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Qaisar Bagh

Qaisar Bagh or Qaiser Bagh, also spelled Kaisar Bagh or Kaiser Bagh, is in Lucknow, in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as Emperor’s Garden.

Lucknow is known as “The City of Gardens.” Tourists can find numerous walled gardens in this royal city of India. Most of them were built by Nawabs or kings, usually as a recreation spot for the royal families and their guests, for organizing fights between animals, and conducting ceremonies. These are glorious gardens featuring fruit trees, fountains, fragrant flowers, pavilions, and pathways.

Qaisar Bagh is known as the “Spirit of Lucknow.” It is hard to find a structure so elegant and opulent in its area and architecture. The imposing gates of the garden are something to talk about and admire. Lucknow is famous for its gates.

History

Qaisar Bagh was created by Wajid Ali Shah between 1847 and 1856. Wajid Ali Shah was the last Nawab of Lucknow. He was a gifted poet. He is known to have written his own versions of Hindu mythologies. They were performed in the garden, in front of audience sometimes. The poet, many times, cast himself as Lord Krishna and the ladies of the court played the role of gopis.

The Nawab wanted a paradise garden. According to the Holy Quran, ‘paradise’ is a beautiful place with water and shade as its key elements. In Persian, ‘paradise’ simply means ‘walled garden.’ The Persian concept was introduced in India by the Mughal Emperor Babur and was carried forward by other Mughal Emperors.

Later, Qaisar Bagh underwent demolition and renovation several times.

Architecture

According to a study conducted on photos and paintings of Qaisar Bagh taken before 1857, the heart of the garden palace, which was the chief quandrangle, featured a detailed charbagh. It had two identical gates, which are called “Lakhi gates.”According to reports, the Nawab spent one lakh rupees on each gate; so they got the name “Lakhi.” The charbagh area was called “Paree Khana” or Angel spot. The queens lived here. Even today this spot is intact.

The main garden was surrounded by residences of royal ladies. These were two-storey houses with big courtyards, but no windows. The Qaisar Bagh complex consisted of two markets – Kaptan Bazaar and Meena Bazaar. They were only for royal ladies.

In 1857, after the first war of independence, the British demolished Qaisar Bagh. Historical reports say that it was probably because the garden was the place from where Begum Hazrat Mahal, wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, showed her leadership after the Nawab was exiled in 1856.

Qaisar Bagh, according to historians, died a slow death. Wide roads passed through its chief courtyards later. No other palace complex was as splendidly built as Qaisar bagh. No other historical complex was as mercilessly destroyed as this one. Today, only a few parts of Qaisar Bagh are intact.

The UP Government has planned to renovate the area in collaboration with the Archeological Survey of India.

Attractions

Tourists can now find Qaisar Bagh in fragments; yet its beauty and mystery is intact. The neat lawns are there; the imposing tombs are there; the palace structures, even in their remnants, have an uncanny charm that lures tourists towards them. Children can find a great place here for fun and frolic.

The Bhatkhande College of Music, which has international recognition, stands proudly on the remains of the palace structure. This can be regarded as a tribute to the Nawab, according to historians, as the Nawab, himself a poet, conducted music performances and the palace used to resonate with the sounds of thumris, ghazals, and dadra.

The Sufed Baradari is still unchanged. Its grace lies in its flowing contours made from marble. It is a witness to several events and umpteen numbers of marriages. This marbled majesty is one of the best-preserved structures from the palace complex.

The two “Lakhi” gates, which once stood magnificently at the entrance and the exit of the complex, are today overshadowed by the hustle bustle of the city. Yet, tourists coming to this place can still feel the grandness of the gates. It is one of the attractions for visitors here.

Bagh Timings

It is open from sunrise to sunset.

Best Time to Visit

Lucknow has a hot summer; so months from October and March are best to visit this city, especially for visiting gardens of this city.

How to Reach

Lucknow is well connected with rails, roads, and airways to other places of Uttar Pradesh.

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