Drive from Lucknow to Kakori & explore the underrated fulcrum of Indian revolution & Urdu poetry

Not very far from the City of Nawabs lies Kakori, an underrated land, the name of which is inscribed in golden words throughout the pages of India's rich history. A fulcrum of Urdu art, literature, poetry and architecture, Kakori today is a memorial of many revolutionaries. The town has also been a setting for a multitude of Bollywood films like Umrao Jaan, Anwar, Junoon, and more.

Located approx. 19 kms away from Lucknow, Kakori is an easy 50 minutes drive from the centre of the city, which makes it a perfect weekend getaway! But before you plan your trip from Lucknow to Kakori, here's everything you need to know:

Laden with cultural tokens, Kakori is valuable for food enthusiasts who enjoy the occasional Kakori kebabs. Legend goes that once the Kakori natives, known well for their khaatirdari and tehzeeb, during the Nawab-era, created a customised softer version of Seekh kebabs for a British official. This version eventually came to be known as the famed Kakori kebabs.

But, that's not all. You should also note another major contribution that Kakori has made to the world. The Dusshehri tree, planted in the Dasheri village of Kakori in the 18th century, is known to be the mother of all Dusshehri mango trees spread throughout the world! This historical tree is some 250 years old and peaks as high as 1,600 feet.

However, people, what we want to say it that it is not just about kebabs, for Kakori has a strong historical relevance attached to it. The town is seminal for its contribution in the Indian freedom movement and the Kakori kaand or armed train robbery that occurred here is a testament to the same.

Names of important Indian revolutionaries like Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Rajendra Lahiri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Keshab Chakravarty, Sachindra Bakshi, Manmathnath Gupta, Murari Lal Gupta, Mukundi Lal, and Banwari Lal are linked to the train robbery. The sheer audacity and determination that these freedom fighters showed gave birth to various mutinies throughout the country, and encouraged civilians to fight. And a museum dedicated to the event, that took place on August 9, 1925, also displays their photographs, the chest that the looters wanted, and the lawsuit that was registered against them.

Today, you can visit these memorials, including the Kakori Shaheed Smarak. The Smarak has been made into a tourist attraction with a library that contains books related to the Indian Independence movement against the British Raj. Besides this, the auditorium here also screens 10-minute documentary movies in Hindi and English on the Kakori conspiracy.

If you're still not convinced to why this town is a cultural and historical jewel in the crown of Lucknow, we must tell you that Kakori is also a centre for Qadiriya Qalandari Sufi order (wandering Sufi dervishes). It has been the roots of many famous Urdu writers and poets — Mohsin Kakorvi, Ghulam Ahmed Alavi 'Furqat Kakorvi', and Noorul Hasan Nayyier, to name a few.

Architecturally speaking, you can also visit the palatial Kakori Kothi, built during the time of Nawabs, where the influential 'Lucknow Pact' was signed.

And that's just some of the reasons, on the top of our head, as to why you gotta pay a visit here. Whether it's a pleasant road trip or a train journey, getaway from the centre from Lucknow to visit this lesser-known land.