Place · Shia imambara complex · India
Bara Imambara, Lucknow
Also known as Asafi Imambara
The 1784 Bara Imambara at Hussainabad in central Lucknow, built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula of Awadh (ruled 1775-1797) as a famine-relief public-works project during the Great Bengal Famine of 1783-1784. The 50-metre central hall is one of the largest unsupported vaulted roofs in the world. The complex includes the Asafi Mosque, the Shahi Bawli (royal stepwell), the Bhul Bhulaiya (labyrinth of 1,024 identical passageways and 489 doorways in the upper storey), and the Rumi Darwaza. The 1856 British Awadh annexation turned the complex into the Lucknow Residency military HQ; the 1857 siege of Lucknow saw heavy fighting here. ASI protection since 1904.
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Patron dynasty
- Awadh Nawabi
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 26.870, 80.909
Connections (2)
- Site withinFarangi Mahal, Lucknow
The 1784 Bara Imambara sits within Lucknow, at Hussainabad in the central old city. Built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula as a famine-relief public-works project, the 50-metre central hall and the Bhul Bhulaiya labyrinth remain the chief landmarks of Awadhi Lucknow alongside the adjacent Rumi Darwaza and the Residency complex.
- Site withinLucknow
The Bara Imambara, built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula of Awadh in 1784 as a famine-relief public-works project, stands at the north edge of old Lucknow. Its 50-metre vaulted central hall is one of the largest unsupported arched chambers in the world; the attached Bhul-bhulaiya labyrinth is the city's best-known tourist attraction.
Sources
Standard reference.
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