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MUSKURAIYE AAP LUCKNOW MEIN HAIN – The Charbagh Railway Station

ARCHITA OBEROI (Ist Year, Miranda House)

Hello snoopy people:) I, Archita Oberoi wants to take you on a journey along Lucknow’s Charbagh Railway Station. Well people, I know I that it has become a little hectic to collect all dispersed facts, but don’t you worry; I have tried to figure out all the particulars regarding the topic and I’m sure this information will enhance your experience, if you do get a chance to witness this architectural marvel.

Let’s start with some basic concept regarding the Lucknow Charbagh. Officially known as the Lucknow NR station (code: LKO), it is one of the four main railway stations in the capital apart from Lucknow Junction Gomti Nagar railway station and Lucknow city.

It is fascinating to know that in 19th century the next prominent station in the North India after Delhi was Lucknow. It was previously called the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway/East Indian railway company. On 23rd April 1867, the 47-mile Lucknow- Kanpur section was opened for traffic. The present building was constructed in 1926 with domes and minars of Mughal Architectural design.

The station was built at a price of 70 lakh rupees and is currently valued at a whopping two million dollars. Designed by J.H Horniman, the foundation of the structure was laid down in March 1914 and the building was finally completed in 1923. A major role in the layout and planning was played by C. Mukta Prasad. The building has a large garden in the front and is culmination of Rajputana and Awadhi architecture. The design of station is such that the sound of trains chugging in and out of the station cannot be heard outside.

The Charbagh is a Persian-style garden layout, which is a quadrilateral in shape. This style was brought to India by the Mughals. Other famous places based on a similar structure include the Humayun’s Tomb and Taj Mahal. I must say that Charbagh is not merely a railway station, but it has had its own significant share in the City of Nawabs.

Prior to being a railway station, the Charbagh Gardens were built for Asaf-ud Daula, the fourth Nawab of Awadh.

It is interesting to note that the first meeting of two luminaries of our freedom struggle – Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru took place at the Charbagh railway station back in 1916. Moreover, this is of the only few railway stations which is considered completely free of child labour.

So, people here we come to the end of this ride. Thank you for coming along, this is Archita signing off. Until next time…

(train whistles in the distance, but it cannot be heard outside because we’re at Charbagh!) *winks*