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Destinations Why We Love India: How Fish Inspired The City Of Lucknow
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Why We Love India: How Fish Inspired The City Of Lucknow

We discover the tale of fish that form the leitmotif of the architecture, decorative arts, and cuisine of Lucknow.

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By: Khushboo Ramnane  Published: Aug 24, 2022 10:45 AM IST

Why We Love India: How Fish Inspired The City Of Lucknow

On a seemingly typical trip to Lucknow, Travel + Leisure India & South Asia’s contributor chances upon the tale of two fish that form the leitmotif of the architecture, decorative arts, and cuisine of the Awadh region. By Khushboo Ramnane 

Rumi Darwaza
The culturally significant Rumi Darwaza.

On a crisp spring morning, I am ushered from the iconic Rumi Darwaza to a slightly raised part called Laxman Tila. In between rose plantations and a soft-hued Awadhi sky, my eyes fall on the motif of a pair of fish. Mahi Maratib (the fish standard) was the highest honour of bravery in the Mughal empire. It was conferred upon the highest dignitaries by the emperors. The twin fish gained more prominence in time and became the chief element of the royal insignia of Awadh. Over the day, I would realise that the fish is omnipresent in the Awadh region, from every ancient gate in the city and the state crest to organza chikankari saris and modern-day logos.  

My guide Samir Kher is a Lucknow native who runs a conscious travel outfit called Deep Dive India. He stops us several times on our tour to rummage in his bag for archival photos, maps, and paintings depicting the buildings as they were centuries ago. “You see down there?” he says pointing in the direction of the river. “That’s where Saadat Ali Khan or Buhran Ul Mulk came from. He was sent by Akbar to become the overlord of the Awadh region.” This region is of formidable significance; it has atmospheric monuments that follow Fibonacci series and other scientific principles, tehzeeb or mannerisms that underscore its rich diversity, and food that symbolises cultural and culinary syncretism. It is believed that a control over Uttar Pradesh meant control over the entire country.  

Fish motifs
Fish motifs at Kudiya Ghaat in Lucknow.

Lucknow’s Fish-Inspired Architecture

Later, I meet conservation architect Nishant Upadhyah whose modern design atelier Dharatal (with a branch in Lucknow and Belgium each), keeps the tradition of fish insignia alive. “Above our alleyway on both sides is this fish motif metal work to allow sunlight in,” he says. He believes that fish is also a sign of good tidings and prosperity, based on one of the popular versions of Sadat Ali Khan’s story, “Sadat Ali Khan came from Farukabad, crossing Ganga/ Sarayu River and a pair of fish twins jumped on his lap. He took it as a good omen and adopted fish as a symbol of Awadh. The use of fish is interesting from a designer’s perspective.  

The Eastern Gate
The Eastern Gate is one of the two Lakhi gates constructed by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.

A British designer also used the motif of fish in the crown of the new badshah,” explains Upadhyay. Lucknow sits on the rich Gangetic delta plains. It’s common understanding then, “that if you have healthy fish, you have healthy people because river-based settlements rely on water from the river. It affects the crop, which in turn affects the health of the army in olden days and in our case today, labour. The motif is significant in Oriental and Iranian philosophies too,” he adds. 

Kher paints this already textured canvas with another conjecture. “Mahi Muratib was a Persian title given to the brave, like a knighthood. It’s important to note here that the Mughals looked toward Persia in an aspirational way. Fish was important among nobility there and Mughal empire consisted of nobility and soldiers from all over. 

Fish cuisine of Lucknow

Naimat Khana is one of the cult restaurants in Qaiserbag that sources food from home chefs all over Lucknow, who have perfected nawabi cuisine over generations. Aksari Naqvi who runs Naimat Khana is also a qissebaaz (storyteller). He takes me back a few centuries. The significance of fish in this region could be older than pre-nawabi era, according to him. “Hindu deity Ram went into jal samadhi, deep meditative state of surrender to water; Arjun also pierced the eye of a fish in Sita’s swayamvar. Perhaps fish is a narrative thread that we have held on to.”  

I take a walk around the old chowk area, adjacent to where the heritage monuments are. What would once have been a bustling bazaar, symbolic of the cosmopolitan culture of the city, is now chock-a- block with neglected buildings, tightly packed stores, and few heritage homes. Back at the hotel, Chef Narendra Singh of Taj Mahal Lucknow tells me about vanishing fish recipes, “One of the oldest fish preparations that is fast vanishing is machli jamindoz. You dig a hole, place the fish, and heat it from the top. It’s rustic, has no colour, and would have possibly evolved from hunting parties where food had to be cooked with limited means.” To my delight, he also adds that old chefs in old chowk still make this. 

Lucknow Fish Dish
Awadhi preparation of Rohu in mustard oil and fenugreek seeds.

Other fish preparations in the Awadhi culinary repertoire are machli musallam where fish is stuffed with meat, steamed in a handi, with a thick gravy; Anarkali fish, which is a dry preparation seasoned with carom (ajwain). It is marinated with bhuna chana (roasted and ground lentil) and is deep fried. “We prefer to eat fish in winters in the form of tandoori tikka called Mahi kebab. Fish in Lucknow is always cooked in copper vessels. The large ones are called lagain, like a big paraat (a flat bottomed vessel with a wide brim) that has deeper centre,” says Singh. 

Fish in Lucknow’s history

It is evening by the time I arrive at the British Residency, Lucknow’s other unmissable gem. Accommodating my limited time in the city, Kher bypasses some details and gives me a crash course about how the East India Company gained more power after the Battle of Plassey and Delhi, lost its military prowess. As a consequence, the nawabs too moved away from the war and used their resources and time in cultural refinement, “to an extent of debauchery possibly under the rule of the last nawab Wajid Ali Shah who was a different person and a century ahead of his time,” he explains.  

Wajid Ali Shah’s painting
The open breast in Wajid Ali Shah’s painting resembles a fish.

“In one of his paintings, his exposed left breast resembles the shape of a fish. The theory is that he had enough of the nonsense of exclusivity, dressed as Krishna on Janmashtami, held Basant Panchami celebrations in the palace, and was responsible for the amalgamation of culture with food and clothing.” Upadhyay goes on to say, “The rigidity transformed with time and here too, fish was a metaphor. 

The mermaids at Sibtainabad Imambara
The mermaids at Sibtainabad Imambara

While fish motifs in Faizabad are larger and have aggressive features with metal teeth, fish in the Press Club building and Sibtainabad Imambara in Hazratganj (now known as Atal Chowk) metamorphise into mermaids. This is when nawabs became decadent,” Kher says.

Crafts inspired by fish

Lucknow Fish Textile
A modern interpretation of the fish insignia at Dharatal, a design atelier in Lucknow.

My next stop is Numaya, a slow fashion brand headed by Ayesha Safwi. She gives me an insight into prevalance of fish motifs in Awadhi clothing. “Awadhi fashion has always been greatly influenced by its culture and architecture. Fish being a symbol of peace, was widely used and admired by the nawabs. Mahi pusht is a popular tukdi/chatapatti design that slightly resembles fish scales without completely revealing its association with the aquatic animal,” she says. Popularly used in ethnic outfits like ghararas and shararas, it is a tricky and time-consuming task—the fabric is cut in the shape of fish scales and stitched together to make six yards of fabric that is then embroidered and stitched into the finished outfit.  

No less extraordinary is the experience that Sheeba Iqbal of Aab-o-Daana, a boutique home-dining experience in Lucknow shares. “Such was the importance of fish that newly-wedded girls were sent off with a claypot of curd and a fish tied around it,” Iqbal says. She also highlights other preparations of Mahi—Machli ke kebab, kadwe tel mein bani hui machli (fish braised in mustard oil), and fried fish. Upadhyay concludes, “but unlike mutton, fish has no ritualistic significance in Awadh.”  

As my sojourn comes to an end, I realise the truth; a few days can only scratch the surface of this piscine narrative. 

Getting to Lucknow

Lucknow is well connected to other major cities of the country via regular flights.

Stay at Fairfield by Marriott, Lucknow

Fairfield by Marriott, Lucknow offers rooms with several exclusive amenities like a fitness center, digital check-in, and meeting rooms. Doubles from INR 7,448.

Related: Cooking Age-old Royal Recipes With The Maharajas Of Maheshwar

Written By

Khushboo Ramnane 

Khushboo Ramnane 

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