As legendary monuments in Lucknow decay and collapse, callous officials start blame game

Shahnajaf Imambara: A canopy that crashed early this year lies in the open, utterly neglectedIn one of the narrow lanes near the famous Chhota Imambara in the old city of nawabs stands a crumbling structure called Sat-Khanda, a seven-storeyed tower made of red Lakhauri bricks and soft lime.Legend has it that Badshah Mohammad Ali Shah, the third ruler of Avadh, planned to build an observatory resembling the minarets of Babylon. When five storeys were completed, Shah climbed the tower - only to stumble and fall. Though a royal tragedy was averted, the ruler considered it an inauspicious sign and abandoned construction. The Sat-Khanda, 150 years later, is home to 13 homeless families. But it is a precarious dwelling place. Recently, portions of the tower collapsed. That was not the only building of Shah's era to give way. The eastern portion of the first gate of the Chhota Imambara, one of the most adorned mosques in Hussainabad, also collapsed. Marked For DeathBara Imambara, built by Nawab Asaf-ud-daula in 1784Rumi Darwaza, erected by Asaf-ud-daula 214 years agoShahnajaf Imambara, constructed in 1814-27 by King Ghaziuddin HaiderChhota Imambara, built between 1837 and 1842 by Mohammed Ali ShahSat-Khanda, built in 1837-42 by Mohammed Ali ShahJuma Masjid, built in 1837-42 by Mohammed Ali ShahThe realisation suddenly struck: the imambara, a sacred place for Shia Muslims, was in a pathetic condition. Structures and buildings surrounding the imambara have started cracking. Straggly wild plants stick out from niches in the walls like bizarre architectural adornments. "The whole of Chhota Imambara will disappear if immediate steps for its restoration are not taken," says Shakir Hussain, who has his chikan workshop in the outer complex.But restoration looks unlikely considering that the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) and the Hussainabad Trust which administer these heritage sites in Lucknow are caught in bureaucratic tangles. The trust was set up a century ago - with descendants of royal families as trustees - by Lucknow's nawabs for the upkeep of the imambaras of Asaf-ud-Daula, Shahnajaf and Hussainabad. Today, the trust itself is in need of urgent restructuring as no organisational elections have been held since 1993. Though the district magistrate is the ex-officio chairman and there is a secretary, no one is interested in restoring the monuments, say some former nawabs. The ASI says that the trust does not take adequate interest in getting rid of encroachers. The trust, on the other hand, says that the ASI is simply passing the buck. According to ASI Assistant Superintendent Jamal Hassan, encroachers and those who have been allotted space inside the protected complexes were carrying out activities which endanger the structures. Besides, these monuments are built of soft materials like red Lakhauri bricks and brown lime which are weak when compared to stonework and usually do not last beyond 150 years.Chhota Imambara: A portion of the first gate of the neglected complex has given way, leaving an ugly scarAs the bureaucratic cracks between the trust and ASI get wider, more heritage buildings in and around Lucknow are showing signs of imminent collapse.On February 2 this year a burj (canopy) of the Shahnajaf Imambara near Hazratganj - built on the pattern of the Najaf in Iraq where the fourth caliph is believed to be buried - crashed and a few months earlier the minaret of the world-famous Juma Masjid developed huge gaps. The fallen burj is now lying in the open. "Neither the state Government nor the Hussainabad Trust and the ASI are serious about preserving them," says Nawab Jafar Mir Abdullah, direct descendant of the royal family of Mohammad Ali Shah.Prince Alimuddin, the daroga (caretaker) of the Bara Imambara, says over 50 monuments considered as living landmarks of the nawab era might vanish for want of proper maintenance. Rumi Darwaza, the gateway to old Lucknow, now trembles when heavy vehicles pass through. Built in 1784 along with the Bara Imambara by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, the 60 ft high gate was considered a fine example of the synthesis of Hindu and Muslim architecture. Prominent in the structure is the conch, decorated with designs looking like serpent hoods or lotuses, two cultural insignia of ancient Avadh whose founder, according to lore, was Ram's brother Lakshman, from whom the name Lucknow is derived.The ASI, however, says work is in progress at the Bara Imambara, Shahnajaf, Amaj Ali Khan's mausoleum and Sikandarbagh since April. "We can't work simultaneously at all sites. Lucknow has been divided into three sectors and restoration work will be taken up one by one," says Hassan.The Government too has been callous.When Mayawati was chief minister, she set up the Parivartan Chowk close to a monument near Begum Hazrat Mahal Park despite ASI's statutory ban. Likewise the Allahabad Fort was endangered by the ordnance factory nearby, the Rani Laxmi Bai Fort in Jhansi has been damaged by the police, the historic Jalaun cemetery is now a multi-storeyed commercial complex and the Banda cave temples have been plundered by dacoits.Yet state Tourism Minister Kalraj Mishra claims every effort has been made to preserve the rich heritage of Avadh. The Rs 200 crore plan to beautify Lucknow, declares Mishra, will also cover the old city. Everyone is making the appropriate noises. But amid this din, old Lucknow is losing some of its magnificent monuments.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Sep 28, 1998 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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As legendary monuments in Lucknow decay and collapse, callous officials start blame game

While callous officials bicker about what should be done by whom, the magnificent buildings constructed by nawabs decay and collapse.

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