Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2explore!
This is your host, Harish Bali.
Right now, we are standing outside the Hussain Ganj metro station.
This area can be called the central part of Lucknow.
Hazratganj is about 2kms from here.
The Charbagh railway station is also 2kms away.
This place is okay if you want to live in Lucknow.
Because being the central part, it will be easy to commute anywhere from here.
Our day will  begin with the breakfast.
Right now, we are standing on a road named Shivaji Marg.
Just 500 meters from here is the famous shop of Rattilal Khasta Wale.
I've heard that the Khasta sold there is quite famous.
Come let us go.
I had come here to eat Khasta.
But on coming here, I came to know that their Kachori is more famous!
These kachoris are stuffed with dal (lentils).
With the kachori, they serve two types of potato curries.
As per their statement, these are laal aalu (red potato curry).
This is called so not because of the potatoes but because of the large amount of spices in it.
The potatoes turn red after being cooked in spices.
The second variety is plain aloo with no masala.
Some salad too with it.
And you can also see the matar (chickpea) curry served along side.
By the way, this is a famous breakfast of Lucknow.
Wow!
The type of kulche-chhole that we get in Delhi.....
....by chhole I mean matar (pigeon peas),...
....this taste is exactly the same as those.
These matar are light in spices and have good taste!
This potato curry is full of spices.
You can even see each potato piece lathered in spices.
Its taste is okay, I mean it is spicy, but the taste is okay.
I liked the taste of this matar more.
The matar and potato curries are a little different and overall, it is a good combination.
I feel this kachori could have been a little better.
If this kachori had been softer, I would have enjoyed it more.
I can see Imarti (sweet) being cooked right outside this shop.
I will also take some imarti for myself.
Imarti is made from lentil batter.
Now see, they've served it with some rabri.
This will enhance the flavour.
Really delicious taste!
Too good taste!
A different type of mystery, a kind of fragrance,....
....that adorns the love and interaction between people, is the mainstay of Lucknow's character!
You can see a pair of fishes adorning every facade of buildings of the Nawabi era.
This pair of fishes is also found on the doors to many Hindu royal palaces.
This pair of fishes is also recorded in the official seal of the government of Uttar Pradesh.
And what to say of the poetry of this place!
(Reciting poetry)
Right now, we are in the Kesar Bagh area and I have with me Mr. Shashank.
He will take us on a Heritage Walk.
Now Shashank will tell us about the history of Kesar Bagh as well as of this building where we are standing.
We are standing at the 'Safed Baradari' right now.
The first question that might come to your mind is what is the meaning of 'Safed Baradari'?
The meaning of Safed Baradari is a place where there are 12 (Bara) doors.
The Baradari is a sort of a pavilion.
During the revolt of 1857, this place used to be the court where the Nawab used to meet his courtiers.
Decisions regarding all of Awadh region used to be taken here.
So, at that time, when the courtiers revolted against the British,....
...the seeds of that revolt were sown here.
Alright. I understand.
What is that white building in front of us?
Sir, this building is known as Amiruddaulah Library.
This building also belongs to the Nawabi era.
This building is also known as Ulti Kothi.
From wherever you look at this building, it looks like you are looking at its posterior.
This is the largest library in Lucknow, where you will get all types of books.
Lucknow is also known for its handicrafts.
Like chickenkari, zardozi, when did it all start?
All this began at the time of the last Nawab, Wajid Ali Shah.
He promoted local culture and art at a huge scale.
Come, let me introduce you to a portrait of his, which you may have not seen anywhere else.
I see.
The British were not happy with Wajid Ali Shah and therefore, he was asked to leave his kingdom.
Then he went on to live in Kolkata for the rest of his life and died in a place called Metiaburz, where he is buried.
The building that you see behind me, this used to be a huge Parikhana during Wajid Ali Shah's regime.
During 1857, when he was exiled after he declared revolt against the British,...
...this building was brought down by the British in 1858.
Then there came a Maharashtrian man named Vishnukant Shastri Bhatkhande and....
...since the Nawab was very much into the cultural events,....
...Shastri built a music institute here and dedicated it to the Nawab.
He began a university here with just 2 students at that time and now....
....that university is still imparting education in classical music to this day.
If you want, you can visit here.
We are standing inside the Bhatkhande University right now.
We approached the reception area a moment ago.
We were told that music classes were underway right now so...
...we thought it won't be a good idea to disturb them.
Now tell me, since we are leaving here, where are we headed now?
We are headed to Chattar Manzil.
It is about a kilometer from here.
Okay, done. Let us go.
On the backside of the university is the Maqbara (tomb) of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, as you can see.
Next to that is the tomb of his begum.
There is a lawn surrounding the tombs.
We've reached the gate of Chattar Manzil and you can see it is written here......
...that this used to be the residence of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan.
We will go inside?
Yes, please come!
This Kothi that you see behind me...
...which is constructed in such a magnificent manner, it is called Farhat Baksh Kothi and....
...it was bought by Nawab Asaf-ud-daula from Claude Martin for Rs. 56,000 at that time.
This kothi used to be the actual residence of Nawab at that time.
After some time, in the memory of his mother, whose name was Chattar Kunwar, he got this Kothi made.
Thus the name Chattar Manzil and this Chattar (canopy) used to be made of gold in those times.
When the British left India, they took that gold canopy with them.
One more interesting feature of this kothi is the biggest coronation ceremony in the history,....
....that of the second son of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan, Nawab Ghazi-ud-din Haider.
That was the most magnificent coronation ceremony in the Awadh region's history.
We have reached the Residency while on a Heritage Walk in Lucknow.
You must be aware that during the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the East India Company was the victor.
This resulted in increased intervention of the Company in the affairs of the Awadh Court.
A Company representative was appointed the Resident in Lucknow.
Initially, the Residency was a place of residence for the British representative.
Later on, this place became the administrative hub.
While on the tour of the Residency, you will be able to see the ruins of the original structure.
For instance, Brigade Mess, Begum Kothi, Banquet Hall, etc.
Lot of other structural remains have been preserved.
At the time of the 1857 mutiny,...
...the revolutionaries had surrounded the Residency for 3 months.
The revolutionaries used to fire cannons at the Residency.
Afterwards, the British vacated the Residency.
Since videography is prohibited inside, we are showing you some photographs clicked on mobile phone.
There is also a Museum inside the Residency, where photography is prohibited as well.
Let us go to old Lucknow now and explore some food there.
We've reached the Gol Darwaza in the Chowk area.
We are going to eat Makhan Malai there.
At this place, there are more than 10 vendors selling Makhan Malai.
Just look at this.
Brother tell me, when do you start selling Makhan Malai and till when?
We start selling this from October 2 every year, till March next.
Okay!
This is the same thing known as 'Daulat ki Chaat' in Delhi and 'Malaiyo' in Benaras.
So, brother, give me one plate of this delicacy!
Wow!
I've had this once in Old Delhi.
Thus, I have a fair idea of its taste.
This delicacy is made with milk and cream and its color comes from saffron.
Brother, this taste is lively!
It takes no effort to eat it. Just put it in the mouth and it melts away.
Sweet taste of Elaichi (green cardamom)!
Wow! Brother, it is delicious!
Delicious! Really magnificent!
Old Lucknow is a labyrinth of lanes & by-lanes.
We will visit those lanes one by one.
Right now, we are going into this lane near Gol Darwaza, called Choodi Wali Gali (Lane of Bangles)!
This gentleman told me that there are 4-5 shops selling bangles here but....
....at one point of time, this lane had lots of shops dealing in bangles.
You have a huge collection!
How old is this shop?
This shop dates back to 1934!!!
Very good!
Now, we are walking through these lanes to reach the Ghariyali Gali!
All these lanes are connected with each other.
This lane is famous for gem shops, as these displayed boards convey.
Brother, which stone do you use to work with?
Any stone would do!
Alright!
Here, I understood from them....
...you can see this piece of glass in my hand,...
...they work on that piece of glass on this spinwheel and create these gems.
This is topaz gem in my hand.
You get topaz in green colour and you give it this shape.
So, how much time do you take?
One hour per piece!
One hour for one piece!
Theirs is the seventh generation of their family into this business.
Very good!
It was a pleasure meeting you all.
Thanks a lot!
As I walk through, I can smell the fragrance of flowers.
It is written here "Phoolwali Gali", Chowk, Lucknow.
This lane is home to about 10 shops selling flowers.
We are standing in front of one of those shops.
So, brother, the flower business in this lane, how old is it really?
It is an old business, which has been in existence since the times of our grandfathers, great-grandfathers.
You mean from the times of the Nawabs.
Look at the spread in  your shop....
We do decoration work for weddings and special occasions now.
Thank you! It was a pleasure meeting you.
We've reached the Roti Gali. The first shop here is selling Sheermals.
I can see the tandoor in which these sheermals are being cooked.
They told me that they don't use eggs in making sheermals, which is the usual practice otherwise.
They use maida (refined flour), milk, ghee and shakkar (unrefined sugar).
Brother, are you cooking naans in the tandoor?
How is it like this? Have you used yeast in it?
We use soda, yeast and egg in it.
Soda, yeast and....
egg!
Alright!
This roti is made of soda, yeast and eggs!
So, you sell naan for the whole day?
Alright.
This is rumali roti you are making?
All my life, I haven't seen such a lane or a shop where rotis are made in bulk like this.
And I am really amazed by what I am seeing here.
Rumali!
Someone is making rumali, someone is making sheermal, another one is making naan.
Amazing!
Brother, we want to go to Lalla Biryani. Will you show us the way?
If you go straight from here, you will come to a crossing.
We've reached the crossing.
Now, we are going to the Lalla Biryani, right there.
To make good biryani, you need good quality meat, rice, ghee and spices.
When all this comes together, you get good biryani.
This biryani has the subtlety of Lucknow.
There was seating space inside the shop.
But I preferred to sit outside.
I will watch the hustle bustle outside while enjoying my biryani.
Wow! When I pick up this rice with my hands, it feels so delicate.
The rice is so soft.
Each grain of this rice is perfectly cooked.
Its flavours are so mild, so subtle that it doesn't feel that you are eating anything too spicy!
Very subtle flavours!
All the spices used in this biryani are powdered in form.
The only whole spice that you get in your bite is laung (clove).
Rest, all spices are powdered before being used.
Ohhooo! Such delicacy!
This mutton is so well-cooked.
It is breaking off in my hand.
As I go on eating this biryani, I don't feel the need to use this chutney, raita or onions.
What I mean to say is that this biryani is delicious in itself.
And one more thing, after eating it, I wouldn't feel like eating anything else at least for another hour.
Not even a sip of water!
This biryani has such lasting taste on my palate.
We've reached the Royal Cafe near the Hazratganj Metro Station.
To eat the famous chaat here.
As soon as I entered here, I saw they have two huge griddles here.
So, this griddle is made of tamba (copper).
And this one is made peetal (Brass).
Though peetal tawa is used elsewhere, I haven't seen tamba tawa anywhere.
This griddle has been specially custom made for us.
You mean it needs to be used carefully.
So, please give us your famous chaat.
Yes, sure!
This is a really delicious thing to eat.
Now the delicate flavours in this Kachalu chaat come from....
....one is crushed red chilies,....
...dhaniya (coriander) powder,...
...a little chaat masala,...
...and on top of that....
.....they have vinegar made of jamun (plum) and that is really wonderful!
Too good! Really different!
I have not eaten this kind of chaat ever in my life.
My first ever experience and it is ultimate!
Brother, please give me a little bit more jamun vinegar.
Your body will start reacting if you eat more of it.
Slowly!
That is it!
Don't give me too much!
That is it!
You mean it will be a heady experience!
Your quotes are interesting!
I just saw this chaat being prepared.
This chaat is highly loaded and I don't think I have eaten such a snack ever in my life.
I mean to say I haven't eaten it ever before.
Let me check the taste of this chutney.
This man told me that it is hajmola (digestive) but what kind of digestive it is, looking like this.
I will have to taste it.
It has so many things.
Though it is sour, but it is much more than that.
It has the sourness of unripe mangoes along with the sweetness of honey.
And it is not to be eaten alone. It should be eaten mixed with the rest of this chaat.
Delectable!
This chaat cannot be finished by a single person alone.
And if one person manages to poilsh it off, then he will have to skip either his lunch or dinner.
Let us get some more yogurt added to it.
More yogurt!
Let us start with yogurt.
Here goes the yogurt. Don't go anywhere.
This goes the imli (tamarind) chutney.
A little bit of chaat masala powder.
A little bit of dhaniya (coriander) powder.
Pomegranate seeds.
A little bit more.
This plate got refilled!
Now you keep eating it, I will keep refilling it
Let us finish it. Then we will walk through Hazratganj for a while.
While roaming in the Hazratganj Market, during morning, noon or evening time.....
Or you must be doing window-shopping like we are doing right now!
And when you will get tired doing that, then you can sit on the benches, placed after every short distance here.
While sitting on the bench, you can appreciate the buildings and their architecture around you.
So, in the local language, doing this is called "Ganjing."
So, I've learnt this word today!
One more thing that you will notice here, the signboards above every shop here....
...have black colour base.
The names of shops are written in white colour.
This is a very different thing I've noticed.
This is what I found worth sharing with you.
Please give us your most famous paan to eat.
This is the Nawabi Paan.
It has no usual accompaniments and it is suitable for those who do not eat paan usually.
This bell is to announce that the paan has been served.
I serve every paan by ringing this bell.
Great!
Great job, brother!
I liked it very much.
Delectable!
Do you have  anything else?
Yes, sure!
This is 'Golmaal', this paan is chocolate-dipped, this is 'Aafat paan', this is chocolate paan, this is Nawabi paan!
And none of these has supari, kathha and choona in it.
These varieties are for those who don't like to eat the regular paan.
Give me one chocolate paan.
This is chocolate paan.
He has put chocolate inside the paan.
Good, if you want to try something new!
Chocolate paan, but the first paan that I ate....
....I liked that one better.
That one was simple with a great taste of gulkand (rose petal jam).
He has many varieties of paan.
So, brother, though I liked both the paans that I ate....
...I liked the first one more!!
So, should I ring the bell?
Thank you!
Thank you very much.
Now, we will make the payment and leave here.
I've had my fill of eating and roaming around since morning.
But I really wanted to eat something sweet before calling it a day.
So, right now, I am standing outside 'Chhappan Bhog', the most famous sweet shop of Lucknow.
The time is 9 pm.
We will go inside and have one sweet, then I will call it a day.
You are having Malai Makhan and I am eating Gujiya!
Lucknow's Makhan Malai is quite delectable and this is my personal experience today.
The first thing you will notice about this gujiya is its cute size.
Wow! And it has a really lovely stuffing of khoya (milk solids) and dried fruits inside.
It is the right amount of sweet.
To sum up, it is a delicious taste.
Can I have two pieces of this small Gulab Jamun?
Really a good taste!
We did good by coming here.
And ending today's journey with these sweets was good too!
We've returned to our hotel at 10 pm. We are staying at Hotel Solitaire.
The hotel is located opposite the Lucknow High Court in the Gomti Nagar area.
We paid a tariff of Rs 2000, on double occupancy basis, breakfast included.
Rest, everything is comfortable. The room is spacious.
But the room has no window, which would open to the outside.
Everything else is fine!
We really enjoyed today.
Thank you very much Shashank.
If you have any experiences related to Lucknow, do share with us.
We will meet soon. We will spend one more day in Lucknow and then go to Ayodhya.
That's it for now.
Bye-bye! Thanks for your time!
