Sunday 2 December 2012

Lucknow Mahaotsava






Lucknow Mahotsava is organized every year in the month of November / December to showcase the rich cultural heritage of Lucknow. This year, it is organized from 26th November to 6th December, 2012 at Regional Park, Sector-L, Ashiyana Lucknow.
Entry fee is 10/- and seasonal fee is 50/-. The entry tickets to the mahotsava are available at the entry as well as to other places including malls of the city also
Lucknow Mahotsava Exhibition would have 250 commercial stalls, 387 crafts stall, 60 pavilion, 65 food stalls, 40 ice creams and beverage stalls and 70 stalls for agricultural fair. In the commercial stalls major commercials organizations would display their products for exhibitions and sale. Pavilion would have participation from tourism, forest, water and income tax department in addition to this Election Commission of India is also participating to this silver jubilee celebrations. For the entertainment purposes of children swings and fountains have been placed.

For more info go on http://www.lucknowmahotsava.com

Thursday 24 May 2012

Last Bada Mangal: 29/05/2012


The upcoming Tuesday 29th May, 2012 will be the last Bada Mangal. As it will be the last Tuesday of  hindu month Jetha. As it is the last bada mangal there will more crowd of devotees in Hanuman Temples. And Lucknowites have to wait next year for bada mangal.
It is only in Lucknow you can see such celebration of  Bada Mangal. So if you are in Lucknow don't miss the Bada Mangal celebration this Tuesday because after that you have to wait for one year for that. You must visit Hanuman Badi Aliganj, Hanuman Setu, Chachi Kaun, Panchmuki Hanuman mandir. My best wishes to all Lucknowites for Last Bada Mangal. May Lord Hanumana fulfill all the wishes of yours.

Thursday 10 May 2012

First Bada Magal 2012


The first Bada Mangal was on 8th May 2012 . As every year there was huge crowd of devotees in all the famous temples of Lucknow. I also went to Sankat Mochan Hanuman Setu in the morning 7'O clock. I was surprised to see that even in so early morning there was large line of devotees. I also buy Prashad and Flowers and went in queue for the Dharshan of Sankat mochan Hanuman. The environment of temple was very pleasant. All the devotees were patiently waiting for their number in queue.
The decoration was Mandir was very nice. Temple was decorated with flowers of Genda and Glulab. Volunteer were instructing people and doing their work. Metal detector and CCTV were also used on the door of  Temple for security purpose. 
When my number came I had dharshan of Sankat Mochan. After visiting the main mandir I also went to Ashram of Neem Karori Baba near bank of Gomti. There were few devotees coming as compared to Main Temple. The environment was very calm and pleasant.. After worshiping Sankat Mochan in old temple I went to home.
As every year there were arrangement of food strals (Bhandaras) all around the Lucknow. SBI stral was outside the Hanuman Setu mandir. Whole day there was huge crowd of devotees in all the famous temples Aliganj Hanuman Badi, Hanuman Setu, Hazaratganj Dakhinmuki Hanuman, Balaji Temple Chawk etc.



Monday 7 May 2012

Bada Mangal



From tomorrow Bada Mangal are starting.Tomorrow is first Bada Mangal.Bada Mangal is celebrated on all the tuesdays of hindi month Jeshtha.It is celebrated with great sprit in Lucknow.People go to temples to worship Lord Hanumana. Many places Bhandara(prasad of Lord Hanumana is distributed) are arranged. For more information read whole article.
Lord Hanumana

Bada Mangar is celebrated every Tuesday of Jeshtha(May-June) in Lucknow. In all there Tuesdays the worship of Rama’s devotee Hanuman is done. Bada Mangal is mainly observed in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and nearby regions. The origin of the festival is traced to the Naya Hanuman Mandir at Aliganj in Lucknow.
Bada Mangal is the name for more specifically used to describe the first Tuesday in the month of Jayeshta or Jeth. A big fair is organized in the region during the period. The fair and the festival is believed to be more than 400 years old became a symbol of Hindu-Muslim congeniality. No wonder Muslims too contribute whole-heartedly in arrangements for the Bada Mangal.
Hanuman Setu
Bada Mangal is celebrated with great sprit in Lucknow. Devotees go to temples. There crowd of Devotees in all the famous Temples of Lucknow on all the Bade Mangals. In all the temples Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, Hanuman Badi Aliganj, Panchmukhi Hanuman Nadan Mahal Road and all the other famous temples are opened for Devotees whole day and devotees come in large number for darshan and puja of Hanuman.
Hanuman Badi Temple
Bada magal is not only limited to puja and darshan of hanuman but on all the Bade mangals devotees arrange bandhara. In bandara parshad is distributed to peoples. There is arrangement of Sharbat and food  in Bhandha in many  part of city. In Bhandara different kinds of food is serverd to people such as Puri Sabji, Chola bhatura, Halwa Puri, Chana and many other things.
Bhandhara on Bada Mangal

There are numerous theories regarding the origin of the Bada Mangal fair.It is said that Lord Hanuman blesses all those who offer him prayers and prasad during Bada Mangal. Members of the family especially eldest son and daughter should pay a visit to the deity. If that’s not possible, at least the head of the family should bow his head before Hanuman.
History:1.Bada Mangal’s an occasion, the celebration of which begets its origin to Lucknow’s culture of oneness. History has it that Janab-e-Aalia, second wife of nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah got the old Aliganj Hanuman temple constructed. She is said to have dreamt of Lord Hanuman who ordered her to get a temple constructed.
Based on her dream she ordered quarrying of the area she saw in her dream. The idol was found after which it was transported on the back of an elephant to the city. The elephant, however, did not step forward after a point (the place where the temple is situated). Therefore it was decided that the temple be constructed at this place. Since then, Bada Mangal is celebrated with festive gaiety in the city to mark the belief of the Muslim begum over the deity.
Naming her son, later known as Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, as Mirza Mangloo after the deity, Begum Aalia started the tradition of a fair which continues to be held every year. As time passed by, the festival
2.The child of the Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah of the region fell ill and doctors were unable to cure the child. The wife of the Nawab Begum Rabia, took the child to different places in the hope of find a solution to the child’s illness. One day during her search she met the priest of the Naya Hanuman Mandir at Aliganj. The priest asked her to leave the child before the Hanuman idol in the temple and come back later.
With the blessings of Lord Hanuman, the child recovered. The mother could not believe her eyes. The wife of the Nawab wanted to make an offering at the temple. The priest suggested that instead of making an offering it would be better if she could arrange a fair here as it would lead to the economic prosperity of the region.
Since then the tradition of observing Bada Mangal is followed and it attracts thousands of people.

Saturday 5 May 2012

History of Lucknow


Avadh is claimed to be among the most ancient of Hindu states. According to popular legend, Ramchandra of Ayodhya, the hero of the Ramayana, gifted the territory of Lucknow to his devoted brother Lakshman after he had conquered Sri Lanka and completed his term of exile in the jungle. Therefore, people say that the original name of Lucknow was Lakshmanpur, popularly known as Lakhanpur or Lachmanpur.
The city of Ayodhya itself, forty miles away from Lakshmanpur, was reported to be full of great riches: "Its streets, well arranged, were refreshed with ceaseless streams of water  its walls, variously ornamented, resembled the checkered surface of a chess-board. It was filled with merchants, dramatists, elephants, horses and chariots. The cloud of fragrant incense darkened the sun at noonday: but the glowing radiance of the resplendent diamonds and jewels that adorned the persons of the ladies relieved the gloom." (Ramayana).
However, the city came into notice only during the 18th Century. To know more about Lucknow history, read further the information given below.
After 1350 AD the Lucknow and parts of Awadh region have been under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal Empire, the Nawabs of Awadh, the East India Company and the British Raj. Lucknow has been one of the major centers of First War of Independence, participated actively in India's Independence movement, and after Independence has emerged as an important city of North India.
Until 1719, subah of Awadh was a province of the Mughal Empire administered by a Governor appointed by the Emperor. Saadat Khan also called Burhan-ul-Mulk a Persian adventurer was appointed the Nazim of Awadh in 1722 and he established his court in Faizabad near Lucknow.
Awadh was known as the granary of India and was important strategically for the control of the Doab, the fertile plain between the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers. It was a wealthy kingdom, able to maintain its independence against threats from the Marathas, the British and the Afghans. The third Nawab, Shuja-ud-Daula fell out with the British after aiding Mir Qasim, the fugitive Nawab of Bengal. He was comprehensively defeated in the Battle of Buxar by the East India Company, after which he was forced to pay heavy penalties and cede parts of his territory. The British appointed a resident in 1773, and over time gained control of more territory and authority in the state. They were disinclined to capture Awadh outright, because that would bring them face to face with the Marathas and the remnants of the Mughal Empire.
Nawab
 Asaf-Ud-Dowalah
Lucknow's rise to growth and fame begins with its elevation as capital of Awadh by Nawab Asaf-Ud-Dowlah. He was a great philanthropist and gave Lucknow a unique and enduring legacy. The architectural contributions of these Awadh rulers include several imposing monuments. Of the monuments standing today, the Bara Imambara, the Chhota Imambara, and the Roomi Darwaza are notable examples. One of the more lasting contributions by the Nawabs is the syncretic composite culture that has come to be known as the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb.
Nawab Wajid Ali Shah
In 1798, the fifth Nawab Wazir Ali Khan alienated both his people and the British, and was forced to abdicate. The British then helped Saadat Ali Khan to the throne. Saadat Ali Khan was a puppet king, who in the treaty of 1801 ceded half of Awadh to the British East India Company and also agreed to disband his troops in favor of a hugely expensive, British-run army. This treaty effectively made the state of Awadh a vassal to the British East India Company, though it notionally continued to be part of the Mughal Empire in name until 1819.
The treaty of 1801 formed an arrangement that was very beneficial to the Company. They were able to use Awadh's vast treasuries, repeatedly digging into them for loans at reduced rates. In addition, the revenues from running Awadh's armed forces brought them useful revenues while it acted as a buffer state. The Nawabs were ceremonial kings, busy with pomp and show but with little influence over matters of state. By the mid-nineteenth century, however, the British had grown impatient with the arrangement and wanted direct control of Awadh.
Begam Hazrat Mahal
In 1856 the East India Company first moved its troops to the border, then annexed the state, which was placed under a chief commissioner - Sir Henry Lawrence. Wajid Ali Shah, the then Nawab, was imprisoned, and then exiled by the Company to Calcutta. In the subsequent Revolt of 1857 his 14-year old son Birjis Qadr son of Begum Hazrat Mahal was crowned ruler, and Sir Henry Lawrence killed in the hostilities. Following the rebellion's defeat, Begum Hazrat Mahal and other rebel leaders obtained asylum in Nepal.
Silver Emblem & Arms of Nawab
Wajid Ali Shah

Those company troops who were recruited from the state, along with some of the nobility of the state, were major players in the events of 1857. The rebels took control of Awadh, and it took the British 18 months to reconquer the region, months which included the famous Siege of Lucknow. Oudh was placed back under a chief commissioner, and was governed as a British province. In 1877 the offices of lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces and chief commissioner of Oudh were combined in the same person; and in 1902, when the new name of United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was introduced, the title of chief commissioner was dropped, though Oudh still retained some marks of its former independence.
The Jal Pari
The province of Awadh (anglicized to Oudh) was annexed by the East India Company in 1856 and placed under the control of a chief commissioner. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (also known as the First War of Indian Independence and the Indian Mutiny), the garrison based at the Residency in Lucknow was besieged by rebel forces. The famous Siege of Lucknow was relieved first by forces under the command of Sir Henry Havelock and Sir James Outram, followed by a stronger force under Sir Colin Campbell. Today, the ruins of the Residency, and the picturesque Shaheed Smarak offer reminiscences of Lucknow's role in the stirring events of 1857.
The city played an important role in both the First War of Independence and the modern Indian freedom struggle. Whether it was the Lucknow Pact of 1916 or the Khilafat Movement, it brought the citizens on a united platform against the British rule. In the Khilafat Movement Maulana Abdul Bari of Firangi Mahal, Lucknow actively participated and cooperated with Mahatama Gandhi and Maulana Mohammad Ali.
In 1901, after staying the capital of Oudh, since 1775, Lucknow, with a population of 264,049, was merged in the newly formed United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.[7] However, it became the provincial capital in 1920 when the seat of government was moved from Allahabad. Upon Indian independence in 1947, Lucknow became the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the erstwhile United Provinces.