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Journalism of Courage
It was constructed as the mausoleum of a great king,and had all the trappings of royalty a majestic building,sprawling gardens,a grand entrance,domes and minarets,intricate wall carvings,fine calligraphy,a water body,and vibrant chandeliers imported from Belgium. Indeed,when Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah,the third king of Awadh,constructed the Chhota Imambara in 1838,he wanted it to be awed at,praised and celebrated. On its 175th anniversary,though,the Chhota Imambara stands abandoned. The once-majestic entrance gates on its eastern and western sides are in shambles. Two of its verandahs have been eaten up by over 70 shops,houses and even a police post. Neither the city administration,nor the locals,and worse,not even the Archaeological Survey of India ASI or the Hussainabad and Allied Trust HAT,which are the custodians of the monument,have any plans for celebrating the glory of the Chhota Imambara,a symbol of Lucknows nawabi heritage.
But its not like the monument doesnt get visitors. Its still a major landmark in the Uttar Pradesh capital,and continues to draw tourists. The chhota in its name is colloquial,as it is smaller than the Bada Imambara,built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah,which is just 700 metres away. Its actual name is Hussainabad Imambara; the regal mausoleum is also a religious monument,which the nawab devoted to Imam Hussain,revered by Shia Muslims. During the Islamic month of Moharram,a procession of Shia Muslims walks from the Bada Imambara to the Chhota Imambara,carrying a bamboo-and-wax replica of Hussains mausoleum in Iraq. The replicas are displayed inside the Chhota Imambara.
It is in these traditions,rituals and,of course,its architecture that the Chhota Imambaras legacy thrives,175 years on.
