Dilkusha is a residential colony in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

, the capital city of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Near the banks of the

River Gomti The Gomti, Gumti or Gomati River is a tributary of the Ganges. According to beliefs, the river is the son of Rishi Vashishtha and bathing in the Gomti on Ekadashi (the 11th day of the two lunar phases of the Hindu calendar month) can wash away ...

, the colony has been the residence of government officials for more than a hundred years. Dilkusha is situated 2 km from Hazratganj in central Lucknow, and is close to amenities and schools such as Loreto and La Martiniere. ''Dilkusha'' means "my heart is happy". The palace of

Dilkusha Kothi Dilkusha Kothi is the remains of an eighteenth-century house built in the English baroque style in the quiet Dilkusha area of Lucknow in India.

, the oldest building in the colony, was built in the eighteenth century by

Nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...

Saadat Ali Khan (1798-1814). The palace (now a ruin) formerly served as a hunting lodge for British officers and nawabs. Dilkusha Kothi was an Indianised English baroque style building, but was damaged considerably during the

First War of Indian Independence The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

in 1857. Today the colony is completely owned by the government of Uttar Pradesh. The residences are divided into A, B, C, PW and EH (the last two being completely reserved for the officers of the Public Works Department of Uttar Pradesh with PW - referring to Public Works and EH to "Experimental Housing" being one of the few multistory government housing). The colony for the most part is close-knit, with journalists, academics, IAS, PCS and other government officials living here. There is a recreation club for the residents of the colony.

References

External links

Photograph of the ruined Dilkusha KothiPincode of Dilkusha
Neighbourhoods in Lucknow {{Lucknow-geo-stub