International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2016 389

ISSN 2250-3153

Importance of cultural tourism in the core area of

Chowk, Lucknow.
Arun Kapur*, Dr. Rekha Jain*
*
Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT, Bhopal

Abstract: greater however, and aims to capture its indirect and induced
India has a history of about 7000 years belonging to Mesolithic impacts through its annual research.
period. Indian history boasts of highly developed civilizations As per the study of WTTC, the total contribution of Travel &
throughout history. The paper tries to relate the tourism industry Tourism to GDP (including wider effects from investment, the
with the economic growth of all old cities of India. Throughout supply chain and induced income impacts, see page 2) was
the world the tourism industry has been an economic generator USD7,170.3bn in 2015 (9.8% of GDP) and was expected to grow
even to conserve the heritage core areas of old cities. Today by 3.5% to USD7,420.5bn (9.8% of GDP) by 2016 end. It is
tourism has been considered to have socio economic values. Thus forecast to rise by 4.0% pa to USD10,986.5bn by 2026 (10.8% of
India, which has a rich cultural heritage has great potential to be GDP).
tapped through tourism. Lucknow is known for its rich cultural
heritage but lack of proper tourism guidelines the old core areas Similarly, the total contribution of Travel & Tourism to
of the city has not been able to showcase its potential. Thus, the employment (including wider effects from investment, the supply
paper tries to bring the importance of heritage tourism in the core chain and induced income impacts, see page 2) was 283,578,000
area of Chowk, Lucknow.The paper addresses the need of jobs in 2015 (9.5% of total employment). This is forecast to rise
rehabilitation and conservation of old inner-city areas and by 2.2% in 2016 to 289,756,000 jobs (9.6% of total
historic monuments in the cities of the developing world through employment). By 2026, Travel & Tourism is forecast to support
tourism guidelines. 370,204,000 jobs (11.0% of total employment), an increase of
2.5% pa over the period.
Index Terms: Heritage, core city area, tourism, culture,
economics. Thus, it is clear that the tourism activity has a great impact on the
economy of a place.
I. Introduction
Tourism is the movement of the tourists from one place to II. Importance of Cultural Tourism in India
another place. It is the temporary short-term movement of people
“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human
to destinations outside the place where they normally live &
speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and
work includes the activities they indulge in at the destination as the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most
well as all facilities and services specially created to meet their artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India
needs. Tourism does not only mean traveling to a particular only!”
destination but also includes all activities undertaken during the —Mark Twain
stay. It includes day visits & excursions. The movement can be in
your country or the tourists can also travel to the foreign The words of mark Twain and the old history of Indian
destinations for the tourism purpose. civilization makes India an attractive tourist destination in the
world. India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Today
Economics of tourism sector world wide tourism in India is a large emerging industry. The history of
Travel & Tourism is an important economic activity in most nearly 4000 years has many links from the rich past. Foreign
countries around the world. Apart from its direct economic tourists are often attracted in search of the glorious past of the
impact, the sector has significant indirect and induced impacts. country. In fact, one can say that all other forms of tourism in
The UN Statistics Division-approved Tourism Satellite India have been off shoots of cultural tourism. The maximum
Accounting methodology quantifies only the direct contribution foreign revenue in tourism is earned through cultural tourism in
of Travel & Tourism. World Travel and Tourism Council India. It is a big source of income in Indian cities. There are
recognizes that Travel & Tourism's total contribution is much various examples which prove this point. Agra is one city where
the maximum economy of the city is because of tourism due to

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International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2016 390
ISSN 2250-3153

the magnificent Taj Mahal. There are many more examples in mosques and that are the reason that among the different kinds of
India where tourism is a major economic generator for the cities. tourism in India, pilgrimage tourism is increasing most rapidly.
The World Travel and Tourism Council calculated that tourism
generated $121 billion or 6.4% of the nation's GDP in 2011. It Eco tourism: Ecotourism entails traveling to places that are
was responsible for 39.3 million jobs, 7.9% of its total renowned for their natural beauty and social culture, while
employment. The GDP of the tourism sector has expanded 229% making sure not to damage the ecological balance. Eco-tourism
between 1990 and 2011. The sector is predicted to grow at an pertains to a conscious and responsible effort to preserve the
average annual rate of 7.7% in the next decade. In a 2011 diversity of a naturally endowed region and sustaining its beauty
forecast the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted the and local culture. Indians have been known since ages to worship
annual growth to be 8.8% between 2011 and 2021. This has and conserve nature. So the growth of ecotourism in India is but
given India the fifth rank among countries with the fastest natural. The vedic knowledge of Ayurveda, the Indian medicine
growing tourism industry. India has a large medical tourism system and its importance in the western world has been an
sector which is expected to grow at an estimated rate of 30% attraction for the growth of eco-tourism in India.
annually to reach about 9,500 crores by 2015. The Ministry of
Tourism designs national policies for the development and Cultural tourism: India is known for its rich cultural heritage
promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and and an element of mysticism, which is why tourists come to India
collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including to experience it for themselves. The birth of many religious
various Central Ministries/agencies, state governments, Union beliefs and religions, India offers a varied platter of colourful
Territories and the representatives of the private sector. festivals and cultures in the country. The various fairs and
III. Types of tourism in India festivals that tourists can visit in India are the Pushkar fair, Taj
Mahotsav, and Suraj Kund mela etc. Cultural tourism India is the
Adventure tourism: This tourism type is the newly developed
predominant factor behind the meteoric rise in the tourism
type in India. Today India has variety of options to offer to the
segment in recent years, because from time immemorial, India
tourists for adventure tourism. This involves exploration of
has been considered the land of ancient history, heritage, and
remote areas and exotic locales and engaging in various
culture
activities. Adventure tourism in India involves trekking in the
Himalayas, skiing in the snow clad mountains of Himachal
Wellness tourism: Wellness tourism is one of the fastest
Pradesh, white water rafting, rock climbing, para gliding etc.
growing forms of international and domestic tourism. This form
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Uttarakhand,
of tourism involves people who travel to a different place to
Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and many more states in India offer
pursue activities that maintain or enhance their personal health
adrenalin packed activities to the tourists for adventure.
and wellness, and who are seeking unique, authentic or location-
Adventure tourism India has registered a formidable growth in
based experiences. Wellness tourism include massages, body
recent years.
treatments, facial treatments, exercise facilities & programs,
weight loss programs, nutrition programs, pre- and post-operative
Wildlife tourism: India has a rich forest cover which has some
Spa treatments and mind/body programs. Places like
beautiful and exotic species of wildlife some of which that are
Uttarakhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Goa etc. offer variety of
even endangered and very rare. This has boosted wildlife tourism
wellness programs for the tourists.
in India. There are many national parks and wild life sanctuaries
in India which are hot destinations for the tourists and wild life
Business Tourism: Business tourism can be defined as travel for
photographers across the world. Places like Jim Corbett National
the purpose of business. Business Tourism can be divided into
Park, Sunderbans wildlife sanctuary, Kaziranga National Park,
three sections: Trading for goods to be resold on a wholesale
Ranthanbhor National Park, Sasan Gir National Park, Sariska
basis, conduct business transactions e.g. visiting a client, contract
National Park etc. offer variety of places for the wild life tourists.
negotiations Attending a conference, exhibition or event
associated with their business. Today Indian economy is a fastest
Pilgrimage tourism: India has a history of nearly 4500 years and
growing economy in the world and is a biggest business
some of the oldest cities in the world. Cities like Varanasi
attraction for the global companies. The growth in the economy
(Kashi) is one of the oldest living city which is a hot destination
has given boost to the business tourism in India in last few years.
for Pilgrimage tourism. India is famous for its temples and

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ISSN 2250-3153

Heritage Tourism: India has always been famous for its rich experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically
heritage and ancient culture. India s glorious past and cultural represent the stories and people of the past and present.” Cultural,
diversity make a potent blend which attracts millions of tourists historic, and natural resources all make up heritage tourism sites.
each year to its heritage tourist attractions. The government of A study by the Travel Industry Association in 2003 shows that
India and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture encourage heritage travelers stay longer at their destinations and spend more
heritage tourism in India by offering several benefits to the money there than other types of travelers. According to a survey
Indian states that are particularly famous for attracting tourists. the travelers say that trips are more memorable if they include a
Today heritage tourism is still growing and has immense heritage activity where they learn something.
untapped potential. One of the principle objectives of cultural heritage tourism is
collaboration with local organizations and the public to develop
Leisure Tourism: India offers one of the cheapest tourist sustainable economies. Tourism creates jobs, new business
destinations for the middle income foreign tourists. Places like opportunities, and strengthens local economies. It protects natural
Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Goa, Varanasi, Uttarakhand etc. often and cultural resources, which improve the quality of life for
find young tourists who find India to be a cost effective tourist residents and travelers who participate in the services and
destination for them. attractions. Heritage tourism also promotes community pride by
allowing people to work together to enhance economic and
Cruise Tourism: The luxury trains like palace on wheels, cultural development through distinct community opportunities.
maharaja express, the Deccan Odyssey, The Golden Chariot etc. Studies show that travelers are more suitable to visit places with a
offer variety of options for cruise tourism clubbed with heritage strong community identity.
tourism in India.
Tourism scenario in Uttar Pradesh
Sports Tourism: India is one of the few countries in the world UP has grown in terms of tourism due to many tourist attractions.
where we find all six seasons and also variety of geographical Taj Mahal in Agra, Varanasi, the Buddhist tourist trail, the wild
conditions. This has helped India to develop various sports life tourism etc. of UP are some to the many tourist attractions
destinations right from Kashmir in the extreme north to due to which the footfall of tourists has increased in last few
Kanyakumari in the down south and from Arunachal Pradesh in years.
the east to Gujarat in the west. Tourists find variety of winter
sport activities to water sports in various parts of the country. Today is amongst the top ranked states in terms of tourist
India boasts of the highest cricketing stadiums in the world. footfalls, both domestic as well as foreigners. This surely is a
sign of maturation of the industry, which can continue only with
Educational Tourism: Today the world is looking towards the support of state and national government. The positive trends
India. The Indian higher education colleges in almost all the of the last few years must surely flourish - the statistics speak for
fields are among one of the top Colleges in the world. The itself.
Governmental subsidies and encouragement for foreign students IV. About the study: Chowk, Lucknow
make Indian Colleges a hot destination. Indian Government has
separate quota for the SAARC (South Asian Association for CulturalTourism in Lucknow
Regional Cooperation) countries. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state
of India. Ithad a population of 2,815,601 in 2011.Located in what
Heritage Tourism historically known as the Awadh region, it has alwaysbeen a
What is Heritage Tourism? The National Trust for Historic multicultural city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens,
Preservation defines cultural heritage tourism as “traveling to poetry,music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving

Year Indian Foreigner Total (in Lacs)

2010 1447.55 23.24 1470.79
2011 1554.30 26.39 1580.69
2012 1683.82 29.89 1713.70
2013 2265.31 32.06 2297.37
2014 1828.20 29.10 1857.30
2015 1975.45 31.42 2005.87 www.ijsrp.org
Table 1: Details of Indian and foreign tourists who visited important tourist places in Uttar Pradesh
Source: FICCI report ‘Uttar Pradesh- changing perspective’, 2016
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Shia Nawabs ofthe city are well known.t is popularly known as post-independence time. It is a place which is known for the Indo
the city of Nawabs. Sara scenic architecture style. The Imambaras, the step well, the
traditional kothis etc. are good examples of Nawabi era and on
In the 18th century, Lucknow became the capital of Awadh. the other hand the Constantia of La Martiniere Boys College is
Under thepatron of the Nawabs, the city flourished as a centre of today a UNESCO’s world heritage site.
a unique cultureknown for its exotic cuisine and its very rich
language and poetry.From Chowk and Nakkhas to Aminabad and Literature: The 19th century was a period when the Nawabs of
Hazratganj, the eighty-oddyears preceding 1857 saw the Lucknow encouraged almost all art forms in the city. Lucknow
emergence of early modern Lucknow. became famous for the various Urdu poets and literature. Nawab
Wajid Ali Shah patronized many poets in his court. Poets
Governance was the monopoly of Nawabs and Taluqdars, neither like ‘Baqr’, ‘Ahmad Mirza Sabir’, ‘Mufti Munshi’, and ‘Aamir
entiremodern nor democratic; tends to emerge of new desires and Ahmad Amir’ became famous during that time. The
aspiration fornew social groups. This formed the emergence of encouragement in the field of literature became the reason for the
complexity in elementsin everyday life in Lucknow. Lucknow nazakt and nafasat in the language of the city.
has been known for its rich cultural heritage. The few things
which makes Lucknow famous for the tourists are: Dance and performing art forms: Lucknow is the birth place of
the Lucknow Gharana of the traditional dance form Kathak. The
Food: Lucknow not only reminds for its Nawabi culture, craft dance form got the patron ship of the Nawabs of Lucknow during
and architecture but is also known for its impression on cuisine the Pre Colonial era. Lucknow has been famous for the
that developed in the city. Lucknow cuisine has carved its niche traditional story telling art form of Dastangoi. Dastangoi has its
in the international tourism map. In Lucknow especially old origin in the Persian language. Dastan means a tale; the suffix -
Lucknow had a unique identity and individuality, reflecting the goi makes the word mean "to tell a tale". In Lucknow, dastangoi
richness and royalty of the past. Lucknow has been related well was popular across all classes, and was regularly performed at
with its tundey kebabs, makkhan malai, sheermaal, paan gilori diverse locations including chowks (city squares), private
etc. Lucknow has an immense untapped potential in the age old households, and afeem khana (public opium houses).
traditional street food which is today struggling for its existence.
Socio- cultural heritage: Lucknow has often said to be synonym
Clothing and handicrafts: The city is synonymous for its of culture. For Lucknow, culture is not just in its architecture but
intricate zardozi and chikankari embroidery. This handicraft is in its every nook and corner. It is in the language, attire, food,
losing its sheen in today’s fast moving technological world. folklore, music and the life of its people. This culture comes
However, many non-governmental organizations have come across significantly whenever given a chance. But the unfortunate
forward for the revival of these handicrafts. Zardozi and reality is that it has never been given even half a chance. The city
Chikankari has today started making its presence felt in the carries on with the same image of just being the capital city of
international fashion scene.

Figure 2: Bara Imambara

Figure 1: Zardozi embroidery work Uttar Pradesh with a couple of significant Imambaras to its
Historical Buildings: Lucknow has a history of various time credit.
periods ranging from the Nawabi era to the Colonial era and the

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The cultural importance of core area of Chowk, Lucknow areas have started migrating to better developed areas. The
Chowk is the oldest part of Lucknow located at the west side of transformation has resulted in the rapid change of the landuseand
the city, which has a rich history and heritage value. The area thus are changing the built form of the original buildings and thus
tells about the prosperous Nawabi era of the city and speaks of resulting in complete metamorphism in the architectural character
the rich cultural heritage of Lucknow. Lucknow has always been which is a matter for concern.
known for its Sham- e- Avadh, just like Subah-e-Banaras of
Varanasi. Shaam-e-Awadhhas been famous and much has been Another issue is also a resultant of this slow migration, that the
written about it and its atmosphere of lilting sounds of music and small scale industries which used to be run in each household is
ghungroo, mujra dances and melodious singing of ghazals and also reducing and we rarely find the new breed of artisans in such
thumri as forms of light and classical music that was associated areas. Traffic, services, parking, waste management etc. has
with it. Today many of the old characteristics of the area are not always been an issue in the core city areas. The streets are not
seen in Chowk. However, Chowk stillshows the conviviality of a equipped to handle heavy traffic. There is problem of
commercial area surrounded by residential clusters of different connectivity with the newer developments of the city. Above all,
communities which add on to the Ganga- Jamuni tahzeeb of there is problem of self-awareness among the people living in the
Lucknow. core city areas. There is complete loss of participation in any
conservation activity or Government policy matter for such areas.
Historically since Chowk was a place which was bound to have This constant mutation if allowed may result in irreversible
the presence of the patrons of the tawaifs who were mostly damage to the heritage of Lucknow, both tangible as well as the
aristocrats, nobles, nawabs, jagirdars, taluqadars, wasiqadars, intangible.
mahajans (money lenders) and highly placed officers of the
Nawabi administration and were supposedly connoisseurs of arts VI. FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
and crafts; the market had gold and silversmiths, dealers of Benefits of heritage tourism
precious stones and engravers called nageen taraash, ivory The promotion of heritage tourism is a win- win situation for
craftsmen, cloth merchants who dealt in chikan, zardozi, both the inhabitants of the core city as well as the tourists who
kaarchob, kamkhaab and silk items of clothing, that the rich come to visit the place. The benefits of heritage tourism can be
could afford. summarized as below:
• Tourists have fulfilling experiences
V. Current issues of the core area of Chowk, Lucknow • Resources get needed maintenance attention by the city
administration
Lucknow, despite of having a glorious past has not been able to
• Hosts receive meaningful economic return
showcase itself in the global tourism map. Lucknow was once
• Historic past is preserved
called by various names like The Constantinople of India, the
City of the Nawabs, Shiraz-e-Hind, the Golden City of the East, • Underutilized historic resources are developed
Choti Kashi. The city still remains undefined, unexplored and • Ways are found to make attractions out of archaeological
mystic. The core area of the city, Chowk offers the variety of traditional values
reasons for the enhancement of tourism but has not been able to • Historic and cultural sites attract visitors and rehabilitation of
showcase its potential. The lack of interest by the administration existing buildings is often cheaper than building a new
is a reason for the slow decay that the core city area is facing structure
today. • Out migration of the original residents of the core city areas is
stopped
Today the concern is that if this decay is allowed to happen, soon • Promotion of heritage tourism can help in conserving the
the city might lose its cultural heritage potential.The core city tangible and intangible heritage of the core city areas
areas are showing signs of rapid mutations which may soon result
in losing its heritage value. The survey conducted in the core area VII. CONCLUSIONS
of Chowk reveals that nearly 27% of the total old buildings have The Dynamic Interaction between Tourism and Cultural
been replaced by modern structures. The survey conducted shows Heritage
that nearly 30% of the people in the core area have eithertheir From the paper one can conclude that tourism continues to be
work place or their residences more than 4Km away from this among the foremost vehicles for cultural exchange, providing a
place. It is a clear indicative that people belonging to the core personal experience, not only of that which has survived from the

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International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 6, Issue 12, December 2016 394
ISSN 2250-3153

past, but of the contemporary life and society of others. It is Authors:

increasingly appreciated as a positive force for natural and First Author: Arun Kapur, B.Arch. M.Arch. PhD scholar at
cultural heritage conservation. One can say that tourism can Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT, Bhopal. E-
capture the economic characteristics of the heritage and utilize Mail: [email protected]
these for conservation by generating funding, educating the
community and influencing policy. It is an essential part of many Second Author: Dr. Rekha Jain, B.Arch. M.Plan. Professor,
national and regional economies and can be an important factor Department of Architecture and Planning, MANIT, Bhopal. E-
Mail: [email protected]
in development, when managed successfully. Planned promotion
of tourism can bring benefits to host communities and provide an
important means and motivation for them to care for and
maintain their heritage and cultural practices. The participation
and understandingbetween the local and/or indigenous
community representatives, conservationists, tourism operators,
property owners, policy makers, those preparing national
development plans and site managers is necessary to achieve a
sustainable tourism industry and enhance the protection of
heritage resources for future generations.

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