Bara Imambara, also known as Asfi Imambara is an

imambara A ḥosayniya or hussainiya (Arabic: حسينية ''husayniyya''), also known as an ashurkhana, imambargah, or imambara, is a congregation hall for Twelver Shia Muslim commemoration ceremonies, especially those associated with the Mourning of ...

complex in

Lucknow, India Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

built by Asaf-ud-Daula,

Nawab of Awadh The Nawab of Awadh or the Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers who governed the state of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in north India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to a dynasty of Persian origin from Nishap ...

in 1784. ''Bara'' means ''big''. This imambara is the second largest after the

Nizamat Imambara The Nizamat Imambara ( bn, নিজামত ইমামবাড়া) is a Shia Muslim congregation hall (''imambara'') in Murshidabad, India. It was built in 1740 AD by Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah and rebuilt in 1847 by Nawab Mansur Ali Khan ...

Building composition

The building also includes the large Asfi

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, the Bhul-bhulaiya (the labyrinth), and Bowli, a step well with running water. Two imposing gateways lead to the main hall. It is said that there are 1024 ways to reach the terrace but only two to come back first gate or the last gate. It is an accidental architecture.

Relief measure

Construction of Bara Imambara was started in 1780, a year of a devastating famine, and one of Asaf-ud-Daula's objectives in embarking on this grandiose project was to provide employment for people in the region for almost a decade while the famine lasted. It is said that ordinary people used to work in the day building up the

edifice A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and funct ...

, while

noblemen Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characterist ...

and other elite worked at night to break down anything that was raised that day. It was a project that preceded a

Keynesian Keynesian economics ( ; sometimes Keynesianism, named after British economist John Maynard Keynes) are the various macroeconomic theories and models of how aggregate demand (total spending in the economy) strongly influences economic output an ...

-like intervention for employment generation. Construction of the Imambara was completed in 1794. The estimated cost of building the Imambara ranges between half a million rupees to a million rupees. Even after completion, the Nawab used to spend between four and five hundred thousand rupees on its decoration annually.

Architecture

File:Asif tomb.jpg, The simple grave of Asaf ud-Daula under a canopy inside the Bara Imambara; a watercolor by Seeta Ram, c. 1814–15. File:Imambara of Asaf-ud-daula interior.jpg, The current day interior view. File:KITLV 91964 - Unknown - Gateway to Husainabad Imambara in Lucknow in India - Around 1860.tif,

Rumi Darwaza The Rumi Darwaza (Hindi: रूमी दरवाज़ा, Urdu: , and sometimes known as the Turkish Gate), in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, is an imposing gateway which was built by Nawab Asaf-Ud-Daula in 1784. It is an example of Awadh ...

, the gateway to Husainabad Imambara in Lucknow in India, around 1860. File:Bada Imambada(Outer view).jpg, The outer view of Bara Imambara. File:Asfi masjid.jpg, The Asfi mosque, located within the imambara complex. The architecture of the complex reflects the maturation of ornamented Mughal design, namely the

Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque ( Urdu, Punjabi: ; literally ''The Royal Mosque'') is a Mughal-era congregational mosque in Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque is located west of Lahore Fort along the outskirts of the Walled ...

- it is one of the last major projects not incorporating any European elements or the use of iron. The main imambara consists of a large vaulted central chamber containing the tomb of Asaf-ud-Daula. At 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. There are eight surrounding chambers built to different roof heights, permitting the space above these to be reconstructed as a three-dimensional

labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by t ...

with passages interconnecting with each other through 489 identical doorways. This part of the building, and often the whole complex, may be referred to as the ''Bhulbhulaiya''. Known as a popular attraction, it is possibly the only existing maze in India and came about unintentionally to support the weight of the building which is constructed on marshy land. Asaf-ud-Daula also erected the 18 meter (59 foot) high Roomi Darwaza, just outside. This portal, embellished with lavish decorations, was the Imambara's west-facing entrance. Bara Imambara is an Imambara complex in Lucknow, India, built byAsaf-ud-Daula, Nawab of Lucknow, in 1784. It is also called the Asafi Imambara. Bara means big, and an Imambara is a shrine built by Shia Muslims for the purpose of Azadari. The Bara Imambara is among the grandest buildings of Lucknow. The design of the Imambara was obtained through a competitive process. The winner was a Delhi architect Kifayatullah, who also lies buried in the main hall of the Imambara. It is another unique aspect of the building that the sponsor and the architect lie buried beside each other. The roof of Imambara is made up from the rice husk ash which makes this Imambara a unique building.

References

External links

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Bara Imambara more facts
{{Lucknow Indo-Islamic architecture Shia shrines Shia Islam in India Religious buildings and structures in Uttar Pradesh Imambaras of Lucknow Religious buildings and structures completed in 1784 1784 establishments in India

Building composition

Relief measure

Architecture

See also

References

External links