Place · Shia imambara & mausoleum · India
Chota Imambara, Lucknow
Also known as Hussainabad Imambara
The 1838 Chota Imambara (Hussainabad Imambara) at Hussainabad in central Lucknow, built by Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah of Awadh (ruled 1837-1842) as his own and his mother's mausoleum. The 'Palace of Lights' earns its nickname from the thousands of chandeliers imported from Belgium (now the largest private Belgian-glass chandelier collection in Asia). The complex includes the Satkhanda (seven-storey observation tower, unfinished at Muhammad Ali Shah's death in 1842), the Jama Masjid, the Shahi Hammam (royal baths) and the clock tower (the tallest in India at the time of its construction).
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Patron dynasty
- Awadh Nawabi
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
- Location
- 26.873, 80.912
Connections (2)
- Site withinFarangi Mahal, Lucknow
The 1838 Chota Imambara sits within Lucknow at Hussainabad. Built by Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah with Belgian chandeliers and the Satkhanda observation tower, the complex together with the Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza forms the Hussainabad heritage ensemble of Awadhi Lucknow.
- Site withinLucknow
The Chota Imāmbāra at Hussainabad, Lucknow, was built in 1838 by Muhammad Ali Shah of Awadh as both his own mausoleum and a public congregation hall for Muharram. The gilt-domed ceiling, the Belgian chandeliers (Awadh was the single largest market for them in the 19th century) and the silver throne together give it its unofficial nickname — 'Palace of Lights'.
Sources
Standard reference.
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