When one thinks of Lucknow as a tourist destination, the Bada Imambara and Chhota Imambara and the Rumi Darwaza come to mind. But beyond these stories that have been repeated countless times, one lies draped in a cloud of anonymity.
The Gol Darwaza of Lucknow stands a stranger in our strange land. Built during the reign of Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth nawab of Oudh, between the years 1784-1785, the Gol Darwaza, situated in Chowk, is now a market to Ittar, Chikan, Nagre and Lachka-Gota. The Gol Darwaza street that leads straight to the Akbari Gate, another marvel built by the Nawab, also houses the famous Tunday Kababi.
Stories of the Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula flying kites at the Gol Darwaza are also very popular, they find their mentions in the book “tareekh-e-Lucknow” by Syed Agha Mahdi. While being close to the royalty, the Gol Darwaza was also embraced by the commoners as they used to take their marriage processions via its gateway. The Gol Darwaza was also a prominent feature during the Swaraj movement as it was a witness of several processions and court arrests.
In the past days, there used to be a short gate near the Akbari gate which was shut for the passing tongas and rickshaws and the roads were sprayed with water by the
Visiting the Gol Darwaza in winter mornings, one is sure to be greeted by a row of vendors selling the famous Malai-Makkhan. Move a little forward and you are not just walking through the arch that is Gol Darwaza, but through the hundreds of years that it has stood as a witness to the history of Oudh.
Beyond the Gol Darwaza runs a cobweb of streets that are a basin of the famous Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. Most of the shops here have been in existence for generations, the young carrying forward the dreams of elders. Walk a little further and witness the “Phool Mandi '', as the subliminal scent of flowers takes hold of you, garlands made here are sold throughout the city. Further down the street are shops where the Chikan clothes are printed for the embroiderers to work their magic on them. As one dives deeper in the streets, they end up in the “Chudi Wali Gali” which is not only a haven of bangle sellers but also of Gold Jewelers.
One can buy the famous Lucknowi Zardozi Clothes, an embroidery of gold and silver threads with pearls and beads, which popularized during the reign of the Mughal King Akbar and was the favorite of the royalty.
Suspended in time the narrow streets feel like an image from the past. Unchanging, full of leisure, and exuding the now almost extinct Tahzeb of the Nawabs. Gol Darwaza smells of the songs of Old Lucknow.
