topics: |  history | lucknow

A collection of articles on the heritage of Lucknow, with the aim of trying to preserve more of the historical buildings and palaces. Based on a conference organized by the HARCA, an NGO, on Nov 15-16, 1998 at Lucknow.

HARCA, Historical and Archaeological Research and Conservation Agency, works for conservation and restoration of heritage buildings in Lucknow. Roshan Taqui, who specializes in the 1857 rebellion, is its secretary.

Taqui is also the author of "Lucknow 1857 - The Two Wars at Lucknow" (the second war was the recapture of the city amid a huge bloodbath in 1858). His grandfather and great-grandfather died in the rebellion.

I was not aware that a very large part of the city - between two-thirds to three-fourths of the central areas according to some contemporary authors - were demolished after its recapture. It appears that regiments from outside were brought in to implement the demolition :

	All of a sudden the city demolition started.  Typical
	type of excavators were they.  Those madrasi men,
	negro faced, any type of walled ccnstruction and high
	rise building was excavated by them in three attacks
	-- even the foundation.  Regiment after regiment came
	and razed to the ground the houses of the famous and
	popular persons using bull dozers.
			[Munshi Mendi Lal in Naunga, known as Maharba-e-ghadar)


While this book is a treasure-trove of hard-to-find information, the
editing is terrible, and lapses of english on every page indicate a very
cavalier attitude towards quality.   No doubt the authors and editors were
hard-pressed to meet the deadlines of publishing, but such a large number of
grammar and spelling errors are quite unacceptable in this digital age. 
They are particularly grating in the excellent lyrical essay by Nayyar
Masud whose translate text could surely have done with some careful
editing. 

	
	elephant with howdah approaching gate of macchhi bhavan, painting by
	the daniell brothers, 1801.  the entire complex is no longer there.


Some of these articles have also appeared in other work.  Thus,
P.K. Ghosh's "Impact of The West in the Court of Avadh" is largely similar
% to his "Impact of Europeans on the Court of Awadh" in "Region in Indian
% History" (2008) ed. Pratap / Jafri; and Rosie Llewellyn-Jones "The Queen
Mother's visit to England" has been reworked into her "Last King" (2014)

Excerpts

First Census of Lucknow (1857) : Roshan Taqui

This census counted the number of houses in each neighbourhood (mohalla)
and not the inhabitants.  For each locality, it also identifies the level
of wealth, and also the religious groups.

The census numbers were published in the short-lived Urdu weekly, "Tilism
Lucknow".  As we find out from the article by Iqbal Hussain (ch. 8), Tilism
was brought out every Friday from July 25 1856 till May 8 1857, right upto
the eve of the rebellion.  It thus covered the period immediately after the
annexation of Oudh (Feb 1856) and the expulsion of Wajid Ali Shah.  The
summaries provided by Hussain documents a widespread disaffection with the
English rulers.

[The journal was written in ornate and elegant Urdu, and is the first
Urdu "newspaper".  It was edited by Maulvi Muhammad Yaqub Ansari (d.1903). 
It is among the earliest papers outside Calcutta.]

The census results started appearing in the Tilism on 20 March, and the last
reports came out on May 1.  However, it reported a count of houses only, and
not people.

The author of this article (Taqui) has extrapolated population figures by
assigning 5 per house for the poor sections and 10 per house for the richer
sections - giving an average of 8 per house.

The detailed mohalla-by-mohalla count is organized by police station (thAnA).
There are six thAnAs, of which the last, Chini Bazar, seems to have been
covered a bit cursorily.  In the first five thAnAs, most mohallas
have a few dozen houses and only a few mohallas cross hundred houses.
Thus the average population per mohalla in the
first five are from a few hundreds to a thousand, with a very occasional
2-3K.  However, the houses per mohalla for Chini Bazar is in the thousands,
resulting in many population entries of 28K, 20K, 32K, 40K, etc.

Here are the number of mohallas in each station and the population as
extrapolated by Taqui:

	Kotwali (K)		84     72K
	Daulatganj (D)		41     45K
	Haidarganj Qadeem (H)  	21     53K
	Ambarganj (A)	     	29     33K
	Wazirganj (W) 		73     77K
	Chini Bazar (C)		24    362K
	------------------------------------
	+ Floating population	       50K

	Total estimate:  	    7.0 Lakhs


The entries for each mohalla are accompanied by short descriptions of the
population in terms of wealth, and religion.  A few sample entries:

		     count (pop)     wealth  		remarks
K   Bagghi Tola  	 50	All mahajans 	  bankers
K   Nal Darwaza  	171 	rich + mahajans	  kins of Nawabs
K   Kagzi mohalla 	 65 	Prosperous	  all faiths
K   Bahmani Tola	 26 	middle level	  Hindu & Muslim
K   Mahmood Nagar	 77 	middle level	  Muslim
K   Moughal Pura	 13 	Wealthy		  Muslim
K   Teela Naqab Akhas	 25	middle		  Govt Servants
D   Shiv Puri		 276	12 wealthy,	  Hindu
    	 		 	rest poor
D   Chaturiya Ghat	 14	one royal 	  house of Nawab
    	 		 	rest poor    	  Ali Naqi Khan
D   Chamari Tola	 75	poor 		  chamar and Teli
D   Chikwa Tola		 53	half are wealthy  qasai (butchers)

etc.


The enumeration may be more interesting from the point of view of
recreating these lost neighbourhoods.

As we learn from the chapter 3 (Nayyar Masood) and also ch 4 (M. Kaukab),
much of nawabi lucknow was viciously demolished during the years following
British re-occupation.



the impressive river-front of lucknow was almost completely razed. 

3 Nayyar Masood: Discovery of Lost Glory

Before we talk of preservation, [a] description of the destruction of this
city by the English is necessary.

After the war of 1857, they started demolition and without exaggeration,
hundreds of inhabited localities (mohallas) and thousands of grand buildings
had been razed to the ground.   This act of demolition was started before the
war when the area around the residency had been cleared by the British for
tghe unhindered movement of their army.  p. 39

Qaiser-ut-Tawareekh v.II, p.10:
	According to Kamal uddin Haider, sensing the war clouds looming
	large, the British officers in Machchhi Bhawan demolished the
	buildings nearby, and then in the periphery of the Residency...

After the war, pro-English historian Munshi Mendi Lal stated:

	All of a sudden the city demolition started.  Typical type of
	excavators were they.  Those madrasi men, negro faced, any type of
	walled ccnstruction and high rise building was excavated by them in
	three attacks -- even the foundation.  Regiment after regiment came
	and razed to the ground the houses of the famous and popular persons
	using bull dozers.
				[Naunga, known as Maharba-e-ghadar)

Munshi Kalka Prasad Naheef: Thousands of palaces and worthy buildings came
under the axe.  [Rangeen bazaar-o-insha-e-Naheef]

The dust from the razings was so thick that movement became difficult.  After
a short period, the map of the city had changed - entire localities vanished
new roads were constructed over buildings.  Even the old citizens found it
difficult to reach their well-trodden destinations.

Even in the poetry of Lucknow poets, the destruction became a theme.  The
famous poet Imdad Ali 'Bahar' (d.1878) wrote:

	luT gaye bashindgane lucknow ghar khud gaye
	khak uDAte hain bagoole khana-e-barbAd ke.

		the citizens of lucknow are now looted their houses dug up - 
		winds blow the dust storm of (those) destroyed premises.]  p.40

Late Dina Nath alias Husain Baksh "wajib" said in his poem:

	shAhon ke mahal gada ke ghar khudte hain
	darveshon ke atqia he ghar khudte hain,	[was "khedte"]
	bande ka makAn khuda to kya wajib
	andher yeh hai khuda ke ghar khudte hain.

		[the palaces of kings (and) beggars are dug up
		The houses of saints and preachers are dug up
		If my house has been razed to the ground so what,
		The houses of God have not been spared.

"Aneer Minai" the famous poet wrote these lines:

	ghar khudne ki poochho na museebat hum se,
	roti hai lipat lipat ke hasrat hum se,
	ya hum jAte the ghar se rukhsat ho kar
	ya ghar hota hai aaj rukhsat hum se.

		don't ask me the problem of house demolition
		desire weeps embracing us
		either we are going to have to leave the house
		or the house is going, leaving us behind.

Mir Moonis told:

	hua ghar bhi azakhana bhi barbaad
	rahi baaqi mohalle ki na buniyad.

		not only residence but imambara is also destroyed -
		the very locality doesn't exist any more.

Syed Mohammad Wazir (son of Mufti Mir Abbas) has written the couplet:

	masjiden khudti hain mutlaq bhi nahin jai namaz,
	hazrat isa hain ab parwardigar-e-lucknow	 
	woh saRak par gard uRti hai khaliq ki panah	 
	kor kar de chashme bina ko ghubar-e-lucknow.	 

		mosques were razed to the ground, there is no room for prayer.
		now christ is the god of lucknow.
		og god, there are such dense clouds of dust on the roads
		that would blind the sight of eyes.


the statement is found are several places that three-fourth of the city has
been razed to the ground during this action.  "Qalaq" Lucknowi rhymed this:

	teen hisse se siva shahar khuda paya tamam
	jis taraf dekho nazar ata hai ek hoo ka muqam.

		more than three fourth of the city has been found excavated
		there is only desolation to be seen everywhere.

the calculation is simple.  half the city became the hunt of vengeance and
one fourth the part of the roads, which were constructed in different parts
of the city.  A few names of loalities are also found in the demolished
areas.  For instance, Azmat Ali Kakorvi said:

	From near Aminabad to Shah Najaf to Beleguard (Residency) to Roomi
	gate, there was only desert like open land -- all the houses and
	low-lying areas were razed and the area made a dump.  Half of the
	city of this area had been turned to rubble and dust till July /
	August 1858.  The huge dargahs (tombs) of Shah Mina and Shah Peer
	Mohammad etc. came under the axe.
				Muraqqa-e-Khusrovi, p. 576

Kamal uddin Haider, the famous historian of the royal period, says:
	Right from the Residency to Dilkusha a wide road has been constructed
	aftger clearing the debris... Fifteen hundred feet around the fort
	(Machchhi Bhawan), ground has been leveled.  Two roads from there are
	much widened...  (Asifi) Imambara to Husainabad, all the houses and
	great localities fell under the radius of Fort Panch Mahala, Sangi
	Mahal, Hasan Manzil, etc. and other grand buildings, which came under
	1500 feet of the fort, have been razed to the ground.  Imambara Hasan
	Raza Khan, Masjid... bulldozed to the ground.  Only tomb of Shah Mina
	left in Meena bazar.  Other older graves passed into the radius of
	fort.  Imambara Agha Baqar Khan demolished and levelled... houses
	that existed within the radius of the fort in the trans-Gomti area
	were also razed to the ground.
		Qaisar-Ul-Tawareekh, v.II, p. 354


Hakeem Mohammed Kazim has in his autobiography:

	There would have been no house left in the west and north of the
	city.  All main markets - Ardali Bazar, Khayali Ganj, Ismailganj,
	Golaganj, Sitahti, Nabahra, Meena Bazar, Makaniya Tola, Shekhan
	Darwaza, Kaghzi Tola, Chandni Bazar, Thatheri Bazar, Johri Bazar,
	etc. have been demolished and levelled.  The grand palaces of Haider
	Bagh and Machchi Bhawan, Kothi of Lala Guzari Mal Khazanchi
	(cashier), Panch Mahala and other beautiful buildings, which were
	constructed in lacs of rupees and all the royal palaces, excepting
	one or two, were razed.  In short, two-third of the city was
	demolished and one-third was left, thousands of houses leveled in the
	construction of wide roads in this area.  [auto-biography]

People who had seen the thickly populated Lucknow of the royal period, termed
this open city as desert.

Most of the names of localities and buildings disappeared with the vanished
historical sites.  A few however, are left.  Some of the photographs are also
available.  Some monuments like Chhatar Manzil, Chhota imambara, Asifi
Imambara and Roomi gate etc are still existing, but most other monuments are
in dilapidated condition - e.g. Satkhanda, Jama Masjid, Tomb of Hakeem Mehdi,
Naubat Khana of Asifi Imambara, Darshan Bilas, Chhoti Chhatar Manzil, and so
on.

Concerted efforts are needed to preserve and maintain these buildings by the
people who know better aboutt it.

Some of the ruins - with the remains of walls and doors, minarets and stucco
works, tell about its original grandeur.  Now 3D pictures of these buildings
can be created on computer.... Old photographers have painted a number of
buildings of Lucknow.  These include photographs of those buildings which are
no more.  the whole of the Qaisar Bagh, Lakhi Darwaza, Machchi Bhawan,
Shekhan darwaza, Panch Mahala, begum koThi etc, can emerge before us with a
little attention and expense.  43

4 Dar-e-Daulat : M. Kaukab

"Dar-e-Daulat" by M. Kaukab uses a famed gate to speak of the
destruction of Lucknow post-mutiny.
 
Where was this gate located?  Today, a door standing
near the Kaiserbagh complex is sometimes called
Dar-e-Daulat and sometimes Sher Darwaza.  Kaukab shows
that the original Dar-e-Daulat had been a far loftier
structure, and that elephants could pass through with
passengers on their howdahs.  it is today completely
lost.  Kaukab suggests that perhaps it was destroyed
because it was from above this gate that some snipers
had shot the infamous General Neill, sometimes
called the butcher of 1857
for his savage killing of sepoys and indians, along
his route.

Kaukab feels that the gateway that remains is the one
under which Neill died, which has a plaque commemorating
the event (possibly it was spared owing to this).
Dar-e-Daulat he guesses, must have been on a completely
different wall, in the extensive Kaiserbagh compound.
probably overlooking this existing doorway.

Munshi Nawal Kishore

	
	Munshi Nawal Kishore

As an aside, kaukab refers to Munshi Nawal Kishore in vehemently
negative terms, calling him a traitor and his prose as
deliberately not mentioning features of Lucknow since they may
hold unpleasant echoes for the English masters...  

I had always thought that
Munshi Naval Kishore was one of the more respected figures in
Urdu publishing, but it seems that his success largely owed to
his loyalty to the British.  The India Govt issued a stamp
honouring him in 1970, and he continues to be lauded in the
media today.

from other sites: A Journey through Kaiserbagh

			http://www.tornosindia.com/article_copy%2816%29.php

[This is a detailed description of the extensive royal complex at Kaiserbagh,
and its destruction in 1858-59.]

After the siege it had become clear to the British military that large
palace complexes such as Kaiserbagh, mosques, and big kothis must be seized
and demolished since they provided convenient shelter to the enemy Indian
forces.  A letter from the Secretary of the Chief Commission to the
Commissioner of Oudh clearly talked about wreaking vengeance:

	It is not by an indiscriminate massacre of the wretched
	sepoys that we should avenge our kindred.  [instead, the
	city of Lucknow would be destroyed so that the]
	"mutineers were taught a lesson...  No mosque - no
	temple should be spared."

Another letter stated that, "As to Buildings in Lucknow, the only one that
I think it might be well to level to the Ground is the Kaiserbagh as that
is the palace where our chief enemies have resided during the rebellion."

The death sentence was thus passed over Kaiserbagh. The work of reshaping the
unhealthy and indefensible city of Lucknow was given to Colonel Robert Napier
of the Bengal Engineers. He produced a document known as the 'Memorandum on
the Military Occupation of the City of Lucknow,' dated 26 March 1858. Therein
he proposed to open broad streets through the city and to demolish any
enclosures not required for military purposes. Anything that came in the path
of the proposed road was demolished. As a result, Kaiserbagh was slowly
demolished and had wide streets passing through its main courtyards.

The whole of the southern wall was demolished together with the Chaulakhi
Kothi. Gradually the freestanding buildings inside the Kaiserbagh were
demolished. Slowly the northern walls of the Kaiserbagh also vanished. Some
enclosures became weak and collapsed as a result of structural
instability. The passageways between Kaiserbagh and Chattar Manzil
disappeared with the exception of Sher Darwaza. This gate had an emotive
significance for the British because one of the relieving officers died under
the gate and it was renamed Neil's gate after him. The tombs were stripped
off their enclosures and they stood starkly by themselves. Kaiser Pasand was
denuded of its upper storeys.

No other building of Lucknow was as glorious as Kaiserbagh and none other was
mutilated as badly. Today it requires great effort and imagination to
recreate the vision of the palace complex as only a few structures of the
Kaiserbagh palace remain. The important among these are Sufaid Baradari, some
parts of Paree Khana, and the Lakhi gates. Sher Darwaza and the two
tombs. The two tombs are protected monuments and well looked after by the
Archeological Survey of India. The Baradari is used as a community hall and
the Lakhi gates are in dilapidated condition whereas the Sher darwaza looks
much diminished in size in most of it plinth has been silt. The Paree Khana
has been modified beyond recognition. The presences of Lakhori bricks in
these structures confirm their association with the palace complex. Two new
buildings the Aminu-ud-daula library and Bhatkhande College of music are part
of the main Kaiserbagh quadrangle. As the whole with the streets piercing in
through the main quadrangular and heavy traffic plying through them, the
essence of the garden palace is difficult to recreate.




   The riverfront swathe that was cleared.  This included almost the entire
   kaiserbagh palace complex - what remains today is a part of the zenana,
   the "parikhAnA".  A number of other buildings such as the Dilkusha and
   the Qadam Rasul were not allowed to be inhabited and gradually turned
   into ruins.  
   [image: Veena Talwar: Making of the Colonial Lucknow, 1984, p.32]

Anindita Chakrabarti : The demolition of Lucknow

	lec 38: Rural and Urban Sociology

[

Objectives of the new urban planning: to create a rebellion-proof environment
that would restore the confidence of the ruling class and make the capital a
solid base from which the rest of the province could easily be governed and
the revenue collected. Colonel Robert Napier of the Bengal Engineers, the
Chief Engineer for reconstruction, proposed the following changes which aimed
at improving the defense in the city:
	● Establishing several military posts in prominent buildings of the
		city. 
	● Clearing the habitation and construction around these posts and
		along their lines of communication with the countryside.
	● Opening broad streets through the city and practicable roads
		through and around the suburbs to ensure efficient and quick
		movement of troops to the danger spot.  

[AM: Interestingly the document does not speak of revenge - it only talks of
security and safety, health etc. ]

Large-scale demolitions were undertaken and Napier justified the destruction
of two-fifths of the city by implying that the ‘dangerous overcrowding’
inside the old city would be automatically reduced with these demolitions.2
For the citizens of Lucknow this frenetic construction work where blasting
was done with three days notice, was an extension of the battle they had just
lost.

	● The nawabi Machhi Bhawan fort which had commanding view of the two
		bridges and the densely built native city was converted to
		the principal post of the city.
	● Clearing out a 600 yard wide esplanade in the most heavily
		populated and built up area of the city around Machhi Bhawan,
		for building roads that diverge through the city map. 
	● Napier justified the destruction of two–fifths of the city by
		implying that dangerous overcrowding inside the city would be
		automatically reduced with these demolitions. He professed
		that the losses incurred by individuals would be compensated
		by the benefits achieved for the community. 
	● Even the elementary precaution of ensuring that the buildings to be
		razed were empty was often not taken during demolition.

The Asafi Imambara was taken over as regimental barracks.  This was deeply
resented as it was the tomb of their beloved nawab. British troops ate pork,
swilled alcohol, trampled the sacred hall in regimental boots, and manifested
every other kind of contempt for the religion of the old rulers of the
province.
] 



 

Contents

Foreword : Justice S.H.A Raza    					  i
Prologue : Yogendra Narain, IAS 					iii
Preface  : Roshan Taqui   						 iv
Recommendations : 1st and 2nd International Conferences  		vii

1. Archaeological Sites and the Gazette of India
	R. S. Fonia  							  1

2. First Census of Lucknow before first war of Independence
	Roshan Taqui 							 10

3. Discovery of lost glory
	Nayyar Masood 							 39

4. Dar-e-Daulat
	M. Kaukab 							 44

5. The Queen Mother's visit to England
	Rosie Llewellyn-Jones 						 59

	The mother of Wajid Ali Shah goes to London to meet
	the Queen - Wajid is supposed to go, but has been in
	ill-health.  While the group is in England, rebellion
	breaks forth, possibly increasing the negative
	reception.  After a meeting with Queen Victoria and
	her son Edward, the Queen-mother dies in Paris on the
	way back and Wajid's brother dies a few months later.
	They are both buried in Paris.


6. Period Photographs : The unpublished pages of Avadh history
	P. C. Little							 75

7. Impact of The West in the Court of Avadh
	P.K. Ghosh							 80

	The Nawabs started learning western mores.  A number
	of scholars learned english and latin and started translating
	texts into arabic and persian.

8. Avadh on the Eve of 1857 : Evidence of the Urdu newspaper "Tilism"
	Iqbal Husain							 89

	Fascinating excerpts from the urdu weekly TIlism,
	Lucknow.  Tilism was brought out by Maulvi Muhammad
	Yaqub Ansari (d.1903), of the every Friday from July 25
	1856 till May 8 1857, right upto the eve of the
	rebellion.  It thus covered the period immediately after
	the annexation of Oudh (Feb 1856) and the expulsion of
	Wajid Ali Shah.  The summaries provided by Hussain
	documents a widespread disaffection with the English
	rulers.

	[The journal was written in ornate and elegant Urdu, 
	It is among the earliest papers outside Calcutta.]
	Also mentioned in the discussion of the census above.

	This journal has remained largely unknown to
	historians of the mutiny; IH first wrote about it and
	then rudranshu has also mentioned it.  It was hard to
	find, but Aligarh Muslim University has managed to
	procure a nearly full set (except issue 37) from the
	heirs of the original publishers.

	What struck me in the Tilism stories is the arrogance of
	the British as a ruling race.  In one incident, the Deputy
	Commissioner of Police for Daryabad

		fatally wounded a brahman when the latter
		attempted to save himself by showing a bamboo
		stick to the former's dog.  The matter was
		enquired into by the Commissioner.  The Dy
		Commissioner, by way of punishment, was
		transferreed to another place.
		 		[10 Oct 1856, 10 Apr 1857]

	[somehow, the image of the british as benevolent
	rulers is so ingrained that it is difficult to imagine
	that a colonial officer could have killed a man for
	merely showing a stick.  Even granting that Tislim may
	be underplaying the offence - maybe the dog was hit -
	even then it is surely excessive, and the standard of 
	justice is surely not deserving a civilized
	government. 



	Also, interestingly, the Tilism reports openly that
	following the forced exile of the monarch, there was a
	planned insurrection involving as many as 12,000
	potential combatants.  However, the british spy
	network got wind of the affair and it was
	extinguished.

	What surprises me is the temerity of the press.  Of
	course, the Press act (Act XVI) of 1857 ("the gagging
	act") had not yet come into force, and the press was
	only monitored for intelligence purposes.  the Tilism
	was thus able to report it freely. 

	Nonetheless, the very presence of such an act,
	occurring outside the native soldiery, certainly gives
	impetus to those theories of broader participation
	among the citizenry, especially in Awadh. 

9. Avadh on the Eve of Annexation
	Roshan Taqui							101

10. Growth of Unani System of Medicine in Avadh
	S. M. K. H. Hamadani						111

11. Administration of Avadh During the Period of Nawabs
	S. N. Singh							130

12. Contribution of Nawabs to the Classical Music
	Meena Kumari							133

13. Dulari: The Consort of King Naseer-ud-din Haider
	P.K. Ghosh							137

14. Lucknow As I know it
	Jafar Abdullah							142

15. This Lucknow and That
	Ratan Mani Lai							148

16. Contribution of Courtesans in the Culture of Avadh
	Dr. Manju Tripathi						151

17. Need for Preservation of Islamic Calligraphy of Nawabi Buildings
    in Lucknow
	S. Anwar Abbas							155

18. Monument to Hunger
	Roshan Taqui							158
	[history of bara imambara]

19. The First Queen and Third King of Avadh in Exile at Chunar
	S. Anwar Abbas							162

20. Conservation of the Imambaras; Search for a
	Neeta Das							167
	Solution

21. Stratification of Peasants in Avadh (1722-1856)
	Hamid Afaq Qureshi						173

22. Peasantry in Economic Distress During the Great Depression: The
    United Provinces of Agra and Oudh (1900-1940)
	S.P. Mishra							179

23. Avadh 1856-1916: A Social, Political and Economic			185
	History
    Bibliography							188

blurb

History of Avadh is not so old. Take the case of Lucknow, its rapid growth
started from 1775 when Asif-ud-daula shifted his capital from Faizabad to
Lucknow and continued till 1856, when Avadh annexed to the territories of
East India company’s rule.

During this short span of 80 years, rapid changes took place in the
political arena but the basic doctrine of the rulers prevailed-the religious
harmony and Integrated Culture.

First International Conference has been organized by HARCA, a Non-Government
Organization, on November, 15,16,1998 at Lucknow on the same subject. The
papers presented by learned historians and paras recommended by justice
haider Abbas Raza (now Lokayaukta Uttaranchal) and the social activists like
Prof. Roop Rekha Verma Ex-vice Chancellor of Lucknow University, Dr. Ajay
Shanker, Director General ASI, have been included in this book. thirty seven
Papers were presented in the conference including five in Urdu
Language. After discussion with the experts 23 papers were chosen including
two in Urdu. These two Urdu Papers were then translated into English namely
“Discovery of Lost glory” by Dr. Nayyer Masood and “Growth of Unani System of
Medicine in Avadh” by Dr. Hamadani. HARCA-The Historical and Archaeological
Research and conservation Agency has started a series of Seminars, and
workshops for crating awareness in the public for real understanding of the
culture and solution to the problems of conservation of heritage
buildings. This Book is the first in this series.

About the Author

Rashan Taqui was born in 1958 at Lucknow. He has been published 40 research
papers out of which 32 were exclusively on the History of Avadh. He helped
three research scholars in completing their Ph. Ds. He wrote about cultural
heritage of Avadh and the last Integrated Cultural of the world. His two
books "Lucknow Ki Bhand Parampara" (The Traditions of clown of Lucknow) wer
the only books on the subjects. His two books on contribution of rulers of
Avadh to Indian music and dance, namely "Bani" and "Chanchal" have already
been published . He has been associated with theatre and wrote fourteen plays
including "Dada Jan Ne Kaha Tha", "Bezuban Biwi", "Do Gaz Zameen", Yeh Ho
Raha Hai", HIs two drama Collection, "Ajaib Nagar" and "Dada jan Ne kaha Tha"
have been in the market. He also directed several plays including "Desire
Under the Elms", "She Stoops to Conquer", "Gidh", "Chanakya" Chacha Chhakkan
Ki Wapsi", "Khalid Ki Khala", "Uljhan" and "tamrapatra".

Like old Lucknowites he believes in religious harmony and National
Integration. At present he is member secretary HARCA, Historical &
Archaeological Research and conservation Agency, which is looking after
Conservation and Restoration of Heritage Buildings at Lucknow.

links and other sources

from "The Walled palaces of Kaiserbagh" : Anil Mehrotra and Neeta Das

		http://travelersindia.com/archive/v6n2/v6n2-walled_palaces.html

After the first war of Independence in 1857, the British ordered the
demolition of Kaiserbagh, as it was the stronghold of the Nawabs under the
leadership of Begum Hazrat Mahal, who had assumed leadership after her
husband, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who was exiled in 1856.

Kaiserbagh was slowly demolished and had wide streets passing through its
main courtyards. No other building complex of Lucknow was as splendid as
Kaiserbagh and no other historical monument was so completely
destroyed. Today it requires considerable imagination to recreate the vision
of the palace complex as only a few structures of the Kaiserbagh palace
remain.

The impregnable complex of yesteryear today stands fragmented. The tombs,
imposing in their solitude, have neatly laid out lawns where frolicking kids
roll down their grassy embankments. The internationally famous Bhatkhande
College of Music stands on the remnants of the palace structures, which,
during the time of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, patron entertainer and music
connoisseur, echoed with ghazals, thumris, and dadra.

The Sufed Baradari, other than its royal occupants, stands unchanged in the
midst of the complex. Graceful, with flowing contours in marble, it is
witness to various events and thousands of marriages solemnized under its
majestic marbled opulence. It continues to be one of the best-preserved
edifices from the complex created by the Nawab.

The two Lakhi gates are today but a shadow of their magnificent past. From
dominating the entry into the palace complex, they appear humbled by the
volume of traffic, rumbling under their aged portals. Aware of the cultural
importance and heritage of the Kaiserbagh complex, the Government of Uttar
Pradesh in close co-operation with the Archeological Survey of India has an
ambitious plan to revitalize the area.

[

Interview Roshan Taqui : 38,000 Indians were killed here

Apr 29, 2007
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-toi/special-report/38000-Indians-were-killed-here/articleshow/1973989.cms?referral=PM

Roshan Taqui's great grandfather and great granduncle were killed in Lucknow
during the uprising. He is a government engineer by profession and has
authored Lucknow 1857: The Two Wars at Lucknow . Another book on Begum Hazrat
Mahal will hit the stands next month. Taqui is also secretary of the
Historical & Archaeological Research Centre for Awadh (HARCA).

What is your link to 1857?

My grandfather Agha Mir Habeebi was posted with the Alambagh morcha (unit) at
Jalalabad Fort, a few kilometres from Hazratganj. He was killed during the
second relief of Lucknow, which I prefer to call the second war in 1858. He
had 13 brothers, one of whom was Agha Najaf Ali, the jail doctor in Faizabad.

Agha Najaf Ali befriended Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah, also known as the Faizabad
Maulvi, who was one of the major figures of the uprising. Agha Najaf Ali
helped the Maulvi to escape from Faizabad jail, allowing him to get to
Lucknow, where he joined Begum Hazrat Mahal. Agha Najaf Ali was later hanged
in 1858 at Khurshid Manzil, which is where the La Martiniere School for Girls
is now located.

There are some who feel the uprising started in Lucknow.

I have written in my book that the war started on May 3 from Lucknow, and not
on May 10 in Meerut as is commonly believed. On May 4, four people were
hanged in front of the Rumi gate. They were sepoys who were no longer in
service.

How important was the coronation of Birjis Qadir?

Without any leader, it was very difficult to fight the war against the
British, and Birjis Qadir was the only legitimate son of the last king of
Awadh. Hence his coronation was necessary. The administration of Qadir lasted
for 8 months and 18 days. There has been plenty of character assasination of
Begum Hazrat Mahal, but I believe she was a noble woman.

How many Indians were killed in Lucknow during the uprising?

I have drawn up a list of the people killed, from various sources, and would
put the number of Indian casualties at 38,000. There are, however, many who
believe that over a lakh died.

How did the aftermath of 1857 impact Lucknow?

The British took several repressive measures and citizens were not allowed to
wear the traditional pagri (safa) and grow moustaches, the mark of soldiers
in Awadh. They were also not allowed to move beyond Qaisarbagh towards
Hazratganj, an area specified for Europeans only. The rich cultural heritage
of Lucknow was totally destroyed.

Has the uprising been adequately remembered?

Nothing of note has been done. There is not even a plaque to mark the Battle
of Chinhut near Ismailganj, slightly outside Lucknow, where Indian troops
inflicted a heavy defeat on the British in 1857.