Colonial and post-colonial memorial parks in Lucknow, India: shifting ideologies and changing aesthetics

A critical review of public parks in Lucknow, India shows that they are predominantly memorials to historic events and settings for historic monuments. They celebrate the cultural identity of the city and commemorate the emerging political ideologies of the state. The memorial parks are based upon c...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of landscape architecture (Wageningen, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2010-09, Vol.5 (2), p.60-71
Main Author: Sinha, Amita
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colonial picturesque
iconic imagery
memorials
political representation
public parks
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:A critical review of public parks in Lucknow, India shows that they are predominantly memorials to historic events and settings for historic monuments. They celebrate the cultural identity of the city and commemorate the emerging political ideologies of the state. The memorial parks are based upon colonial precedents and in their profuse use of statuary they also draw upon the indigenous Indic tradition of iconic imagery. The article argues that memorialisation of political figures, only one among the many civic functions of a public place, should go beyond its person-centric subject to celebrate multiple forms of cultural heritage. Parks built in the last two decades in Lucknow are large, gated and designed around memorial structures and statuary. An alternative park model is outlined that draws upon pre-colonial vernacular and Nawabi precedents, is inviting to all socio-economic groups in society and accommodates diverse local uses.
ISSN:1862-6033
2164-604X
DOI:10.1080/18626033.2010.9723439