Last week, Chutki mentioned Kaiserbagh Palace in her blog. This grand palace was built by the last king of Avadh, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. Some may debate that Birjis Qadir was the last Indian ruler of Avadh, but more about that later.
As I was saying, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah resided in this palace until the annexation of the kingdom of Avadh in 1856 by the British East India Company. Here’s what Rosie Llewellyn-Jones says about the palace -
“The Kaiserbagh… has been undergoing demolition in a piecemeal fashion…It is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable palace complexes ever erected and had it not been especially singled out for destruction by the vengeful British and later neglected by the people of Lucknow it would have become one of the most celebrated structures in India. “
Check out the World Beyond album in the photo gallery section of this website to see some of the pictures of this majestic palace - http://www.sangeetabhargava.com/gallery.php?id=2&title=The%20World%20Beyond
I have also put up pictures of 1 of the 2 gateways that are all that remain of the palace today. I took these pictures in February this year and it saddened me to see them covered with posters and betel juice. I wish we would take more pride and better care of our history and heritage.
