• Jan 25 2016
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Bada Imambara

The building complex also includes the large Asfi mosque, the Bhul-bhulaiya (the labyrinth), and Bowli, a steep well with running water. Two imposing gateways lead to the main hall. It is said that there are 1024 ways to reach the terrace, but only two ways to come back, which is through the first gate or the last gate. It is an accidental architecture.Construction of Bara Imambara was started in 1780, a year of devastating famine, and one of Asaf-ud-Daula's objectives in embarking on this grandiose project was to provide employment for people in the region for almost a decade while the famine lasted. It is said that ordinary people used to work during the day building up the edifice, while noblemen and other elite worked at night to break down anything that was raised that day. It was a project that preceded a Keynesian-like intervention for employment generation. Construction of the Imambara was completed in 1784. The estimated cost of building the Imambara ranges between half a million rupees to a million rupees. Even after completion, the Nawab used to spend between four and five hundred thousand rupees on its decoration annually.