Bara Imambara

Asaf-ud-Daula began the Bara Imambara in 1780, a year of terrible famine, as a relief project, employing thousands over years, with a story that nobles worked at night demolishing what labourers built by day so that the work and the wages continued. Its central hall is about fifty metres long and fifteen high, roofed without a single beam or supporting pillar, held by an interlocking brick vault that is among the largest of its kind. Above it runs the Bhulbhulaiya, a warren of some four hundred and eighty-nine identical doorways and passages within the wall thickness, entered with a guide, opening onto balconies over the hall and the roof.

History

Building began in 1780, a year of devastating famine, and one of the aims of Asaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh, was to give the people of the region work for the almost ten years the famine lasted; the story goes that ordinary people built by day while nobles worked at night. The complex was completed in 1784 and is the second largest imambara in the world, after the Nizamat Imambara (Wikipedia, Bara Imambara).

The main sights

• The unsupported hall - a fifty-metre vault with no beams or pillars.
• The Bhulbhulaiya - a maze of near-identical passages inside the walls.
• The stepwell - the Shahi Baoli in the same complex.
• Rumi Darwaza - the great gateway beside the entrance.

When to go

October to March; Lucknow summers are very hot and the maze is airless. Guides are effectively required for the labyrinth and wait at the entrance. Mornings are less crowded.

Practical notes

The labyrinth is dark, narrow and hot, and unsuitable for anyone claustrophobic. Guides quote widely varying prices and should be agreed in advance. Shoes must be removed in the hall.

Nearby

Rumi Darwaza stands adjacent; Chota Imambara is nearby.

Key facts