Rising near the Rumi Darwaza and the Bara Imambada, the Husainabad Clock Tower is one of Lucknow’s most arresting landmarks, a Victorian-Gothic spire that was meant to mark time and authority alike. Built in the early 1880s, the tower still commands the skyline of Hussainabad.
A monument of scale and intent
The tower was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne and completed around 1881 in a Victorian-Gothic idiom that borrows both from British civic architecture and local decorative vocabulary. It was erected on the eastern side of Rumi Gate, on the site of the old Daulat Khana of Asaf-ud-Daula, and despite its imperial associations was funded through the Husainabad Endowment Trust, then under British control.
India’s tallest mechanical clock tower
At approximately 67 metres (221 ft), the Husainabad Clock Tower is widely cited as the tallest clock tower in India. Contemporary and modern chroniclers have repeatedly noted its extraordinary height and the impressive scale of its clock face; author Philip Davis even records it as carrying one of the largest clocks in the subcontinent.
Civic symbolism and contested meanings
To some, the tower is a technical triumph and a piece of urban spectacle. To others, especially in contemporary readings, it also reads as a visible assertion of colonial authority, a British civic emblem planted in the courtly landscape of Nawabi Lucknow. The tower’s construction, funded through an endowment once controlled by colonial administrators, makes this double meaning unavoidable: it is at once a clock and a statement.
BARA IMAMBARA is closed on Fridays from 10 AM to 3 PM, while all other monuments and tourist places in Lucknow are open from sunrise to sunset, i.e., from 6 AM to 6 PM.
BARA IMAMBARA is a dynamic structure whose beauty changes with the sunlight throughout the day, so technically you can visit at any time of the day.
However, most tourists prefer sunrise as the monument looks like a blooming flower when the morning light bathes it in a rosy hue. Also, visiting early in the morning allows you to avoid both the heat and the crowds during the summer months. For those who want to take some perfect shots and don't want to wait in long queues, getting up early can be very beneficial.
However, visiting at sunset is also a good option. The temperature cools down and the monument is bathed in a soft, silvery light. There are usually more visitors at sunset than at sunrise. Patience is required to get some good pictures.
Day visit pass can be purchased online through the official website or at the pass windows located at both gates. The best time to visit is from October to March.
No
No, Bhool Bhulaiya is a part of Bara Imambara.
Lucknow is full of tourism possibilities for tourists. It contains five World Heritage Sites: Bara Imambara (Bhul Bhulaiya/Baoli), Chota Imambara, Picture Gallery, and Satkhanda. Visitors can explore Ambedkar Memorial Park, the Residency, Saadat Ali Khan Mausoleum, Dilkusha Kothi, Janeshwar Mishra Park, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, and Gomti Riverfront Park.
Any kind of shooting is prohibited in the Imambara premises, it can be done on the road outside the Imambara only after permission from the Police/District Magistrate/Chairman Husainabad and Allied Trust Lucknow.
No, Bara Imambara is a religious place, hence cultural programs are prohibited in the Imambara.
Husainabad and Allied Trust Office Picture gallery, near clock tower husainabad lucknow 226003.
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