What is more appealing about the structure is the purpose for which it was built.

When Pappu narrated the story behind the construction of this heritage, I was moved.

Built by the Nawab of Avadh Nawab-Asad-ud-daula, in 1784, it took 11 long years for completion.  The reason being that there were famines in that area for nearly a decade and the people were unemployed and hungry.  So the nawab started this project- the construction of the Bada Imambara, Chota Imambara, the mosque, the summer palace.  All these are in one complex and collectively referred to as bhul-bhulayah.  He hired labourers during the day to construct and another set of labourers for the night to demolish whatever was built.  Thus ensuring that a large number of people were employed.  And that is the reason why it took eleven years!

Pappu told us that they have a saying in Lucknow which goes thus: ‘Jis ka nahi hai Maula, us ka Asad-daula’.  The meaning being that ‘For the one who does not have a sustainer, there is Asad-daula.’

I then checked up this fact with a history friend who said that this construction is referred to as having been built under the ‘Food for work’ project begun by the Nawab.

The architecture is Indo-Islamic.  In fact, it does not incorporate any European elements like iron and spires, which we found amazing.

History also says that the labyrinth was unintentional!  Such a large structure needs support to stand! So it has several doorways, in fact 489, which are all identical and with passages interconnecting each other.  (No wonder people get lost!)

The other was the bouli, which was built with the strategy to be able to see the soldiers approaching.  At some point there was water which reflected the upside images of the people at the main entrance.  And from that spot, unseen by those at the entrance, by looking at the reflections in the water, which also showed the colours of the clothes of the people, the Nawab’s soldiers could identify the British soldiers and their own soldiers!  We are bewildered!  The technology those people invented in those times! 

There were other places in the same complex, which we did not have the time to see.  So after seeing these two places, we left.  I made up my mind to come back again some other time just to find my way out of the labyrinth!

The winter was bitter but we survived!

Visiting Lucknow and not shopping for Chikan or not eating the kababs there would be a sin! Hahahaha so I accomplished these two objectives too before coming back.

Well folks, I don’t want to give any historical facts or bore you with the stuff we had at the conference!