Posted on: 6 December 2011

Great Imambara, Lucknow - 1870

View of the Central Hall from the courtyard photographed by John Edward Saché (1870s). Nawab Asaf ud-Daula of Awadh (r.1775-97), requested architect Kifayat-ullah to construct the Great Imambara in 1784 , for the purpose of celebrating the Muslim festival of Muharram in commemoration of the Imams Ali, Hasan, and Hussein. Subsequently, the Imambara was used as a mausoleum for Asaf ud-Daula upon his death in 1797. The Great Imambara complex consists of several forecourts and gateways which lead to the Imambara.

Source : British Library


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Sanjay Shukla... ek nazar...

I LOVE this place! Have great childhood memories of wandering around in the complex.

The local guides say that the adhesive material used to bind the building material together is actually foodstuff.

Ek nahi, Dono Nazarein hat hi nahi rahein, Sukanya

Still today the Muharram Tazia is kept inside this Imambara.

The over all management of the premises and its maintenance is rather pathetic.

It also boasts the mosque where certain scenes from Gadar were shot, pretending to be Pakistan.

Jisko na de Maula usko de Asaf-ud-Daula

isn't the story behind this saying interesting Digvijay Singh Kushwaha

Indeed it is Mrs Banerji. Why don't you regale us all with it?

u do the honour