Kaiser Bagh Palace / Jahangirabad Palace, Lucknow - Timings, History, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 4 km from Lucknow Junction, Kaiser Bagh Palace is an old palace located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Situated in the southeast corner of Chattar Manzil, it is one of the popular tourist attractions in Lucknow.

Also known as Jahangirabad Palace, the construction of Kaiserbagh Palace is credited to Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Lucknow. The Kaiserbagh Palace was built between 1848 and 1850. It is believed that the concept of the garden came from the Mughal Emperor Babur. However, it is said that the Nawab wanted Kaisarbagh to be the eighth wonder of the world. The British government destroyed the palace as they felt it had become a stronghold of the mutinous nawabs that were conspiring with the wife of Wajid Ali Shah after he was exiled to Calcutta. Consequently, a large part of the complex including the court, enclosures of the tombs, and residences of the nawab were demolished.

Kaiserbagh Palace was considered to be the most beautiful of all the Awadh palaces. Nawab Wajid Ali Shah designed it to resemble his vision of a Paradise. Since most of his key buildings were red, he called it Kaiserbagh - Kaiser meaning Saffron and Bagh for Garden. He modeled this on the Persian gardens of Char Bagh. Kaiserbagh had three distinct sections - the outermost that consisted of public areas like a Meena Bazaar, mosques, and halls where the Nawab addressed the public. The 2nd section was the residential palace of the Nawab himself which even included his office, the treasury, hammams, and his private mosque. There is a Whitestone structure named Baradari at the center of the palace and was entirely covered with silver earlier. The appeal of the palace is enhanced manifold by the usage of gilt crowns, Mughal style pavilions, and European-style statues.

The last section was that of the Zenana or the lady's area which only the King and select people were allowed to visit. There were four entrances to the Kaiserbagh complex - each with a grand gateway. And then, there were minor gates to some of the key sections. Though some parts of this Kaiserbagh Palace have suffered damages following the attack of the British in 1858, yet, it stands as one of the examples of the architectural brilliance in the city of Lucknow.

Timings: 8 AM - 8 PM

Entry: Free