Lucknow is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Retaining a feast of British Raj architecture as well as home to two grandiose tombs,Lucknow was the administrative and cultural hub of the Nawabs of Avadh (Oudh). During the period of the weakening of the Mughal Empire, the city rose into prominence as a centre for poetry, music, dance and courtly diction.