“Jisey naa dey Maula, usey dey
Asaf-ud-Daula”
(He who is denied by Allah, is provided for by
Asaf-ud-Daula, a proverb of Lucknow)
In 1722,
during the reign of the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah (one of the lesser
Mughals), Mir Muhammad Amin Musawi, a.k.a. Saadat Ali Khan I was made
governor of Awadh or Oudh province. Awadh, deriving its name from Ayodhya, was
one of the 12 subahs or provinces that Emperor Akbar had carved out of his
empire, for administrative efficiency, between 1572 and 1580. The grandson of a
rich trader from Khorasan (in the North East of modern day Iran) who had
migrated to India, Saadat Ali as his father before him, rose rapidly through
the ranks thanks to military prowess, and found favour with the emperor. With
him began the line of the Nawabs of Awadh. His son-in-law, Muhammad Muqim,
a.k.a. Abul-Mansur Khan Safdar Jung succeeded him in 1737, and Safdarjung’s
grandson, Muhammad Yahya Mirza Amani, a.k.a. Asaf-ud-Daula ascended the throne
on the 26th of January 1775.
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| View from Bada Imambara's terrace |
That same year, Asaf-ud-Daula moved the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow, and had various monuments and buildings constructed in and around the city. Many of those monuments survive today, but for sheer grandeur and scale, few can match the Bada Imambara. 10 years into his reign, Asaf-ud-Daula faced a devastating famine. As his starving subjects turned to him for aid, Asaf-ud-Daula came up with one of the earliest examples of Keynesian economic intervention. He would not give them charity, he told them, but he would provide for them if they were willing to work. And thus began the construction of the Bada Imambara. Asaf-ud-Daula, it is said, hired two groups of workers. One would build during the day; the other would dismantle during the night; with the emperor paying both groups. The modern day biryani (a rice and meat dish that is to India what pizza is to America), is said to have been born out of the need to feed this massive workforce. Completed in 1891, the Bada Imambara remains standing to this day, and is the pride of Lucknow.
Located
in the Hussainabad area of Lucknow, which has a large number of monuments, the
Bada Imambara can be reached easily via car or auto-rickshaw (or Tuc-Tuc if you
will). For reasons I am yet to understand, every local we met, warned us
against taking a ride in the “tanga”, the horse drawn carriage commonly seen on
Lucknow’s streets. While the Archaeological Survey of India is responsible for
the maintenance of the monuments of the area, they remain under the aegis of
the Hussainabad and Allied Trust, who charge you for entering their properties.
Modestly priced tickets grant you entry into 5 monuments in the Hussainabad
area – Bada Imambara, Bhool Bhulaiya, Baoli, Chhota Imambara and Shahi Hamam
and the picture gallery.
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| The Nahbat Khana or Nakkar Khana |
If you’re approaching from the North, or from the East, once you hit Hussainabad Trust Road, the first structure that you’re likely to notice is the Rumi Darwaza, which completely dominates the area. The Bada Imambara is barely a hundred metres away. Your car will drop you right infront of the Imambara, and to your right will the imposing brick red structure called the “Nakkar Khana” or “Nahbat Khana”. This was the place where music would be played for special occasions and the arrival of the king or other important dignitaries would be announced through the playing of drums. It is a three storeyed building, containing a number of cells inside, made of “lakhauri” bricks, and decorated with lime plaster. The roof has two “chhatris” on either side. The dual fish motif, part of the coat of arms of Awadh state, may be seen on the exterior. To maintain symmetry with the Nahbat Khana, Asaf-ud-Daula had two gates constructed to the Imambara, the first of which is directly opposite.
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| View of the main gate from atop the Nakkar Khana |
The main
gateway has three arches and a rectangular plan, similar to the tripolia of
Mughal gateways. The dual fish motif can be seen here again, set in lime
plaster. Miniature domed arches may be seen on its raised parapets, with square
turrets at the corners. A series of fluted domes on the side walls end in
octagonal bastions. The domes, if you notice are topped by what looks like an
inverted lotus, something which is very typical of Islamic architecture in
India. Through the gate, you enter a spacious forecourt, at the end of which is
yet another tri-arched gateway. It is through that gate that you finally enter
the courtyard containing the Bada Imambara.
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| The second gateway |
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| Inside the Shahi Baoli |
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| The Bada Imambara |
Exit the baoli, and proceed down the central path to the massive staircase leading you up to the Bada Imambara. An Imambara, also referred to as a Hussainia, an Ashurkhana or Imambargah, is a congregation hall for Shia commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Remembrance of Muharram. The Nawabs of Lucknow, being originally from Iran, were Shia Muslims and Lucknow remains a predominantly Shia city. On the land on which the Bada Imambara stands today, there once stood the hut a woman called Lado-Saquum. Instead of evicting her by force, Asaf-ud-Daula sent men to enquire what she wanted in return for her land. She demanded no monetary compensation since the land would be used for a noble purpose, but simply requested that the Nawab take responsibility for her Tazia. A Tazia, a representation of the tombs of Hassan and Hussain, who were killed in the Battle of Karbala, on the 10th of October, 680 A.D., are carried by Shia Muslims at the head of processions taken out to mark the occasion of Muharram. Asaf-ud-Daula honoured Lado-Saquum’s request, and her Tazia, still kept inside the Bada Imambara, leads all Muharram processions in Lucknow.
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| Bada Imambara's "Chinese" Hall |
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| Tourist at Bada Imambara's "Watermelon" Hall |
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| Bada Imamabara's Persian Hall. Asaf-ud-Daulah's tomb under the canopy, far right |
On the rear wall of the Persian hall, in recesses, are ornate and beautiful Tazias, while in the centre, on the floor, surrounded by a metal railing are the simple graves of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, his wife, and Kifayatullah himself. When the Nawab asked his architect for his fees, the noble Kifayatullah had refused material compensation, asking instead for “do gaz”, or a grave plot. Thus is it came to be that the servant, in death, was laid next to his master. The next hall is called the Watermelon Hall, from the decoration of its domed ceiling, which we are told resembles the fruit. But the main attraction, especially for Bengalis such as me, lays above the main the main hall, spread across three levels.
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| Inside the Bada Imambara's Bhool Bhulaiya |
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| Tunnel inside Bhool Bhulaiya |
Leave
your shoes with the caretakers, and exit the Bada Imambara building, to explore
the final monument within the complex; the Asfi Masjid. With its two towering
minars on either side, its grand elevation and its ornate stucco work, the Asfi
Masjid is quite easily the most magnificent and eye-catching structure within
the entire complex. One wonders if Asaf-ud-Daula wanted to rival Delhi’s Qutub
Minar. If he did, I must say, mission accomplished old chap, and that too, in
style! A board in front of the mosque proclaims “Non Muslims are prohibited from
entering the mosque”. Not quite as welcoming as Calcutta perhaps, but
nonetheless, you may roam the courtyard freely, and this will satisfy most of
your needs, especially the photographic kind.
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| The Asfi Mosque inside the Bada Imambara complex |
A word of advice to photographers. Do carry what is called an “ultra-wide angle lens”. I was carrying my Canon EF-S 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 and it was a wise decision. Most of the photographs you see here were shot with that lens. The buildings are so huge, that inspite of the spacious courtyard, you will have trouble getting everything in a shot, and will end up cutting stuff out. The Bada Imambara’s three terraces, one upper and two lower, offer particularly magnificent views of Lucknow, and the Imambara complex. It took me about 5 hours to tour and photograph the whole place, so come prepared to spend the better part of a day here, and come early for good light. Do remember to collect your shoes on the way out!
- by Deepanjan Ghosh
MORE ON LUCKNOW
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am
grateful to my friend, Devankan Chakraborty for being my guide around Lucknow, to Kalpajeet Bhattacharya for his hospitality, and to my father Debashish Ghosh, and sister Deepshikha Ghosh for accompanying
me, and providing valuable inputs while shooting the monuments. Check out my father’s flickr page here.
SOURCES
Monuments of Lucknow – R.S. Fonia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awadh
1 comment:
Is it true that you can be heard on other side of walls inside bhool bhulaiya?
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