THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES OF AWADH STYLE

INTRODUCTION 

Lucknow ,locally called “nakhlau” and “the city of parks” has no other comparison in terms of its brisk accumulation of wealth and manifestation of this wealth in the form of elaborate buildings and a highly sophisticated lifestyle. It is believed to be firstly settled by “lakshman” on the banks of river  Gomti. Lucknow’s rise of prominence began when the fourth nawab of awadh ,”Asaf-ud-daula” moved his capital from faizabad to lucknow.  With his aristocratic presence the city was endowed with monument ,shiite Mausoleums and imambaras and the pursuit of art, culture , cuisine, And the quintessential “tehzeeb”.A philanthrophic patron of the finer  Aspects of life he encouraged “mushairas”(urdu poet recitals), ”Kabootarbaazi” (pigeon fights),and the art with muslin and embroidery With thread called”chikankari. Awadh follows the later mughal style of architecture inspired from delhi.  Persian ideologies dominated hence use ornamental animal motifs . 

Shiite faith was responsible for the construction of imambaras and 

Karbalas, the most outstanding religious monuments of lucknow.

Use of sandstone ,”lakhauri” bricks , lime mortar or the mortar, Mix of pulse(urad ki daal), gum,”gud”,”singhade ka aata”,and  Red lime(laal chuna) for building construction.

Ornamentations:-

1. Use of stucco and plaster
2. Carvings in relief with floral and geometrical motifs,and colourfully Painted.
3. Delicate execution of  ornamental details and mouldings with, Consisting mainly of foliated  and incised designs.
4. Stucco ornamentation partly  composed of mother of pearls and  Shells deposited in lake beds with shine finer than that of marble.
5. Fish most extensively used as ornamental motif.
6. Most domes crowned by gilded copper,gold plated or Terracotta-coloured finials.
7. Lower portion of domes were in foliated form of awadh crown and some of the finials were superimposed by a chhatri (canopy).
8. Terracotta balustrades
9. Flying buttresses on top of square buildings.
10. Gateways erected as entrances to monumental  complexes and Pleasure gardens  consisting of recessed arches  rising from same bas And covered with arabesque details.
11. Massive vaulted roofs 
12. Hidden cells or labyrinths(bhul bhulaiya)
13. Subterranean chambers
14. Baolis(step-wells)
15. Landscaping around monuments hence “the city of parks”

Two types of buildings:-

• Religious that is the imambaras and karbalas.
• Secular buildings that is  the palaces , kothis,and “baradaris” With gardens. 

Palaces or “kothis”:- built on the outskirts of the city for the nawabs  For their own use.

Baradari:- a pavillion with twelve openings

Karbalas:-a religious structure raised in the memory of the sacred  Site of martyrdom of hazrat imam husain and his followers in iraq.

Imambaras:- 

1. “Imam”(avatar or god) and “bara” (house or ghar) hence  house of god.
2. Religious edifices used for holding assemblies or “majlies” to mourn The tragic matyrdom of the maternal grandson of the prophet, Hazrat imam husain ,at karbala in iraq.
3. Patterned on mughal mosque While mosques built by nawabs had no more than two aisles, the  Imambaras could have three, with each aisle divided into three  Chambers, the central one being larger than the two on either side.

Monument approached by two lofty gateways :-

• South:- main entrance remarkable for its - 

1. Rectangular plan,
2. Tri-arched façade of tripolia style 
3. Bold cusped arches , 
4. Double set of fishes in thick lime plaster,facing each other on the      spandrels.
5. Raised parapets are composed miniature domed arches
6. Square turrets at the corner
7. Turrets crowned by chhatris or cupolas
8. In between miniature turrets crowned by guldastas
9. Side walls have arched galleries on both sides with a series of fluted domes,flanked by octagonal bastions at the corners.
10. These bastions are crowned by domed chhatris

• North:-constructed for reasons of symmetry and housed the “naubat Khana”.

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