Un Morceau de France aux Indes (French Influence on Lucknow)

Day tour exploring the French influence on Lucknow

The Europeans who came to India for trade, established themselves at various places including Lucknow. Lucknow of course known as a city of Nawabs, had a huge European population, apart from British it was majorly that of French.

French inspired the cultural fabric of Lucknow and even got inspired themselves. Reciprocal influences can be seen in the areas of art, culture, heritage, lifestyle, architecture and even food. French influence can be seen in the architecture, such as that of its churches, palaces, residential quarters and administrative buildings. It is also evident in other forms, such as the extensive use of chiffon in Lucknow’s fashion, decor by way of bohemian mirrors, chandeliers decorating the ceilings and depiction of mermaids on historical monuments.

La Martiniere & Chateau de Lyon are two of the most prominent edifices of their times that still stand strong to prove French presence in Lucknow. It may sound a bit strange, but Awadh was perhaps one place where British and French lived in harmony and co-existed in the courts of Nawabs, as a strong support for their administration.

On this curated day tour, ‘Un morceau de France aux Indes’, we discover the French connection of Lucknow and unearth some unknown facts that relate well to the subject. An extensive research and planning has gone in to make this tour a fascinating experience that will awestruck even a well-read historian.