Chhota Imambara

Chhota Imambara also called as Hussainabad Imambara is located in old Lucknow near the Chowk, close to Bada Imambara. It was the office of the erstwhile Husseinabad trust that once owned the city. This imposing monument is the historical landmark of Lucknow, built in 1837 by Mohammed Ali Shah, the 3rd Nawab of Lucknow, as a mausoleum for himself. He constructed the monument under the 'Food for Work' program to bring respite for the poverty stricken people of that time. It is also referred as 'the Palace of Light' because of its decorations during festivals especially during the Muharram. The monument fully illuminated with numerous attractive lamps in the evening gives it a royal look. Non-muslims are not allowed to enter the Chota Imambara.  

Chhota Imambara is famous for the structural design and the musoleums of Muhammad Ali Shah and his family members. One can approach the monument through a beautiful garden. The monument is a combination of  Charbagh, Indo-Islamic and Persian style. Designed with a serene stream runs through the middle of the garden offers the awesome sight of artistic vividness and structural splendor. The golden dome, numerous turrets and minarets of the building made a Russian Prince call it the "Kremlin of India." The interiors are decorated with mirrors with the majestic throne of the King, gold frames, glassworks and the Belgium chandeliers. The walls are beautifully decorated with Arabic calligraphy, carved by an efficient craftsmen.

The main attraction of the monument is the rectangular tank in its large courtyard with small miniatures of the Taj Mahal on either side. One is said to be the tomb of Ali Shah’s daughter and the other that of her husband. A clock tower outside the Imambara; Jami Masjid towards the west of the monument and Asaf-ud-Daula mosque to the right; the Naubat Khana, a false gate near the main entrance where seven musicians performed three times a day in honour of the dead; the Gelo Khana bazzar inside the entrance; the Victoria Park with the tombs of the British; the Dargah of the Sufi saint Hazrat Abbas; the tomb of the Sufi saint Ibrahim Chisti’s son; the Nadan Mahal with the tomb of Shaikh Abdur Rahi, Governor of Oudh are the other attractions.