Lucknow (Lākhnao), capital of the province of Oudh, and the fourth largest city in India, stands on the river Gm̄ti, by rail 42 miles NE. of Cawnpore and 199 NW. of Benares. The city is interesting, not only as the capital of the former kingdom of Oudh, and for the memorable part it played in the Mutiny, but also as a centre of modern Indian life, a chief school of native music and poetry and of Mohammedan theology. The appearance of magnificence and splendour which the city presents when seen from the outside is not borne out by close internal inspection, though a vast improvement has been effected since the Mutiny. The chief architectural glory of the place is the Imambara or mansolenm of Asaf-ud-Daulā, the fourth Nawab, who did so much to embellish Lucknow with magnificent buildings. This edifice, built in 1784, stands within the Machi Bhawan fort (built by Asaf's predecessor), and is now converted into a British arsenal. The Rūmi Dorwāza, a grand and massive gateway, leading out of the fort, the magnificent Residency palace, and the country palace of Bibiāpur, besides numerous minor buildings, were all erected by the same prince. The Jama Masjid or chief mosque, and the huge palaces of Chattar Manzil, Kaisar Bagh, Farhat Baksh, four royal tombs, and an observatory (head-quarters of the rebels during the Mutiny) are the most noteworthy amongst the remaining public buildings, though the palaces are remarkable for little else except their great size, debased style of architecture, and gaudy decorations. The educational establishments embrace Canning College, established in 1864, now with five departments; the Martinère College, where 120 soldiers' and civilians' sons are educated; and more than two dozen mission and other schools. The staple of the native industries is gold and silver brocade, besides which there are—muslins and other light fabrics, embroidery in gold thread and silk upon cotton and velvet, glass, clay-moulding, shawls, jewellery (but declining), and paper. There are here extensive railway workshops. Lucknow is a busy commercial town, trading chiefly in country products (grain, butter, sugar, molasses, spices, tobacco, oil-seeds), European piece-goods, salt, leather, &c. Pop. (1869) 284,779; (1881) 261,303; (1891) 273,028, of whom 20,000 were in the cantonments just outside the city; and in religion 160,000 were Shiite Mussulmans and the rest mainly Hindus.
The site of the present fort was originally occupied by a small village called Lakshmanpur, founded by a brother of Rama Chandra, the hero of the epic Ramayana. The city did not, however, rise into importance until it was made (1732) the capital of the independent state of Oudh (q.v.). Lucknow covered itself with glory by the stirring events of which it was the scene during the mutiny of 1857, and which have been enshrined in splendid verse by Tennyson. The insurrection broke out on the night of 30th May. Sir Henry Lawrence had already fortified the Residency and garrisoned it with 750 British troops. An attempt to check the advance of the enemy at a place 8 miles from the city was defeated on 29th June, and two days later the British were besieged. On 4th July Sir Henry Lawrence died, from a wound caused on the 2d by a bursting shell. Three times in succession the little garrison, commanded on the first occasion by Major Banks, on the last two by Brigadier Inglis, beat back the assaults of the enemy. On 22d September Havelock (q.v.) and Outram, with a relieving force, captured the Alum-bagh (q.v.), and on the 26th reached the Residency. Again the siege was formed by the rebels, both of the
Residency and the Alum-bagh. The latter was succoured by Sir Colin Campbell on 10th November. Then, after driving the mutineers out of their two principal strongholds, Sir Colin reached the garrison in the city (16th November). Six days later the gallant Havelock died of dysentery. Sir Colin Campbell, leaving Outram with 3500 men to hold the Alum-bagh till his return, escorted the civilians, and the ladies and children, to Cawnpore. In the first week of March 1858 he returned to the attack upon the rebels at Lucknow, who had meanwhile entrenched themselves in the city. It cost a week's hard fighting to subdue them (9-15th March): the issue ended the mutiny.
There are recent books on the mutiny and siege by Lady Inglis, The Siege of Lucknow (1892); Forbes Mitchell, The Great Mutiny (1895); and M'Leod Innes, Lucknow and Oude in the Mutiny (1895).