Lucknow Mahotsav, is an Indian Art & culture program organized every year 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 ...

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 ...

to showcase

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 ...

Art and Culture and in particular Lucknowavi ‘ Tehzeeb’ so as to promote Tourism. One of the objectives of the cultural bonanza is to provide encouragement to the Artisans. Craftsmen from all over the country bring their masterpieces to the festival to the delight of shoppers. Colorful processions, traditional dramas,

Kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

dances in the style of Lucknow Gharana,

Sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, and Boro folk music (there known as the ''serja'') – in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is ...

and

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

recitals, ghazals,

qawali Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: ( Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...

s and

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...

produce a cheerful atmosphere during the ten-day-long festival. Exciting events like ekka races, kite flying, cockfighting and other customary village games re-establish an ambience of the bygone Nawabi days.

History

The year 1975-76 was observed and organized by Southern Asians as The Tourism Year. On this occasion it became a motive to promote Lucknow Mahotsav’s Art, Culture, and Tourism for national and international tourists. The decision to organize the Lucknow Festival was taken. During this period, with the exception of a few years, Lucknow Mahotsav has been celebrated every year. During the festival, an array of displays and events from Tonga races to Vintage automobiles reminds one of the past glories. It was held in Begum Hazratmahal Park for most of time .

Cuisines

Mahotsav is a delight for the connoisseurs of good food as it is the ideal place to pamper the taste buds of the visitors with endless varieties of scrumptious dishes as a wide range of cuisines are available at the festival, including Kesaria Doodh, Kabab-parathas and other mouth-watering non-vegetarian exotic dishes.

Entertainment

The 10 days long festival is one such example. The festival invites many musical as well as comical artists for completing your day in its full sense. The festival celebrated between 25 November and 5 December in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is a cultural extravaganza. During these 10 days, the entire arena is filled with people enjoying various rides and other poetry/cultural events.

References

{{reflist Festivals in Uttar Pradesh Culture of Lucknow