Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow

Wrapped in fascinating history and culture, Lucknow has many monikers such as the City of Nawabs, the Constantinople of the East and the Golden City of India. If it is the first time you are visiting the place, the key attractions will be heritage and other historic structures. In fact, even for the residents here, one of the many enjoyable pastimes is attending the many heritage walks organized in the city. Uttar Pradesh Tourism department organizes such heritage events where you can get a unique glimpse of the traditions of the city which holds the testimonials of centuries and are still kept alive in its art (such as indigo block printing, unani medicine and vark-edible silver foil making). While on the trip, you cannot afford to miss the variety of traditional cuisines.

‘’Not Rome, not Athens, not Constantinople, not any city I have seen appears to me as striking and so beautiful as this’’ - William Howard Russell, The Times, March 1858.

And, he said while enjoying a panoramic view of this heritage city from Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow.

Dilkusha Kothi Palace is a majestic building which has unfortunately been damaged by artillery fire during the dallying fights between the British forces and the Indian sepoys during 1857-1858.

Pre-Revolt Structure

Built under the supervision of Nawab Sadat Ali Khan (1798-1814) circa 1805, Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow was initially a country house for the nawabs. It was the hunting lodge situated within a vast deer park on the outskirts of the city. The design of the building is based on Seton Delaval House in Northumberland, England and Khan’s aide-de-camp Major Gore Ouseley designed the construction. However, one can find considerable variance in the plan and use of Dilkusha.

The Palladian pattern of country houses is commonly seen in England where the main feature is two detached service buildings have the stables and kitchen. Here, compared to the other Awadh royalty, you can see it as a discrete object on open park ground. northeast and southwest sides has the staircase towers which free up the protruding square bays and are used for the living space.

In 1830, there was a renovation of the structure where it raised the stair towers higher. This allowed access to the flat roof which compensated for the lack of a secluded courtyard. This was particularly used by women for recreation.

This was a scenic spot which was meant for providing amusements for the Begums and the royal household ladies held picnics, especially in the summers. Interestingly, there was no exclusive zenana for women in the palace similar to the other Nawabi buildings. The Bibiapur Kothi is located in close proximity to the Dilkusha Kothi and is thought this is where the ladies stayed while the men lived at Dilkusha Kothi.

Post-Revolt Makeover

The unhindered view of the city and its neighbourhood from Dilkusha’s terrace had a very different role during the revolt (the revolt of 1857). Owing to the excellent location of the building, this place was one of the places for a strategic stronghold. On November 14, 1857, General Colin Campbell’s forces seized Dilkusha from the rebels, marched on to relieve the besieged garrison at the Lucknow Residency. They kept a keen observation on the enemies in the trenches along the adjacent Martinière from the rooftop of Dilkusha. This is when, even amid the tumultuous times, William Russell found the city’s panoramic skyline to be exceptionally charming.

The city was used by Campbell as a final assult on Begum Hazrat Mahal. The Dilkusha Kothi was attacked by Campbell soon after after the son of Hazrat was crowned as the Waali-us-Saltanat of Awadh (Guardian of the Kingdom). Begum Hazrat was ruling the state from Qaiser Bagh at that time and her son was only eleven years old. Campbell gathered 5,000 horsemen, along with 50,000 men to attack the Dilkusha Kothi.

History for Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow other than Revolt

The place has seen many deaths as it is associated with big attacks. General Havelock died on November 22, 1857 while the fighting for the revolt. The General of the British Command Division lived in Dilkusha Koshi. The area neighbouring Dilkusha was taken over in 1862 when the old cantonment at Mandiaon was disbanded and the place was taken up for creating a new cantonment.

Did you know?
Lucknow as a whole is one of the most fascinating places in India for the history bugs. The facts about this place mentions that King Naseer-ud-Din Haider sought to take over the Residency to form a new exceptional palace on its high grounds. The British Resident was offered the Dilkusha Kothi as an alternative but they did not agree to it. Later much, Wajid Ali Shah built another Kothi during the early years of his rule which was adjacent to Dilkusha. The ground was cleared to practice the military exercises for the troops. But the British captured and ordered the King to discard the idea of exercises which left him miserable. Helpless, Wajid Ali Shah was forced to abandon the place by the British and was illegally deposed.

Quick Facts

•   October to March is the best time to visit Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow
•   Timings at Dilkusha Kothi is 8 am–7 pm
•   Open all days of the week, public holidays might affect the timing
•   Entrance fee: Rs 100 for foreign tourists.

Common Places of Interest Nearby

•   Lord Hanuman Temples of Aliganj
•   Charbagh Railway Station
•   Gurudwara Yahiyaganj
•   Sikandar Bagh
•   National Botanical Research Institute
•   Vidhan BhawanJain Temple
•   La Martiniere
•   Buddha Temple
•   Shaheed Smarak

The ghostly ruin of Dilkusha Kothi Palace, Lucknow stands today a murky reminder of sacrifices and pain taken by the sepoys of Awadh, who launched a strong revolt against the British. The place will always be associated with the first freedom struggle of India that sowed the seeds of the ultimate struggle for independence.