Kothis built by Nawabs of Awadh

1. DILKUSHA KOTHI, LUCKNOW, (1805)
• CONSTRUCTED FOR THE NAWAB SAADAT ALI KHAN IN THE YEAR 1805. THE KOTHI WAS BUILT ON
THE LINES OF EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE WITH ITS DESIGN BEING PROPOSED BY GORE OUSELEY.
THE BEAUTY OF THE KOTHI WAS ENHANCED BY BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDINGS AS WELL, WHICH
INCLUDED THE WOODS AND A RIVER.
• THE KOTHI WAS USED AS A HUNTING PLACE BY THE NAWABS BECAUSE OF THE FORESTS AROUND
AND ALSO AS A VENUE FOR OUTINGS FOR THE BEGUMS AND THE FEMALES OF THE ROYAL
FAMILIES. IT IS SAID THAT THE STRUCTURAL DESIGN OF THE DILKUSHA KOTHI RESEMBLES THE STYLE
OF SEATON DELAVAL HALL IN NORTHUMBERLAND IN ENGLAND.
• LAKHAURI BRICKS PLASTERED WITH LIME MORTAR WERE USED IN IT’S CONSTRUCTION. THE
EXTREMES OF THE KOTHI WERE KNOWN TO HAVE TOWERS THAT FURTHER HAD CIRCULAR
STAIRCASES IN THEM. A SERIES OF STEPS LED TO THE ENTRANCE OR THE MAIN DOORWAY OF THE
PALACE. IT IS SAID THAT THE HANDRAIL OF THE STAIRCASES HAD FEMALE STATUES ADJACENT TO IT.
THERE IS ANOTHER STRUCTURE PRESENT NEAR THE PALACE WHOSE LOWER FLOOR SERVED AS A
STABLE FOR THE HORSES AND WAS ALSO USED AS A PARKING GROUND FOR THE NAWAB’S HORSE-
WAGONS.
• THIS BUILDING ALSO OPERATED TO BE ONE OF THE MAIN CENTRE OF THE 1857 MUTINY OF SEPOYS
AND HENCE, SUFFERED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.
• THE DILKUSHA KOTHI WAS ORIGINALLY A THREE STOREYED STRUCTURE WITH A PART BASEMENT. IT
HAD FOUR ORNAMENTAL OCTAGONAL TOWERS WITH GLAZED POTTERY TOPS. THE ENTRANCE WAS
THROUGH AN IMPOSING FLIGHT OF STEPS THAT LED TO A CENTRAL DOORWAY BENEATH A
PORTICO SUPPORTED BY TALL PILLARS AS HIGH AS THE ROOF OF THE SECOND STOREY.
• THE BUILDING HAD PATTERNED WALLS AND UNUSUALLY NO INNER COURTYARD AS WAS
TRADITIONAL IN INDIAN ARCHITECTURE. THE BUILDING THEREFORE HAD A SMALLER FOOTPRINT
AND DID NOT EXTEND OVER A LARGE AREA BUT WAS TALLER THAN TRADITIONAL LOCAL
ARCHITECTURE.
VIEW OF DILSEATON DELAVAL HALL, ENGLAND
VIEW OF DILKUSHA KOTHI, LUCKNOW LAUKHAURI BRICKS USED IN CONSTRUCTION
OUDH ARCHITECTURE
AKANSHA AWASTHI
ANURAG VERMA
MAHAK GUPTA
HIMNSHU VERMA

2. OUDH ARCHITECTURE
AKANSHA AWASTHI
ANURAG VERMA
HIMANSHU VERMA
MAHAK GUPTA
• BUILDING MADE OF LAKHAURI BRICK AND LIME
MORTAR.
• THE BUILDING ON A RAISED PLATFORM IN THE
CENTRE OF A GARDEN .
• THE MAIN STRUCTURE OF THE KARBALA IS
REMARKABLE FOR THE BILATERAL SYMMETRY OF
ITS INDO-IRANIAN FACADE.
• THE CENTRAL ARCH IS LARGER AND GARLANDED BY
ARABIC INSCRIPTIONS IN THE ELEGANT THULUTH
SCRIPT, CONTAINING SHIITE RELIGIOUS TEXTS.
• A MARBLE SLAB BEARING A PERSIAN INSCRIPTION
IS FIXED OVER THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE OF THE
KARBALA
• THE KARBALA HAS A SPACIOUS ENCLOSURE
WITH HIGH WALLS PIERCED BY DEEP NICHES
AND CELLS.
• HE IMPRESSIVE RECTANGULAR GATEWAY ON
THE EASTERN SIDE WAS ORIGINALLY
EMBELLISHED IN STUCCO WITH FLORAL
MOTIFS.
• THE ENTIRE BUILDING IS COLOUR-WASHED IN
OCHRE.
• THE OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE
BUILDING IS THE ARRANGEMENT OF TWO
DOMES.
• ONE LOW AND THE OTHER RAISED IN THE
MUGHAL STYLE, RESEMBLING THE DOME OF
THE DARGAH OF HAZRAT SHAIKH SALIM
CHISHTI AT FATEPUR SIKRI.
• THE LATTER IS FULLY COVERED WITH COPPER
SHEETS RICHLY EMBELLISHED AND GILDED.
• THE MAIN DOME IS CROWNED BY A LOTUS
BUD FINIAL AND FLANKED BY TWO BEAUTIFUL
MINARETS OF IRANIAN DESIGN WITH
ARCUATE PROJECTING GALLERIES IN THE
FORM OF ANCIENT LANTERNS.
• THE INTERIOR IS NOTABLE FOR ITS GHULAM
GARDISH (CIRCUMAMBULATORY PASSAGE)
AROUND THE SHRINE CONTAINING THE WOODEN
ZARIH.
• THE ENTIRE FLOOR IS PAVED WITH WHITE AND
BLACK MARBLE SLABS.
• THE ARCUATE CEILINGS, LIT BY SLANTING
VENTILATORS AND SQUINCH ARCHES ARE
DECORATED WITH BANDS OF INSCRIPTIONS IN
THE THULUTH AND TUGHRA SCRIPTS, AND
COLOURFUL FLORAL MOTIFS.
• AMONG OTHER DECORATIVE OBJECTS ARE COSTLY
CHANDELIERS, FRAMED MIRRORS AND WASLIS,
BESIDES HANGINGS AND FURNISHINGS.
BUILDING STRUCTURE
BUILDING INTERIOR
BUILDING FEATURE
THE FAÇADE OF KARBALA
• THE WESTERN ENTRANCE AND INTERIOR OF
THE WOODEN VERANDAH IS SUPPORTED ON
FLUTED PILLARS.
• THESE PILLARS ARE CENTRAL ASIAN IN
DESIGN AND EMBELLISHED WITH PIECES OF
MIRRORS AND MOTHER OF PEARL.FLUTED PILLARS
KARBALA DAYANAT- UD- DAULA, LUCKNOW (A.D.1880-81)

3. RAUSHAN-UD-DAULA KOTHI (1896)
• THE KOTHI GOT CONSTRUCTED 150 YEAR AGO, BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OR WAZIR, OF THE NAWAB NASEER-UD-DIN
HAIDER NEAR KAISER BAGH LUCKNOW. THE CHIEF MINISTER, MOHAMMAD HUSSAIN KHAN, ALSO KNOWN BY HIS TITLE
OF ROSHAN-UD-DAULA, GOT THE KOTHI BUILT AS HIS RESIDENCE.
• THE KOTHI WAS BUILT ON THE INDO- FRENCH STYLED ARCHITECTURE THAT MADE THE STRUCTURE UNIQUE AND
EXQUISITE.
• THE KOTHI IS REPLETE WITH BEAUTIFUL AND CREATIVE STRUCTURE COMPRISING OF ARTISTIC MINARETS AND COLUMNS,
BEAUTIFUL ARCHES SPLENDID AND BEAUTIFULLY DONE ART GALLERIES AND ROOMS.
• RAUSHAN-UD-DAULA KOTHI HAD A COMPLICATED AND MIXED DESIGN, COMBINING AN ASTONISHING RANGE OF
VARIOUS ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS.
• IT WAS A HUGE EDIFICE WITH AT LEAST ONE (AND POSSIBLY TWO) BASEMENT LEVEL AND NOW FOUR (BUT ORIGINALLY
FIVE) LEVELS ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.
• ITS BASIC FORM WAS RECTANGULAR, BUT ACQUIRED A COMPLEX POLYGONAL OUTLINE, AS IT HAD CANTED CORNERS ON
ONE FRONT, PROJECTING REGULAR BAYS ON ANOTHER FRONT, A GRAND HEXA STYLE PORTICO ON THE THIRD FRONT, AND
YET OTHER TINY BALCONIES, COLONNADED VERANDAHS AND STAIRCASES ON EACH AND EVERY FRONT.
• THE UPPER BASEMENT CONTAINED TAIKHANAS, WHOSE VENTILATORS WERE TO BE SEEN PEEPING OUT OF ITS
RUSTICATED OUTER FACE.
• THE PORTION FACING NORTH WAS FIRST BUILT AND THE ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PORTION WAS COPIED FROM THAT OF
DAULAT KHANA ASIFI. IT WAS RAISED TO THE THIRD LEVEL TO MATCH THE FLOOR LEVEL OF THE ‘HEARING HALL’ ROOFTOP.
• THE PORTION FACING SOUTH WAS CONSTRUCTED AFTER COMPLETION OF THE FIRST PHASE, AND IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT
FROM THE PREVIOUS CONSTRUCTION.
• THE TWO ‘HEARING HALLS’ OF THE TWO PHASES CONSTRUCTION WERE CONNECTED WITH FIVE DOORWAYS OF EIGHT
FEET HEIGHT, WHICH WERE CLOSED IN 1870S FOR THE REASONS BETTER KNOWN TO THE ADMINISTRATION OF THAT
TIME.
• THE DESIGN OF THE CEILING OF THE ‘HEARING HALL’ WAS THE SAME AS THAT OF PRESENT DAY STRUCTURE. THE WELL-
DEFINED DESIGN STILL TELLS THE BUILDING DESIGN GENIUS OF THAT PERIOD.
• TOTAL LOAD DISTRIBUTED THROUGH SMALLER BEAMS TO THE LARGER ONE AND FINALLY RESTED TO THE STRONG AND
WIDE WALLS. TODAY THESE ARE CALLED COFFER BEAMS AND COFFER SLAB.
• POST-MUTINY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ORIGINAL KOTHI SHOW A SEMI-CIRCULAR GILT BAND ON THE TOP OF THE SIX
STOREYED BUILDING.
• THE KOTHI OF ROSHAN-UD-DAULAH FASCINATED THE LAST KING OF AWADH, WAJID ALI SHAH SO MUCH THAT HE MADE IT
THE RESIDENCE OF HIS FAVOURITE QUEEN, MASHOOQ MAHAL AND ALSO GAVE IT THE NAME KAISER PASAND (CEASER'S
CHOICEST).
• THEREFORE RAUSHAN-UD-DAULA KOTHI IS ALSO KNOWN AS KAISER PASAND KOTHI.
• AFTER THE RECAPTURE OF LUCKNOW IN 1858 BY THE BRITISH ARMY THE ENGLISH GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED HERE THE
OFFICE OF DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF LUCKNOW. FOR A LONG TIME, CITY SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE AND CITY
MAGISTRATE MADE THEIR OFFICES HERE.
• ON THE ROOF, A SECOND PAVILION WAS CROWNED
WITH A STRIKING HALF DOME, COVERED WITH COPPER, AS
THOUGH IT HAD BEEN SLICED FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
• ALL THE DOMES, BIG AND SMALL ARE COVERED WITH
COPPER. POTTERIES ARE EXTENSIVELY USED. ON THE TOP
OF ALL, THERE IS A SEMI-CIRCULAR COPPER WARE,
SUGGESTING THE SUN IS RISING, WITH THE SEMAPHORE IN
THE CENTRE
• FOUR SQUARE KIOSKS WITH CANOPIES IN THE FRENCH
FASHION, ALONG WITH SMALL CHHATRIES AND
GUMBADS (DOME) APPEAR AT A LOWER LEVEL.
TWO OF ITS UPPER STOREYS DEMOLISHED ALONG WITH
THE GILDED ARCH
TINY BALCONIES, COLONNADED VERANDAHS AND
STAIRCASES ON EACH AND EVERY FRONT.
A GRAND HEXA STYLE PORTICO ON THE THIRD FRONT,
• IT WAS A HUGE EDIFICE WITH AT LEAST ONE (AND
POSSIBLY TWO) BASEMENT LEVEL AND NOW FOUR (BUT
ORIGINALLY FIVE) LEVELS ABOVE GROUND LEVEL.
• COURTYARD IN FRONT OF KOTHI
ICONIC COLUMNS, BALUSTRADES WITH GLOBE LIKE
FINIALS, MOORISH MINARETS, HINDU UMBRELLAS,
ARCHES, PEDIMENTS, LANTERNS ARE ALL BLENDED IN
A CONFUSION WHICH THE EYE MAY LONG SEEK VAINLY
TO DISENTANGLE, AND SURMOUNTED WITH A GILT
BAND'.
VIEWS OF THE RAUSHAN-UD-DAULA KOTHI WITH SIX STOREYS ,DOME AND KIOSKS VIEWS OF RAUSHAN-UD-DAULA KOTHI WITH REMAINING FOUR STOREYS
OUDH ARCHITECTURE
AKANSHA AWASTHI
ANURAG VERMA
MAHAK GUPTA
HIMANSHUVERMA