Lucknow

• Bada Imambara, Chota Imambada, Roomi Gate and Clock Tower are all located at walking distance from each other. Bada Imambara holds Bhool Bhulaiya which is not to be missed even with the crowd thronging.
• Aminabad is the area to be for food related interests. Tunday Kababi, Prakash Kulfi and Netram Kachori are all close by.
• La Martiniere and Ambedkar Park are good for a stroll. Both offer different legacies - the college is old and the park is latest addition to Lucknow.

Lucknow was shining bright as we alighted from Shatabdi. Our hotel was little far in Gomti Nagar but thanks to readily available taxi for hire, we checked in within next half hour. Plan was to rest for an hour and chalk out the route we need to take to maximize our stay. The Imambadas (Bada & Chota) were definitely in the list and so was the delicacies of Aminabad - Tundey Kababi, Prakash Kulfi and Netram Kachoris to name a few.

Chota Imambara

We started with exploring chikan shops of Hajratganj as it was a hot afternoon and we preferred cool closed spaces. Soon we were done shopping and set for Chota Imambada which is 20 min drive along the bank of river Gomti. Chota Imambada is indeed small with urdu carvings on the wall as centre of attraction. We were done in no time and decided to take an e-rickshaw to Bada Imambada.

Urdu carvings @ Chota Imambara

On the way we came across the Clock Tower and further to it Rumi Darwaja. Both have independent unique attributes worth appreciating. Our destination, however, was Bada Imambara which took us by surprise with its massive structures. The three main components - masjid, stepwell and bhulbhulaiya - were each worth an hour of exploring.

Mosque @ Bada Imambara

We started with stepwell and followed a guided tour to explore the intricate network of stairs within. Bhulbhulaiya was another matter. Innocent and flat from outside, once you enter the maze, it's difficult to the first timer to even get a grip of where he came from. It takes some time to understand the pattern of gullies carved inside the huge structure. We came out exhausted and in need of rest.

Stepwell @ Bada Imambara

Our next pitstop was Aminabad market. Objective was all gastronomical. We first settled for Prakash Kulfi at the roof and had a delicious kulfi falooda. Next we moved to Netram Kachori and in no time finished couple plates full of kachoris. A cup of tea followed after which we decided to call it a day.

Aminabad Market

Hotel was cosy although we had a tight schedule the next day. We had to start early at 7AM to take a bus for Varanasi. The journey on bus was another 7 hours. Thankfully the road was mostly in good condition.