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| Roomi Gate (Turkish Gate) |
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| Bada Imamabara |
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| Central Hall |
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| Bada Imambara Dome |
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| View of Upper Chambers |
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| Chinese hall |
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| Place where Tazias are kept |
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| Bhul Bhulaiya (Maze) |
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| The tomb of Asaf-ud-Daula |
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| Shahi Baoli (StepWell) |
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| Hussainabad Clock Tower |
Lucknow was
ruled by Awadh Nawabs for nearly sixteen decades. Here we still find the
glorious tradition and heritage of Nawabs in the form of great mansions,
palaces, mosques and gardens. Bada Imambara is the star attraction and most
popular historic monument in Lucknow. Every day nearly three thousand people
visit this beautiful mansion with spacious courtyards, carvings and massive
arches. The word Imambara means the residence of Imam or a Muslim priest who
leads prayers in a mosque. So it is a prayer hall where religious congregations
are held through the month of Muharram and on other important occasions by Shia
Muslims. In cities like Cairo, Aleppo and Baghdad this type of prayer hall is
seen as an annexe to the main Mosque.
In 1722
the Mughal emperor Muhummad Shah made Mohd. Amin Masawi or Sadat Ali Khan I as
Governor of Awadh. Sadat was the grandson of a rich trader from Khorasan in Iran
who migrated to India. Thus the rule of Awadh Nawabs (a native Governor
appointed by Mughal emperors) began. In 1775 the fourth Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula
ascended the throne. He shifted the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow.
During his
rule there was a severe famine almost for one decade. To provide employment to
starving people Asaf-ud-Daula undertook the construction of this Imambara which
was started in 1784 and completed in 1798. Nearly twenty thousand people were
employed to complete this huge mansion. The Nawab spent nearly one crore rupees
for this construction. Every year he spent four to five lakhs to beautify and
maintain this building. He selected an architect from Delhi, Kifayitullah, who
used his talent and skills to construct this building in ornamental Mughal
style.
The western
entrance called “Roomi Gate or Turkish Gate” is the west-facing 59 feet high
entrance gate with three arches done with lavish decorations. The
arches have the royal insignia of dual fish carved on them. It was built
in ancient Awadhi style and resembles the gateway at Istanbule, Turkey, once
the capital of the Roman Byzantine Empire. The word “Roomi” is the changed
version of the word “Rome”. On the top of the three-storied Darwaja, a small
octagonal place called “Chattri or Umbrella” is seen looking over both sides of
the gate. A staircase leads up to it. This place was used for vigilance or for
ligting up the gate. Four minarets are seen at four corners. The 67-foot tall Husainabad clock tower
adjacent to Roomi gate was constructed by Nawab Nasir-ud-Din Haider in 1881 to
mark the arrival of Sir George Couper, the first Lieutenant Governor of the
United Provinces of Awadh. The eastern entrance gate was destroyed by the British
in 1858 when this building was converted to a military fort.
The roof of
Imambara was made from rice husk and the roof has been put together with
interlocking bricks without any beam or girder. No wood or metal has been used
in this building. This is a unique building with arched entrances without
having any pillars for support. Unlike the Mughals who used red stone, the Nawabs
of Lucknow used limestone which is delicate and can be carved with designs of
creepers, various flowers and intricate designs. This building has three
halls—China hall with decorative domes, Persian hall with the graves of Nawab’s
family and Tazias (replicas of the tombs) of Imam Hussain and Hasan who
sacrificed their lives at Karbala in 680 A.D. and the Kharbooza Hall the domed
ceiling of which is shaped like a watermelon.
The Persian Hall is the most spacious hall measuring 170x55x15 feet
without any supporting columns. In the center of large vaulted Persian hall the
graves of Asf-Ud-Daula, his wife and the architect, Khifayatullah are seen.
Just above the central hall one can see eight
chambers with different heights permitting the space above to be re-constructed
as a labyrinth or maze (called Bhul Bhulaiya) with interconnected one thousand passage
ways through 489 identical doorways. This maze supports the weight of the building.
Our guide told us that the royal ladies used to come through secret underground
passage to attend the prayers conducted in the central hall. People say that
there are many secret passages leading to Gomti River and even up to Agra and
Allahabad. It would be better to enter the maze with the help of a guide as
there is a risk of losing one’s way in the labyrinth with so many passages and
doors.
On the
left side of this building there is a step well of Pre-Nawabi Era with five
stories called ‘Shahi Baoli” built in Indo-Islamic style. It is a water
reservoir used for supplying water to people. This reservoir is connected to Gomti
River. Only the topmost two stories of the step well are seen and the three
stories are under water. On the right side of the building there is Asifi
Masjid where only Muslims are permitted. This monument is open from 6.00 a.m.
to 5.00 p.m. One should go in decent dress to visit this sacred religious
place. The entry fee is rs.50/- per person and Rs.500/- for NRIs. It would be
better to take the help of a guide. We bought a ticket from U.P. Tourism office
at 400/- per person. They will provide the vehicle along with the guid e. We
need not pay the entrance and parking fee. Of course only historic monuments
are included in the schedule and not temples or parks. This monument is really
a worth seeing construction with many unique features and is an outstanding specimen
of the Indo-Mughal architecture.
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1st November, 2019 Somaseshu Gutala
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