UP tourism is now ready to market the new identity of Lucknow, hitherto known as the City of Nawabs.
According to UP Tourism officials, the state capital will now be known as a City of Memorials.
“This is going to be the new destination for memorials in independent India. Lucknow is already known for its culture, etiquette, cuisine and literature in the entire world, but now it has been given a new identity,” says an official statement from UP Tourism.
It is abundantly clear that henceforth the focus of UP Tourism will not be the Imambaras and gateways belonging to the Oudh regime but the new parks and memorials built by chief minister Mayawati to honour dalit icons.
“These memorials, museum, statues and parks are unique examples of architecture, which reveal the soul of Indian culture and different dimensions of construction art. Besides, several projects are being completed in a speedy manner with a view to developing infrastructure facilities in Lucknow, owing to which the capital of the largest state of the country has been transformed,” says the official.
Among the new memorials built in the Mayawati regime, prominent are the Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal Dwar, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Vihar, Samtamulak Chowk, Samajik Parivartan Gallery, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Smarak Drishya Sthal, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Pratibimb Sthal, Samajik Parivartan Sangrahalaya and Manyawar Shri Kanshiramji Smarak Sthal.
All these memorials are unique from the architectural point of view. The dome of Manyawar Sri Kanshiramji Smarak Sthal is the largest dome in India, the construction of which is a unique example of engineering.
Similarly, both domes of Samajik Parivartan Sangrahalaya are recognised as the specific achievements of engineering and architecture today.