 |
| Chattar Manzil palace, Lucknow, UP.www.happytrips.com |
 |
| Chattar Manzil palace, Lucknow, UP.lucknowobserver.com |
The Chattar Manzil (or Umbrella Palace), built by Nawob Saadat Ali Khan (1798-1814) and completed after his death by his successor, Nawab Nasir Uddin Haider is a palace building in Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. It mainly served as a royal palace for the kings of Awadh till Wajid Ali Shah shifted his residence to Qaiserbagh. The building has two segments - a Bari (larger) Chattar Manzil and Chhoti (smaller) Chattar Manzil, however only the larger one still exists. It is a five storied structure; two stories below ground level while the rest are above it. Standing on the banks of the Gomti river, these two buildings show strong Indo-European-architectural style and design. The buildings have large underground rooms and a fine dome with gilt umbrella that glitters upon the fall of sun's rays on it. The palace has an excellent garden. An ingenious feature is the underground chambers have good air circulation because they are well connected with two octagonal towers located outside.
 |
| Inner chambers on either sides of the tunnel are being examined to make further discoveries. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo ) http://www.hindustantimes.com |
 |
| chattar manzil. Lucknow. mybusblog.mybustickets.in |
During the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, part of the palace was damaged by the British, as the ruler and his wife gave whole heated support to the rebellion. After the mutiny, the building was occupied by an American NGO which used it as a club for recreation purposes. After independence, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, a Central Drug Research Institute used it for several decades. The building needs restoration and the maintenance is adequate enough to keep the building in good shape.
Ref:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/underground-tunnel-and-waterway-discovered-at-chattar-manzil/story-IKhg8beZbyIqZKnxhVm73N.html
http://saveourheritage.in/chattar-manzil/