant region within the larger socio-political milieu of the suba of Awadh. During the reign of Delhi Sultanate and Mughals, Lucknow rose to prominence and served as an important administrative seat for the rulers (Graff, 1997:18). The Mughals deemed Lucknow to be a tenable link for eastward expansion as it was three hundred miles south-east of Delhi and six hundred miles north-east of Calcutta (Kolkata). Akbar incorporated the suba of Awadh into the Mughal Empire as one of the twelve constituent provinces and chose Lucknow to be the seat of the subadar in 1580. Shaikh Abdur Rahim, a nobleman from Bijnaur gained favour in the eyes of the emperor and became the subadar of the region (Sharar, 1975:37). 8 9 Early Modern Cities After the Sheikhzadas, the Shia Nawab, Saadat Khan from Iran entered Delhi and was influential among the court nobility. The Mughal Badshahs of Delhi and the later Nawabs of Awadh shared a tenuous relationship often signified by a struggle for supremacy of power in this region. Gradually the Nawabs gained at the expense of the declining Mughal Empire and the hereditary nawab-wazirs held reign for almost eight decades in the region(Oldenburg, 2007: 20). 32.3.1 Genealogy of the Nawabs Saadat Khan, a Shia1 believer and a Persian noble from Nishapur (Iran) arrived in India in 1707 CE when the centralised Mughal Empire was ebbing away under Emperor Aurangzeb. Khan also known as Burhan ul Mulk had suffered a declining fortune in his native land and therefore sought employment in the Delhi Court (Jones, 1985:1). The Mughal ruler appointed Khan as the faujdar (commandent) of Agra in 1719 and subsequently, he was promoted as the governor of Awadh in 1721. It was a difficult and challenging place where semi-independent feudal barons held judicial sway over the subjects through their private armies and civil establishments. Khan made an essential move of establishing his headquarters in the city, which firmly entrenched his base in the province. Table 1 : Genealogy of the Nawabs of Awadh (1722-1856) Saadat Khan 1722-1739 Ghazi-ud-Din 1814-1827 Burhan-ul-Mulk Haider (son) Safdar Jung (nephew) 1739-1754 Nasir-ud-Din 1827-1837 Haider(son) Shuja-ud-Daula (son) 1754-1775 Mohd.Ali Shah 1837-1842 (brother of Ghazi- ud-din Haider) Asaf-ud-Daula(son) 1775-1797 Amjad Ali Shah 1842-1847 (son) Wazir Ali (son) 1797-1798 Wajid Ali Shah 1847-1856 (son) Saadat Ali Khan 1798-1814 (half-brother of Asaf- ud-Daula) Source: Jones R., (ed.) (2003) Lucknow, City of Illusion, pp. 259-261. He laid the foundations of the Nawabi dynasty of Oudh in 1722 after choosing his nephew Safdar Jung as his deputy to the throne. Safdar Jung consolidated his position by becoming virtually independent from the Mughal Emperor’s influence and he established his own dynasty in the province. The relationship between ‘Nawabs’ or governors of Awadh and the Delhi court was redefined under the changed context. While the title of ‘Nawab’ meant deputy in Persian, (recognizing the supremacy of the Mughal emperors), the Awadh Nawabs followed the royal orders only when it suited them (Jones, 1985: 3). Safdar Jung’s son Shuja-ud- Daula succeeded him and the Mughal ruler recognised his hereditary right to the throne. The equation with the Mughals gradually changed in favour of the Nawabs as they asserted their rights over the remittance of revenue from Awadh. By 1761, Awadh became so prosperous and prominent that it could not escape the attention of the expanding East India Company. The battle of Buxar (1764) which 1 Shī‘ah literally means a partisan or follower. They believed that after the Holy Prophet, the 9 0 religious authority was vested with his follower Ali (Trivedi, 2010: 42). resulted in the defeat of Shuja-ud-Daula fulfilled Company’s desires to milk the region. Case Study: Lucknow The Company benefited immensely from the treaty of Allahabad as it allowed them to carry out duty free trade throughout the empire.

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