Bara Imambara- Marvel of Mughal Architecture
-Ujjwal Bhardwaj
B. Arch Student, Lovely School of Architecture and Planning, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, India.
Introduction: -
Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh and is known as the city of Nawabs. The foundation of Lucknow was laid by Lakshmana, brother of lord Ram, hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana. But Lucknow came into lime light because of the major contributions of Nawab dynasty in the field of architecture, art, culture, music etc. The buildings in Lucknow shows various kinds of architecture and were built during the British and Mughal empire, and Bara Imambara is one of them.
Bara Imambara of lucknow is a building which reflects empathy and compassion. It is a colossal edifice built in 1784 by the then Nawab of Lucknow, Asaf-ud-Daula. It is the largest hall in India without any external support from wood iron etc. The religious building was originally built to provide assistance inform of jobs to the people who got affected by the deadly famine, which struck the whole Uttar Pradesh in the same year in 1785. It took about 22,000 labours and 1 year of time to build the marvel. It is also known as Asafi Imambara. There is a rumour about the Bara Imambara that during the day the poor labors built the structure but at night the aristocrats on the behest of nawab pull it down. The complex was designed by Kifayatullah. Kifayatullah didn’t took any money from the nawab for his work in the Bara Imambara, he just asked for land for his burial. He is also buried with the Nawabs in the central hall of the complex.
Building Composition and Architecture: -
The Bara Imambara shows a glimpse of Persian architecture which eventually takes us to Mughal architecture, but what makes it different from other Mughal buildings is that it has no domes or minarets. The complex shares its architecture with other buildings made from lakhauri bricks as it is the main material the complex is made up of.
The monument also contains the bhul-bhulaiya or the labyrinth, bowli, and the large Asfi mosque.
It is a four-storied building and it is built on a raised platform. There are seven arched doorways in the Imambara. The doorways are huge consisting of Mughal style arches. The walkway to the main hall of the building passes to a beautiful garden. The gateway of the monuments has Rajasthani styled Jharokhas and beautifully carved floral motifs. There are also emblems of the nawabs carved on the main gateways. 2 gateways having three arched opening lead to the main hall. First gateway leads to the first courtyard to the second. The second courtyard has a square shaped plan and circular gardens in the center enclosed by arcaded cloisters.
Main Building of Bara Imambara: -
The structure defies gravity as the central hall has no beams or columns for support, and all the load is transferred to the ground by the arched doors, windows and the corridors of the complex. Even no iron or any other reinforcement material is used in building the Bara Imambara. The monument consists of two level of triple arched entrances. The central hall of Bara Imambara is also said to be the largest arched hall in the world.
Apart from the main hall of the complex, which is also the largest, there are other 8 halls that comprises the main building of the Bara Imambara. All the halls have different heights, so that they can support each other. The walls of the main hall are plastered with a mixture of lime and mortar, and also consist of stucco work. The center three halls share the same flat and continuous roof and is known as, China dish, kharbooza hall or Indian hall and Persian hall. The China hall is in square shape at ground level, octagonal at mid height and ends up having 16 sides at the top level. It is said that queen used to come at the top of this hall and it is shaped like that so that no one can see the queen. The kharbooza hall or the Indian hall is shaped like a watermelon (the Hindi word for ‘watermelon’ is ‘kharbooza’). For prayer purposes, it was decided that the central hall will be built without columns or pillars.
The center hall also contains the grave of the nawab and architect. The grave of the nawab have a canopy over it. It makes the hall look more gigantic and spacious. The canopy is also carved with beautiful motifs. The doors and windows also have beautifully carved arches from inside which helps in the enhancement of the interiors of the complex. The halls are interconnected with each other from inside.
Is takes 44 steps and narrow paths to come to the first floor of the monument. The acoustics of the complex is so well designed that even the slightest whisper can be heard at the other corner of the hall. All the windows on top are at the first floor of the monument. Coming, to the second floor of the complex, it is also well designed with beautifully carved walls and acoustic features.
Bhul-Bhulaiya: -
The third floor of the Bara Imambara is the famous bhul-bhulaiya. The labyrinth or the bhul-bhulaiya is consists of walls and pathway that interconnects 489 identical doorways. The first set of 45 steps lead you to the first level of the labyrinth. The bhul-bhulaiya has a total of 1024 passages with most of them leading to dead ends, some of them lead to steep drops and some lead to the entrances of exit points. Only one of the passage leads to the rooftop balcony. Even though the labyrinth is having a zigzag and complex plan, the ventilation and direct sunlight is well managed. The labyrinth is designed is such a way so that the rooms in the maze have good air ventilation. The narrow passages of the maze also have good acoustics as rest of the building. It is said that if you are going in the maze for the first time then it is must to hire a tour guide, as it is very difficult to find the correct path in the labyrinth.it is also said that the paths of the labyrinth connect to tunnels which leads to a safe passage to cities like Prayagraj (earlier known as Allahabad), Faizabad and even Delhi. These tunnels are now blocked by the responsible authorities. Though, it is said to be an accidental architecture.
The monument has a flat roof unlike the other Mughal monuments which contain domes. The entire of the labyrinth is visible from the rooftop of the monument.
Asafi Mosque and Baoli: -
The Imambara also contains a mosque within it. The mosque is known as the Asafi mosque. The mosque is beautiful with lengthy linear steps and intricate minarets and carvings. But the mosque is only open for Muslims. But the exterior of the mosque is beautiful.
The Bara Imambara also contains a Shahi Baoli. The Baoli or stepwell is used for the source of drinking water during the period of the Mughals, but currently it is not in use anymore. The Baoli is a seven storied structure. The bottom four floors of the Baoli are underwater. A staircase connects all the floors of the structure and it also connects a system for heating facility of the water. The local people say that one of the Dewans killed himself in the Baoli as to protect the royal treasure.
SOME FACTS: -
·The whole support of the Bara Imambara is hollow and is made up of sugarcane juice, jaggery, and pulse. The roof of the Bara Imambara is made up of the rice husk.
· There is no woodwork in the entire structure of the monument except for the interior galleries. No wood or metal has been used in the construction of the monument.
· The design of the Imambara was obtained through a competitive process. The winner was Kifayatullah.
· The total cost of building the monument was around 10 lakh rupees at that time.
· Even after the completion of the monument, the nawab spend around 4 to 5 lakh rupees annually on its decoration.
· The plan of the monument is about 50 by 16 meters and over 15 meters tall, it has no beams supporting the ceiling and is one of the largest such arched constructions in the world.
These points differentiate the monument from the other Mughal architecture reflecting monuments in the country.
How to reach Bara Imambara: -
Lucknow is well connected with rest of India by road-ways, trains and flights. After reaching Lucknow you can book any cab or taxi.
It takes about 45 minutes from the airport to reach the monument while it is only 20 minutes from the Charbagh railway station of Lucknow, and it is about 15 minutes away from the bus stand.
The Bada Imambara is open throughout the week from 5am to 6 pm. There is also an entry fee for bara Imambara i.e., Rs.50 for Indian citizen and Rs.500 for foreigners.
Conclusion: -
At last, I would like to conclude that Lucknow is a city of nawabs and it consists a lot of monuments reflecting Mughal architecture, and Bara Imambara is one of the greatest marvels of Mughal architecture. Creating such a structure at that time is a great achievement in itself. I would definitely recommend you to visit it once. From the gravity defying center hall to the complex planning of the Bhul-bhulaiya, everything will amaze as well as make you curious at the same time.
Thankyou!
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