Historic gardens of Awadh

Abstract

Along the bounds of river Gomti, lays a popular city: a city known for its “Nazakat‟ and “Nafasat‟, proclaimed and admired worldwide for its profound “Tarbiyat‟ and “Mehman Nawazi‟, a city known as Lucknow.The metropolis, once an abode to the Nawabs (rulers), was a remarkable example of a true cosmopolitan and a universal example of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb. Within the short span of approximately eighty years under the Nawabs (1775-1856), the city became the nurturing host to an extensive patronage of artists excelling in arts and architecture and is considered as the “last example of oriental capital in India”[Jones Llewyn R,2003] .What is unknown to the common knowledge is that Lucknow was a city of Gardens. The 19th c. Nawabi Gardens of Lucknow were a regional version of the late Mughal Garden style in India. Part of palace complexes or suburban pleasure retreats with country houses, they were walled and often opened to the river for views and breezes. Inspired by the Mughal gardens they were divided into chaar baghs (four squares) by walkways and water channels, planted with fruit trees and flowering shrubs, and lush ground cover. Walled enclaves for the nobility and those possessing wealth and status, they had elaborate entry gateways, ornamented baradaris (pavilions) and chattris (kiosks) for rest, shade and viewing. Lucknow developed into a city of gardens in less than a century, evolving, as they were built in proximity to Gomti and along the routes to the city. The gardens, being more ephemeral than architecture, could not survive the disappearance of royal patronage in the aftermath of the Uprising and many became part of the colonial public parks, reshaped in a new image. Gardens which defined almost all of the Lucknow in the yesteryears are now lost. As more historic precincts are taken up for conservation the need to approach historic precincts with proper and holistic approach is becoming an urgent requirement. These precincts add an essence to a setting, an ambience to a scene and an accent to an experience. It is the plants and the landscaping along with the architecture which titillate the senses in the form of the aromatic, productive, aesthetic and the visual palettes that have been explored since time immemorial. Thus, the major objective here would be the Synthesis of a proposal by studying the basic design palette and materials used, which would further aid in generation of standard operating procedures when it comes to conservation of these baghs by identifying and addressing to the issues. The thereby formulating a mechanism for community and youth outreach and proposing schemes for the mutual benefit of the heritage precincts as well as us.