India, Nov. 1 -- The Gomti Nagar area of Lucknow has attained a distinction of sorts, being divided into 'khands,' all commencing with the letter 'V.' Older, planned areas of Lucknow were less exotic - being organised into sectors (Mahanagar, Aliganj) and blocks (Indira Nagar). This classification, however, seems mundane when compared to vintage names of localities and settlements in older areas of Lucknow city, which we attempt to de-mystify. The frequent use of certain colloquial prefixes and suffixes can serve as a key to unravelling the origins of these neighbourhoods. Terms such as 'ahata' (compound), 'bagh' (orchard/garden), 'basti' (settlement), 'ganj' (market), 'ghat' (riverbank), 'jheel' (lake), 'katra' (inn), 'kheda' (small dwelling), 'koocha' (narrow lane), 'mandi' (wholesale market), 'naka' (checkpoint), 'nagar' (township), 'purwa' (hamlet), 'takia' (resting place) and 'tola' (community settlement) provide rich insights into the historical context of these names, laying bare the logic behind their origins. While it is not feasible to cover all such names in the limited confines of a newspaper column, some of the more interesting nomenclatures deserve a descriptive analysis. The yagya (sacrificial rite) of the Vajpayee Brahmins during the time of Akbar had led to the establishment of Vajpayee Tola, Katari Tola and Sondhi Tola among others in Lucknow. Rani Katra was founded by the wife of Raja Girdhar Nagar, a Hindu subadar of Awadh, after whom, the Shia dynasty led by Burhan-ul-Mulk would take over. The emergence of localities such as Katra Saiyad Hussain Khan, Katra Abu-Turab Khan in present-day Chowk, Katra Khudayar Khan, Katra Bazan Beg Khan in present-day Sa'adatganj and Serai Mali Khan in Daulatganj are attributed to the times of Burhan-ul-Mulk. The influx of holy men or 'peers' resulted in areas such as Peer Jalil, Peer Bukhara, Rauza Bagh, Takia Angara Shah and Takia Tara Shah. Baba Hazara, a Nanak Shahi seer arrived at Lucknow during the times of Shuja-ud-Daula and settled down at Ahata Surat Mal. The settlement would later be known as Bagh Baba Hazara. This period also marked the entry of the first Christian missionaries, who established a Padre Tola near present-day Golaganj after Father Josef Bernini, a Capuchin priest, had obtained a land grant of 20 bighas from Shuja-ud-Daula, having cured Bahu Begum of a carbuncle. The burial ground of the settlement is extant today as the Qaiser Pasand Cemetery, but the settlement and its chapel were razed after the events of 1857. The localities attributed to Asaf-ud-Daula include Yahyaganj, Moti Jheel, Charbagh, Wazirganj (in honour of his son, Wazir Ali), Amaniganj, Nakkhas, Nawabganj, Tirmaniganj, Tikri and several others. Sa'adat Ali Khan is credited for establishing Sa'adatganj, Rakabganj, Jangliganj, Maqboolganj, Golaganj, Maulviganj, Rastogi Mohalla, Barood Khana, Chikmandi and Mashakganj. Badshah Bagh, (present Lucknow University campus), Badshah Nagar, Mehdiganj, Hussainganj and Haiderabad (present Colvin College campus) came up during the reign of 'Badshah' Ghazi-ud-Din Haider, while the areas of Pasand Bagh, Ganeshganj, Chandbagh (present-day Chandganj and IT College) and Chakkar Purwa are attributed to his son, Nasir-ud-Din Haider. Chakkar Purwa had been named after Nasir-ud-Din's racecourse. Earlier, the area adjoining Constantia (La Martiniere College) had been named Martin Purwa. While many such names are self-explanatory, others are intriguing. Understandably, Barood Khana was a repository for gunpowder, while cannon balls were cast and stocked in Golaganj. 'Taksal' meant a mint in the vicinity. Chikmandi would have been a wholesale market for selling 'chiks' (blinds made from bamboo slats), Bansmandi for the sale of bamboo and Mashakganj would have been a specialised market for the 'mashak' (leather bag for carrying/dispensing water by the 'bhishti' or water carrier). Bawarchi Tola and Tadikhana (Tadi = an intoxicant made from date palm) are easy to understand, but Naka Hindola? 'Naka' signifying a check post, it is entirely possible that such a check post might have existed here for horse-drawn carriages ('hindola') on their way to Unnao or Kanpur. Balu Adda would have surely been an 'adda' or hangout for those engaged in sand mining and its trade. Was Bulaki Adda a medieval market for thoroughbred horses? The question remains unanswered although the locality in question remains. The British introduced their own nomenclature for colonial Lucknow. They almost never memorialised their historical personalities, preferring to honour instead, few 'heroes of 1857' as in Lawrence Terrace and Neil Square, and mostly commemorate former and serving bureaucrats! For example, Bansmandi Chauraha became Frampton Square in honour of HJ Frampton, deputy secretary, United Provinces. Blunt Square, near Charbagh, was named after Edward Blunt, assistant commissioner. Cassels Road was named after WS Cassels, commissioner, Lucknow division. Forsyth Road (present-day Dayanidhan Park Road) was named after JD Forsyth, secretary to the chief commissioner, Oudh. JM Clay, after whose name Clay Square was established, had served as chief secretary, United Provinces, in British India. While a great number of quaint, quirky names from Lucknow's medieval and colonial past persist even today, many more have vanished forever with the passage of time....