Avadh is claimed to be among the most ancient of Hindu states. According to popular legend, Ramchandra of Ayodhya, the hero of the Ramayana, gifted the territory of Lucknow to his devoted brother Lakshman after he had conquered Sri Lanka and completed his term of exile in the jungle. Therefore, people say that the original name of Lucknow was Lakshmanpur, popularly known as Lakhanpur or Lachmanpur.
The city of Ayodhya itself, forty miles away from Lakshmanpur, was reported to be full of great riches: "Its streets, well arranged, were refreshed with ceaseless streams of water ~ its walls, variously ornamented, resembled the checkered surface of a chess-board. It was filled with merchants, dramatists, elephants, horses and chariots. The cloud of fragrant incense darkened the sun at noonday: but the glowing radiance of the resplendent diamonds and jewels that adorned the persons of the ladies relieved the gloom!.." (Ramayana).
The ancient metropolis of Ayodhya was situated on the banks of the Ghagra, a river as wide as the Ganges at Chunar and its extensive ruins can still be seen. There is no record of when and how Ayodhya came to be deserted or allowed to decay : the legend is that Rama ascended to heaven, carrying with him all the population of the place. So large had the city been that Lakshmanpur was described as its suburb!
Taking a descent through the mists of time we alight upon Ayodhya again in the record books of the Emperor Akbar. It is a prodigious descent in time -from fifteen centuries before the Christian era to fifteen centuries after. Incredibly though, not much is known about the history of Avadh during this time. We know that after the conquest of Kanauj by the Afghans at the. end of the twelfth century, Avadh submitted to the Sultan of Ghazni, and so became part of the empire of Delhi. Avadh then as- serted its independence for a while under a Muslim ruler, but he was over- thrown by Babur, and Avadh became asubah or province of the Moghul empire.
As the Moghul power declined and the emperors lost their paramountcy and they became first the puppets and then the prisoners of their feudatories, so Avadh grew stronger and more independent. Its capital city was Faizabad.
Of all the Muslim states and dependencies of the Moghul empire, Avadh had the newest royal family. They were descended from a Persian adventurer called Sadat Khan, originally from Khurasan in Persia. There were many Khurasanis in the service of the Moghuls, mostly soldiers, and if successful, they could hope for rich rewards. Sadat Khan proved to be amongst the most successful of this group. In 1732, he was made governor of the province of Avadh. His original title was Nazim, which means Governor, but soon he was made Nawab. In 1740, the Nawab was called Wazir or vizier, which means Chief Minister, and thereafter he was known as the Nawab Wazir. In practice, from Sadat Khan onwards, the titles had been hereditary, though in theory they were in the gift of the Moghul emperor, to whom allegiance was paid. A nazar, or token tribute, was sent each year to Delhi, and members of the imperial family were treated with great deference: two of them actually lived in Lucknow after 1819, and were treated with great courtesy.
Achieving a certain degree of independence from the Moghuls in Delhi did not, unfortunately, mean that the Nawabs could rule entirely as they pleased. They had merely exchanged one master for another. The British, in the form of the East India Company based in Calcutta, had long looked with predatory eyes at the wealth of Avadh. Excuses for interference in the province were not hard to find. The most catastrophic from the Avadh point of view came when Shuja-ud-Daula invaded Bengal, and actually briefly held Calcutta. But British military victories at Plassey in 1757 and Buxar in 1764 utterly routed the Nawab. When peace was made, Avadh had lost much land. But the enemies became friends, on the surface anyway, and the Nawab Wazir was extolled in the British Parliament as the Chief native allay of the East India Company in all India.
The Nawabs surrendered their independence little by little over many years. To pay for the protection of British forces and assistance in war, Avadh gave up first the fort of Chunar, then the districts of Benares and Ghazipur , then the fort at Allahabad; all the time the cash subsidy which the Nawab paid to the Company grew and grew.
In 1773, the fatal step was taken by the Nawab of accepting a British Resident at Lucknow, and surrendering to the Company all control over foreign policy. Soon the Resident, however much he might defer ceremonially to the Nawab, became the real ruler.
Asaf -ud-Daula, son of Shuja-ud- Daula, moved the capital from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775 and made it one of the most prosperous and glittering cities in all India. Why did he move? On a whim, it is said, because he wanted to get away from the control of a dominant mother. On such a thread did the fate of the great city of Lucknow depend!
Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula was a generous and sympathetic ruler, an inveterate builder of monuments and a discriminate patron of the arts. He built the Bara Imambara with its intricate bhul-bhulayya and adjoining mosque, primarily to create employment for his subjects during a time of drought. The Rumi Darwaza also testifies to his architectural zeal.
His son, Wazir Ali, was the one who most regretted his grandfather's ac- ceptance of a British resident at Lucknow. In 1798, the Governor-General removed him from the throne, on the excuse that there was doubt as to whether he was a true son of Asaf-ud- Daula, but more probably because he was displaying tendencies to independence. They put Asafs brother, Sadat Ali Khan, on the throne. Sadat Ali Khan, though economical in fiscal management, was nevertheless an enthusiastic builder and commissioned many grand palaces, including Dilkusha, Hayat Baksh and Farhat Baksh, as well as the famous Lal Baradari. Hereafter the dynasty had to look to Calcutta rather than to Delhi to settle the succession.
The assassination of a British Resident in 1798 in Benares by the deposed Wazir Ali gave further excuse for interference, and Lord Wellesley (brother of the Duke of Wellington) was just the man to exploit it. By the treaty of 1801, the Nawab had to give up his own army, and pay heavily for a British-led one in its place. The southern doab (Rohilkhand) was ceded, and the remainder of the district of Allahabad and other areas became part of British India. In thirty years, Avadh had lost half its territory to the British.
The Nawab demanded in return for these concessions that he should have a free hand in governing his remaining territory, unchecked by the advice or interference of the British. But in this, he was badly handicapped by the fact that he had to rely on British troops to enforce his orders. Wellesley had another trick up his sleeve: a clause of the treaty by which the Nawab under- took to establish a system of administration "by the advice of and acting in conformity to the counsel of the officers of the Honourable Company" which should be conducive to the prosperity of his subjects. It seemed a harmless clause, but was to be the means by which the British eventually annexed Avadh.
Thus, from 1819 onwards, things ran their course in Avadh. Sadat Ali being gathered to his fathers, Ghazi his son, sat on the musnud, the throne, and took the cognomen "ud-Din", implying Defender of the Faith. He was formally invested with the title of King by the British, though ironically the proclamation of kingship coincided with a period of almost complete dependence on the British. He lent two millions of rupees to the British feringhee for the Nepal War, and at its close got the Nepalese Terai ~ a marshy forest extending along the foot of the Himalayas -in liquidation of half the debt. Some might have thought it a poor bargain, but in fact the Terai eventually produced some very valuable timber.
Ghazi-ud-Din was a good monarch, responsible for much building and public works of all kinds, and he paid due attention to the administration of justice. He built the Mubarak Manzil and Shah Manzil as well as Hazari Bagh, in whjch he introduced Lucknow society to the sport of animal contests for the first time
However, his son Nasir -ud-Din who succeeded to the throne, had an attachment to the English, not founded upon those things the English would like to be admired for -justice, liberty, democracy -but upon their dress, their eating habits and, more unfortunately, the drinking -habits of the more disreputable element of English adventurer with whom he surrounded himself.
Nasir -ud-Din, despite such a temperament, was a popular monarch, who was responsible for the construction of an astrological centre, Tarunvali Kothi. Equipped with sophisticated instruments, it was entrusted to the care of a British astronomer. When he died there was another disputed succession and the British insisted on Muhammed Ali, another son of Sadat Ali, being enthroned. Muhammed Ali was a just and popular ruler and under him, Lucknow regained its splendour for a brief spell. He was however sorely troubled by rheumatism. He died in 1842 and his son Arnjad Ali succeeded, a man more inclined towards matters religious and spiritual, leading to the neglect of governance. He was succeeded by Wajid Ali Shah, poet, singer, avid patron of the arts and lover of Lucknow. Of him it was written, "He is entirely taken up in the pursuit of his personal gratifications. He has no desire to be thought to take any interest whatever in public affairs and is altogether regardless of the duties and responsibilities of his high office. He lives exclusively in the society of fiddlers, eunuchs and women: he has done so since his childhood, and is likely to do so till his last." ('The Private Life of an Eastern King' by William Knighton.)
This portrait of Wajid Ali Shah was used to justify British annexation of Avadh. If the charges of mismanagement levied against Wajid Ali Shah were true, the British were as much responsible for this as the Nawab. They were more in control of the administration and finances of Avadh since the 1780's than the Nawab. In addition, Avadh had been impoverished by the incessant cash demands of the British on the Nawab.
The excuse at last came for the British to invoke that clause of the 1801 Treaty. And the Governor General in 1856, Lord Dalhousie, was just the man to do it. Avadh was annexed, Wajid Ali Shah shipped off to virtual imprisonment in Matiyaburj in Calcutta and, though this was not on the British programme, the stage set for the greatest rebellion to date against their power in India.
One of Wajid Ali Shah's wives, the Begum Hazrat Mahal, remained in Lucknow, and when the Mutiny came in 1857, she put herself at the head of those fighting for freedom.
The Begum never did surrender, she died in Nepal in 1879.
In 1827 Ghazi-ud-din Haider's son, Nasir-ud-din Haider; ascended the throne. King Nasir-ud-Din Haider had a colourful court and he led a lavish even extravagant life.
He had a strong belief in Astrology & Astronomy. This led him to set up an observatory at Lucknow 'The Tarunwali Kothi' which was bedecked with exceptionally good astronomical instruments. He added Darshan Vilas, an european style Kothi, to the Farhat Buksh complex in 1832. By the time of Nasir-ud-din Haider the Awadh govt. had started deteriorating. The administration of the kingdom was left to the hands of Wazir Hakim Mahdi and later to Raushan-ud-Daula. The King was busy in his debaucheries and inventing religious rites. He lived mostly in women quarters and even started dressing like woman.
He reproduced a Karbala at lradatnagar for his place of burial. However his tyrannical rule was brought to an end in 1837, when he was poisoned by his own friends & favourites. Nasir-ud-din Haider died without an offspring and Ghazi-ud- din Haider's queen 'Padshah Begum' put forward Munna Jan, as a claimant to the throne though both Ghazi-ud- din Haider and Nasir-ud-din Haider had refused to acknowledge him as belonging to the royal family. The begum forcibly enthroned Munna Jan at Lalbaradari. The British intervened and exploited the situation to their interest. They arrested both the begum and Munna Jan and arranged for the accession of late Nawab Saadat Ali Khan's son, Nasir-ud-daula, under title of 'Muhammad Ali Shah', who promised to pay a large sum of money to the British for this.
SafdarJung (1739-1754) Saadat Khan was succeeded by his son-in-Iaw Muhammad Muqim, under the title of Abul Mansur Khan. Burhan-ul-mulk had left behind only five daughters but no male heir to the throne. Safdar lung's rule of 15 years, saw no peace as due to continuous struggle with the Bangash Pathan's of Farrukhabad. Safdarjung had to leave Delhi due to court conspiracies. He returned to Awadh in 1753, but died within a year at Papar ghat, near Sultan pur in 1754. His mausoleum in Delhi is one of the finest pieces of architecture of that period
SafdarJung was succeeded by his son Jalal-ud-din Haider -Shuja-ud-daula, who stayed mostly at Faizabad. He supported Mir kasim in the Battle of Baksar in 1764 but was defeated, which compelled him to enter into a treaty with the East India Company, in addition to payment of 50 lakh of rupees. This was the advent of British on the soils of Awadh. The 1st British resident Mr Middleton entered the court of Nawab Wazier in 1773. Safdar Jung was a restless, impulsive and ambitious ruler who not only brought violent disturbances but also momentous vicissitudes for his regime. From the time of Shuja-ud-daula onwards, the Nawabs surrendered their independence little by little, over the coming years. To pay for the protection of British forces and assistance in war, Awadh gave up first the fort of Chunar, then districts of Benaras, Ghazipur and finally AIlahabad.
As Shuja-ud-daula functioned from Faizabad, he paid a lot of attention towards beautification and development of the town of Faizabad. Shuja-ud-daula's wife Bahu Begum, was a woman of great distinction and rank, who contributed significantly towards the growth and consolidation of her husband's government. During the days of Shuja-ud-daula, Faizabad attained a prosperity, which it never saw again.
Shuja-ud-daula died in 1774 and was laid to rest at his mausoleum at Gulab-Bari, Faizahad.
The accession of Asaf-ud-daula, the fourth nawab wazir of Awadh, brought a great change in Awadh politics. Under the rule of Asaf-ud- daula the court of Lucknow became utterly magnificent and the town of Lucknow acquired great splendour. The capital was finally shifted from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1755 which contributed to its significant growth.
The most important outcome of Asaf-ud-daula consolidation of the court at Lucknow, was the emergence of a powerful shia culture, in constant interaction with the shia heart lands of Iran & Iraq. The increasing number of shia emigrants from Iranian cities varitably transformed Lucknow into a great intellectual centre.
Asaf-ud-daula was also a great builder: He built the 'Daulat Khana' as a residence for himself to the west of Macchi Bhawan, the Rumi Darvazaand the incomparable Bara Imam Bara. The Imam-Bara & the Rumi-Gate were constructed as a famine relief measure in 1784. Consciously designed by its architect Kifayatullah, the 164 feet long and 52 feet wide building is constructed in brick with high quality limestone. The arched roof of the Imam-Bara, which is built without a single beam, is the largest of its kind in the world. The strength of the edifices can be judged from the fact that although built over 212 years they still stand intact, maintaining their original dignity and grandeur.
The Bhulbhulaiya at Bara Imambara, is a unique labyrinth of intricate balconies and passages, with 489 identical doorways, which give the feeling of being lost.
He also built the Bibiyapur Kothi. It was built by Asaf-ud-daula as a country residence where he frequently resorted for hunting, of which he was passionately fond. The beautiful Chunhat Khoti was also built by Asaf-ud-daula. General Claude Martin entered the court of Awadh under Asafud-daula, and created the plan of his 'Constantia', The Nawab was so overwhelmed by his design that he decided to purchase it with ten lakh gold coins. But before the transaction could be completed the Nawab departed for his heavenly abode in 1797, and was laid to rest in his magnificent lmambara.
Wazir Ali (1797-1798) Wazir-Ali the son of Asafud-daula assumed rulership after him, but within four months of his rule alienated the British and his subjects alike and was finally deposed and imprisoned in the Chunar fort, where he died
Yamin-ud-daula-Nawab Saadat Ali Khan was the son of Asaf-ud-daula. Saadat-Ali-Khan was crowned on 21stJan., 1798 at a grand darbar held at Bibiyapur Palace, by Sir John Shore. As a mark of gratitude he ceded half of Awadh Kingdom to the British in 1801.
Saadat Ali Khan, though economical in fiscal management, was nevertheless an enthusiastic builder and commissioned many grand palaces, including Dilkusha, Hayat Baksh Kothi and Farhat Buksh Kothi as well as the famous Lal -Baradari. The Farhat Buksh was purchased from Claude Martin for fifty thousand rupees. Farhat Buksh was a vast complex of buildings. It remained the chief royal residence until Wajid Ali Shah built Kaiserbagh. The area was the scene of bitter fighting during 1857 and the complex was almost destroyed. Chattar Manzilbecame a British club during the period of the Raj. Since 1947 it has been housing the Central Drug Research Institute. The Royal Court at Lal Baradari, the part of Farhat Baksh Complex known as 'Qasr-uI- Sultan', the King's Palace, served as throne room, coronation hall of assembly for Awadh rulers, from the time of Saadat Ali Khan. Ghazi-ud-din-Haider was crowned in this royal Palace in 1819. The Kothi 'Dil Aaram,' was constructed on the high river bank as a private house for the Nawab. In addition to these houses the Nawab constructed the celebrated buildings Munavar Baksh, Khurshid Manzil and the Chaupar Stables. The Awadh style was gradually abandoned during reign of Saadat Ali Khan and European innovations adopted largely. The result was that Lucknow became rendezvous for more distinguished people than ever before.
In 1814 Nawab Saadat Ali Khan departed from life and was buried at his tomb with his wife 'Khursheed Zadi' in the twin Tombs of Qaiserbagh adjoining the begum Hazrat Mahal park.
Ghazi-ud-din Haider ascended the throne in 1814. He got built two houses within the Motimahal complex, the Mubarak Manzil and Shah Manzil. He also introduced for the first time animal fighting sport, which was hitherto unheard in Lucknow. Ghazi-ud- din used to watch these fights from Shahmanzil, which took place on the other side of the river at Hazari Bagh.
He got a European style house built for one of his European wife and named it 'Vilayati Bagh. ' The edifice of Qadam Rasul was constructed near it. According to popular belief this impression of the supposed footprints of Muhammad on black stone, was brought from mecca, by some distinguished pilgrim. Though badly damaged in 1857, the stone bearing the footprint still stands, on a high pedestal near Sikandar Bagh (NBRI).
Ghazi-ud-din Haider due to his religious fervor; reproduced on the banks of Gomti near Sikander bagh, a sacred Najaf, a holy mausoleum, the copy of Ali's burial place at Najaf in Iraq. He was buried here at his death in 1827. Later his three begums were also buried at Shah Najaf Imambara -Sarfaraz Mahal, Mubarak Mahal and Mumtaz Mahal. In his life time itself; Ghazi-ud-din Haider had constituted the unique 'Vasiqa system' an endowment arrangement with the British, for the upkeep of lmambaras. With the interest of the 'perpetual loans', the maintenance of the lmambaras was to be taken care of. In 1886 the vasiqa legislation was passed with which the arrangments were regularized and a board of trustees, which continues to this day was instituted, to manage the funds. The vasiqas continue to the present time and the Bara Imambara, Chotta Imambara and the Shahnajaf Imambara are looked after by them.
In 1827 Ghazi-ud-din Haider's son, Nasir-ud-din Haider; ascended the throne. King Nasir-ud-Din Haider had a colourful court and he led a lavish even extravagant life.
He had a strong belief in Astrology & Astronomy. This led him to set up an observatory at Lucknow 'The Tarunwali Kothi' which was bedecked with exceptionally good astronomical instruments. He added Darshan Vilas, an european style Kothi, to the Farhat Buksh complex in 1832. By the time of Nasir-ud-din Haider the Awadh govt. had started deteriorating. The administration of the kingdom was left to the hands of Wazir Hakim Mahdi and later to Raushan-ud-Daula. The King was busy in his debaucheries and inventing religious rites. He lived mostly in women quarters and even started dressing like woman.
He reproduced a Karbala at lradatnagar for his place of burial. However his tyrannical rule was brought to an end in 1837, when he was poisoned by his own friends & favourites. Nasir-ud-din Haider died without an offspring and Ghazi-ud- din Haider's queen 'Padshah Begum' put forward Munna Jan, as a claimant to the throne though both Ghazi-ud- din Haider and Nasir-ud-din Haider had refused to acknowledge him as belonging to the royal family. The begum forcibly enthroned Munna Jan at Lalbaradari. The British intervened and exploited the situation to their interest. They arrested both the begum and Munna Jan and arranged for the accession of late Nawab Saadat Ali Khan's son, Nasir-ud-daula, under title of 'Muhammad Ali Shah', who promised to pay a large sum of money to the British for this.
Muhammad Ali Shah (1837-1842) Muhammad Ali Shah was 63 years of age when he ascended the throne. But he was an experienced man and had seen the glorious days of his father. He started to economize and set right the administration. He started building the Chhota lmambara. Muhammad Ali Shah was determined to make Lucknow into veritable Babylon and to leave for himself a memorial, representing him as greatest king of Awadh. He started building in the neighbourhood of the present clock tower, an edifice similar to Babylon's minaret or floating garden & named it Satkhanda, but it reached only its fifth storey in 1842, when Muhammad Ali Shah died.
After Muhammad Ali Shah, his son Amjad Ali Shah ascended the throne. Muhammad Ali Shah had made every effort to ensure that the heir apparent received an excellent education & had therefore entrusted him to the company of religious scholars, which instead of making him an intelligent ruler made him a devout muslim. Thus, he became the most deeply religious, circumspect and abstinent ruler of Awadh. As a result, the system of administration set up by Muhammad Ali Shah became completely disorganized, while the vicious officers had their day.He died in 1848 due to cancer and was burried at the Imambara Sibtainabad in western part of Hazratganj, a quarter which he had himself established
Amjad Ali Shah's eldest son, Wajid Ali shah, who was eventually destined to be the last ruler of Awadh, ascended the throne of Awadh in 1847.
Wajid Ali Shah was a great patron of singers, musicians, dancers and artists. He was also greatly interested in architecture. He started building the Qaiser bagh palace complex as soon as he came to the throne. This vast complex was built between 1848 and 1850 at the cots of 80 lakh rupeesincluding furniture and decoration. The inner court yard of Qaiserbagh, with its lawns was called Jilo Khana. In the centre was a Baradari flanked by two mermaid gates ( Lakkhigate ) at eastern and western ends. On the right end was Chandiwali Baradari, which was paved with sliver and the khas muqam and Badshah manzil, which used to be the special residence of the king. On the left was a large group of buildings termed as chaulakkhi kothi, built by Azimutla Khan, which was later sold to the king. Nawab khas mahal and other honoured ladies of the royal harem lived here. During the mutiny daysBegum Hazrat Mahal held court from this kothi. The buildings at the Qaiserbagh Quadrangle were occupied chiefly by ladies of the Harem. To left of the Western Lakkhi gate, was the Roshan-ud-daula kothi, built by Nasir-ud-din-Haider's Wazir, later confiscated by Wajid Ali Shah and renamed as 'Qaiser Pasand'. One of his favourite wives Nawab Mashuq Mahal used to live in it. Of the large oblong enclosure of elegant and imposing two storied houses, one wing of which was pulled down after the war of 1857, the other still remains. It was in this atmosphere of gaiety and merriment, that the British annexed Awadh on Feb.11, 1856 deposing Wajid Ali Shah.
Bihar became the first state in India to have separate web page for every city and village in the state on its website www.brandbihar.com (Now www.brandbharat.com)
See the record in Limca Book of Records 2012 on Page No. 217