Life & Style | Travel
Echoes of British India
The Raj is long over, times have changed, yet history seems to speak to Ananya Saxena from every corner of Lucknow.
- By Ananya Saxena, Gulf News Reader
- Published: 23:32 September 26, 2008
It was around midnight when we reached Charbagh Railway Station in Lucknow.
My family and I were weary, so we made our way straight to The Taj Residency, where we would be staying.
It was August 15, India's independence day, and the city buildings were beautifully decorated and lit up with lights.
The next morning, we woke up early and after celebrating Raksha Bandhan at the hotel, decided to go sightseeing — it was time to see the many ancient buildings my grandfather had told me about the previous day on the train.
The Residency
The Residency is a group of buildings built in the 1800s by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan as the residence of the British Resident General, a representative in the nawab's court.
When the First War of Indian Independence broke out in 1857, Lucknow became one of cities in which the uprising was at its most violent.
Nearly all the Europeans in Lucknow had to take refuge in the Residency at that time.
It is said that almost 3,500 people sought shelter during the
siege, which continued for more than 140 days.
The red-brick ruins now lie paradoxically peaceful, maintained and surrounded by green lawns and flower beds, though the shattered walls still carry scars of cannon fire.
The cemetery at the nearby church, also in ruins, contains the graves of almost 2,000 men, women and children, which include that of Sir Henry Lawrence, who died during the uprising of 1857.
The building also houses a museum in the basement, which displays articles and paintings from the era.
Bara Imambara
Bara Imambara was built by Asaf-ud-daulah, the Nawab of Lucknow in 1784. Bara means “big'' and imambara is the residence of the Imam or the religious head).
Of all the buildings in Lucknow, the Bara Imambara is the grandest.
Bhool Bhulaiya
Bhool Bhulaiya, another major attraction the city has, was what I looked forward to visiting the most.
The building is a huge labyrinth, with hundreds of narrow stairways and passages, some of them dead ends.
The Bhool Bhulaiya was a kind of by-product to the construction of the Bara Imambara.
To help minimise the weight of the latter's walls, the walls of the Bhool Bhulaiya were hollow.
They, though, served a dual purpose. They were also meant to confuse the enemy.
The saying that even walls have ears comes true in this historic building — even if you whisper, people on the other side of the wall can hear you.
Besides, the secret of how to get out of this maze-like structure was only revealed to the king and a few others.
— Ananya Saxena is a sixth grade student at Emirates International School Meadows, Dubai
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