1857 Trip

I had in my mind to travel to places that were significant during 1857 freedom struggle, rebellion or sepoy mutiny. You can choose the phrase depending on your choice. As part of my background research on the topic which was primarily limited to the internet, following places found mention as significant places during the event.

1. Barrackpore
2. Meerut
3. Jhansi
4. Gwalior
5. Lucknow
6. Kanpur
7. Delhi

Some of the places are very significant in regards to 1857 rebellion but there is nothing left now to see. For example, places like Kanpur, Meerut have nothing or very little left that points to that event.

Based on availability of time and our understanding of the importance of the places, we decided the itinerary.

1. Day 1 -- Bengaluru to Hyderabad
2. Day 2 -- Hyderabad to Bhopal
3. Day 3 -- Bhopal to Lucknow
4. Day 4 -- Lucknow
5. Day 5 -- Lucknow to Gwalior via Jhansi
6. Day 6 -- Gwalior
7. Day 7 -- Gwalior to Sagar via Orchha
8. Day 8 -- Sagar to Nagpur
9. Day 9 -- Nagpur to Bengaluru

The total distance covered was 4460 Kilometers with 425 liters of diesel consumed during the trip.

Total toll amount paid during the trips was ₹ 4505/-.
Last time around when I traveled, I saw many FasTag lanes operational but this time I saw most of those were barricaded out. In some places when I argued with the security present, they opened the lane but in many places, they told me to do whatever I can.
The deteriorated quality of road had one casualty. One of my tires had a side wall fracture and the last segments of trips were challenging because of that.  It was an interesting trip, would have liked to see more preserved monuments related to 1857 movement but what we saw was priceless.

Day 9 -- Nagpur to Bengaluru

15-October-2016
The trip was nearing the end with the last day of drive left. Even though we had decided on starting early, the tiredness was catching up, so we decided to take it very easy.
10:05 AM Left the hotel after breakfast.
12:25 PM Stopped over at a dhaba for small break.
1:45 PM Stopped over for lunch at Singh is King Dhaba just before Nirmal.
3:15 PM Crossed Nizamabad
4:45 PM Entered Hyderabad ORR
5:20 PM Exited ORR
6:00 PM Stopped at a food court for break
9:30 PM Stopped for dinner
1:30 AM Reached home.

Day 8 -- Sagar to Nagpur

14-October-2016
We had made a plan to visit Sagar university just to have a drive through.

We left university at around 12:15 PM, reached hotel, had lunch and then set off for Nagpur.
2:00 PM  We left Sagar and joined the NH-44 towards Kanyakumari.
4:00 PM We crossed Narsingpur.
5:00 PM We crossed Lakhnadon.
While driving we saw that the road is good and we continued on NH-44, the road gets really bad some 140-150 kilometers before Nagpur.

If you end up going on NH-44 towards Nagpur, a good place to stop is MPTDC Rookhad Highway treat.
 
The road is really really bad and it takes more than two hours to traverse the road of less than 60 kilometers.
08:40 PM Reached hotel. Here is my review for the hotel.

Day 3 -- Bhopal to Lucknow

09-October-2016
08:40 AM Started for the day, took Bina, Lalitpur. Joined NH-44 which joins NH-27 after Jhansi.
11:45 AM Crossed Malthone
12:00 PM Stopped by a small Dhaba to grab something to eat.

Sri Radha Kunj Dhaba

 Took a break of around 30 minutes.

Govindam Hotel

12:45 PM Crossed Lalitpur
2:00 PM Crossed Jhansi, now we are on NH-27.
3:52 PM Reached Govindam hotel just after Orai.
Looked like a decent place with toilets etc.
Observed a very interesting fact on Jhansi to Kanpur NH-27. The roads towards Kanpur is really in bad shape while Kanpur to Jhansi, though not great, is much better. On asking some locals, I was told, there is a very heavy traffic from Jhansi to Kanpur of Sand trucks while the trucks that come back are empty and that is the cause of uneven wear and tear on road.

Awadh Ki Rasoi

5:35 PM Stopped at a Reliance petrol pump for refueling.
The place accepted credit cards. I also got free advice at this pump from a fellow traveler, who remarked, "Sir why are you wearing the seat belt? No checking happens here.".
7:00 PM Crossed Kanpur
7:50 PM Stopped at a road side eatery called Awadh Ki Rasoi. OKish place.
9:15 PM Entered Lucknow. The city looks much better than what I had hoped. Particularly the area around M. G. Road where my hotel was. There are well laid out parks, wide roads.

9:35 PM Reached hotel. We had planned on staying at Vivanta By Taj. Here is my review of the hotel.

Day 5 -- Lucknow to Gwalior via Jhansi

11-October-2016
The days' plan was to go to Kanpur, Jhansi and finally end up in Gwalior. As we did more research on places to see in Kanpur and the fact that we had to drive into the city to reach those places, we decided to drop those from our itinerary.
The day we were planning to this trip, Prime Minister was visiting the Lucknow city, so we quickly wanted to get out of the city.
9:05 AM We start from our hotel after breakfast and quickly progress towards Kanpur road.
10:20 AM We crossed Unnao.
10:45 AM We crossed Kanpur town.
As we were looking for opportunities for a break, we did not find anything that looked decent. Most of the places on this route are plain Dhaba with no toilet breaks etc. So we finally reached back at Govindam Hotel where we had stayed during our earlier run.
12:00 PM We reached Hotel Govindam for a bio and tea break.
As we near Jhansi, we start looking for a restaur

ant for Lunch. We find Hotel Haveli recommended well on Tripadvisor and we decide to stop there for Lunch. it is pretty close to the Fort.
2:05 PM We stopped for Lunch at Hotel Haveli. It is an half an hour break. The restaurant is decent and serves a thali style lunch.
2:45 PM We reach Jhansi Fort. It is a smaller fort compared to other forts but has its own character. The fort has been ruined to some extent by some telecom operators putting their microwave station but still it is a good sight.

The construction of Jhansi fort is ascribed to Bundela Chief Raja Bir Singh Deo of Orchha in 1613 AD. it was one of the strongholds of the Bundelas till it passed into the hands of the Mughals for the next hundred years and subsequently came under the possession of the Marathas for another hundred years. The Maratha Chief Naru Shankar enlarged the Shankargarh area of the fort in 1729-30. During the first war of Independence of 1857 it passed into the hands of British who defeated Rani Lakshmi Bai and took possession of the fort.
The fort proper has occupied an area of 15 acres. Altogether there are twenty two bastions with a massive fortification wall and moats on two sides. The old city wall had ten gates and four Khirkis. The gates are known as Khanderao, Datia, Unnao, Orchcha, Baragaon, Lakshmi Sagar, Sainyar, Bhander, and Jhirna. Four kirkis are Ganpatgir ki Khirki, Alighol ki Khirki, Sujan Khan ki Khirki and Sagar Khirki. The important structures in the fort are Baradari, Panchmahal, Shankargarh, Memorial Cemetery, Kal Kothari, Hanging Sport, Ganesh Temple, and Shiv Mandir are made in traditional Maratha style.
Graves of Gulam Gaus Khan, Khudabaksha, Moti Bai, the three faithful military officers of Rani Laxmi Bai and Kadak Bijli, Bhavani Shankar canons and Jumping sport are major attractions for tourists. It is said that Rani Jhansi along with her adopted son jumped out of the fort from the said spot.

Kadak Bijli

The great canon of Gangadhar Rao is still visible in the eastern side of the rampart. It used to lighten from its nozzle at the time of operation which is curved like a lion mouth and as such it received this name. Gulam Gaus Khan used to operate this canon. The total measurement of the canon is 5.5 meters X 1.8 meters. It has a diameter of 0.60 meter.

Kal Kothari

Originally Kal Kothari was a prison room built by the Marathas and used for the said purpose. The british added another floor to it and used it for the same purpose.

Place where Rani Jhansi Jumped with her horse from

Panch Mahal

Originally the panch mahal had five stories and was built by Raja Bir Sing Deo (1611-1627 AD). But presently only three stories are existing. Rani Laxmi Bai used the ground floor of the Mahal as the conference room. She stayed in one of the corner rooms in first floor.

We are done with the fort at 3:40 PM. As you leave the fort, the famous poem by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan on Rani Laxmi Bai is at the gate.

सिंहासन हिल उठे राजवंशों ने भृकुटी तानी थी, बूढ़े भारत में भी आई फिर से नयी जवानी थी, गुमी हुई आज़ादी की कीमत सबने पहचानी थी, दूर फिरंगी को करने की सबने मन में ठानी थी। चमक उठी सन सत्तावन में, वह तलवार पुरानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ कानपूर के नाना की, मुँहबोली बहन छबीली थी, लक्ष्मीबाई नाम, पिता की वह संतान अकेली थी, नाना के सँग पढ़ती थी वह, नाना के सँग खेली थी, बरछी, ढाल, कृपाण, कटारी उसकी यही सहेली थी। वीर शिवाजी की गाथायें उसको याद ज़बानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ लक्ष्मी थी या दुर्गा थी वह स्वयं वीरता की अवतार, देख मराठे पुलकित होते उसकी तलवारों के वार, नकली युद्ध-व्यूह की रचना और खेलना खूब शिकार, सैन्य घेरना, दुर्ग तोड़ना ये थे उसके प्रिय खिलवाड़। महाराष्ट्र-कुल-देवी उसकी भी आराध्य भवानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ हुई वीरता की वैभव के साथ सगाई झाँसी में, ब्याह हुआ रानी बन आई लक्ष्मीबाई झाँसी में, राजमहल में बजी बधाई खुशियाँ छाई झाँसी में, सुघट बुंदेलों की विरुदावलि-सी वह आयी थी झांसी में। चित्रा ने अर्जुन को पाया, शिव को मिली भवानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ उदित हुआ सौभाग्य, मुदित महलों में उजियाली छाई, किंतु कालगति चुपके-चुपके काली घटा घेर लाई, तीर चलाने वाले कर में उसे चूड़ियाँ कब भाई, रानी विधवा हुई, हाय! विधि को भी नहीं दया आई। निसंतान मरे राजाजी रानी शोक-समानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ बुझा दीप झाँसी का तब डलहौज़ी मन में हरषाया, राज्य हड़प करने का उसने यह अच्छा अवसर पाया, फ़ौरन फौजें भेज दुर्ग पर अपना झंडा फहराया, लावारिस का वारिस बनकर ब्रिटिश राज्य झाँसी आया। अश्रुपूर्ण रानी ने देखा झाँसी हुई बिरानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ अनुनय विनय नहीं सुनती है, विकट शासकों की माया, व्यापारी बन दया चाहता था जब यह भारत आया, डलहौज़ी ने पैर पसारे, अब तो पलट गई काया, राजाओं नव्वाबों को भी उसने पैरों ठुकराया। रानी दासी बनी, बनी यह दासी अब महरानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ छिनी राजधानी दिल्ली की, लखनऊ छीना बातों-बात, कैद पेशवा था बिठूर में, हुआ नागपुर का भी घात, उदैपुर, तंजौर, सतारा,कर्नाटक की कौन बिसात? जब कि सिंध, पंजाब ब्रह्म पर अभी हुआ था वज्र-निपात। बंगाले, मद्रास आदि की भी तो वही कहानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ रानी रोयीं रनिवासों में, बेगम ग़म से थीं बेज़ार, उनके गहने कपड़े बिकते थे कलकत्ते के बाज़ार, सरे आम नीलाम छापते थे अंग्रेज़ों के अखबार, 'नागपुर के ज़ेवर ले लो लखनऊ के लो नौलख हार'। यों परदे की इज़्ज़त परदेशी के हाथ बिकानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥

कुटियों में भी विषम वेदना, महलों में आहत अपमान, वीर सैनिकों के मन में था अपने पुरखों का अभिमान, नाना धुंधूपंत पेशवा जुटा रहा था सब सामान, बहिन छबीली ने रण-चण्डी का कर दिया प्रकट आहवान। हुआ यज्ञ प्रारम्भ उन्हें तो सोई ज्योति जगानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ महलों ने दी आग, झोंपड़ी ने ज्वाला सुलगाई थी, यह स्वतंत्रता की चिनगारी अंतरतम से आई थी, झाँसी चेती, दिल्ली चेती, लखनऊ लपटें छाई थी, मेरठ, कानपुर,पटना ने भारी धूम मचाई थी, जबलपुर, कोल्हापुर में भी कुछ हलचल उकसानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ इस स्वतंत्रता महायज्ञ में कई वीरवर आए काम, नाना धुंधूपंत, ताँतिया, चतुर अज़ीमुल्ला सरनाम, अहमदशाह मौलवी, ठाकुर कुँवरसिंह सैनिक अभिराम, भारत के इतिहास गगन में अमर रहेंगे जिनके नाम। लेकिन आज जुर्म कहलाती उनकी जो कुरबानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ इनकी गाथा छोड़, चले हम झाँसी के मैदानों में, जहाँ खड़ी है लक्ष्मीबाई मर्द बनी मर्दानों में, लेफ्टिनेंट वाकर आ पहुँचा, आगे बढ़ा जवानों में, रानी ने तलवार खींच ली, हुया द्वंद असमानों में। ज़ख्मी होकर वाकर भागा, उसे अजब हैरानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ रानी बढ़ी कालपी आई, कर सौ मील निरंतर पार, घोड़ा थक कर गिरा भूमि पर गया स्वर्ग तत्काल सिधार, यमुना तट पर अंग्रेज़ों ने फिर खाई रानी से हार, विजयी रानी आगे चल दी, किया ग्वालियर पर अधिकार। अंग्रेज़ों के मित्र सिंधिया ने छोड़ी राजधानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ विजय मिली, पर अंग्रेज़ों की फिर सेना घिर आई थी, अबके जनरल स्मिथ सम्मुख था, उसने मुहँ की खाई थी, काना और मंदरा सखियाँ रानी के संग आई थी, युद्ध श्रेत्र में उन दोनों ने भारी मार मचाई थी। पर पीछे ह्यूरोज़ आ गया, हाय! घिरी अब रानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ तो भी रानी मार काट कर चलती बनी सैन्य के पार, किन्तु सामने नाला आया, था वह संकट विषम अपार, घोड़ा अड़ा, नया घोड़ा था, इतने में आ गये सवार, रानी एक, शत्रु बहुतेरे, होने लगे वार-पर-वार। घायल होकर गिरी सिंहनी उसे वीर गति पानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ रानी गई सिधार चिता अब उसकी दिव्य सवारी थी, मिला तेज से तेज, तेज की वह सच्ची अधिकारी थी, अभी उम्र कुल तेइस की थी, मनुज नहीं अवतारी थी, हमको जीवित करने आयी बन स्वतंत्रता-नारी थी, दिखा गई पथ, सिखा गई हमको जो सीख सिखानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥ जाओ रानी याद रखेंगे ये कृतज्ञ भारतवासी, यह तेरा बलिदान जगावेगा स्वतंत्रता अविनासी, होवे चुप इतिहास, लगे सच्चाई को चाहे फाँसी, हो मदमाती विजय, मिटा दे गोलों से चाहे झाँसी। तेरा स्मारक तू ही होगी, तू खुद अमिट निशानी थी, बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी, खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झाँसी वाली रानी थी॥

We start our journey towards Gwalior which is our stop for the night. The road from Jhansi to Gwalior is challenging.
6:30 PM We reach the hotel in Gwalior. We stayed at Usha Kiran Palace, Here is my review of the hotel.

Day 6 -- Gwalior

12-October-2016
The plan for the day was to visit places in Gwalior. I was aware that Rani Laxmi Bai finally died in Gwalior and her samadhi is somewhere in the city. The place was much harder to find than what I thought.

Maharani Laxmi Bai Smarak

We spent around 20 minutes at the smarak. There is nothing much to do here. The next stop was Gwalior Fort. We took the usual route and on reach closer to the fort, we were told that the road is closed because of Muharram procession being taken out on that road. The police man on duty told us that we should go vial the road that goes towards Mental Hospital.

Man Singh Palace is one of the finest example of Hindu Architecture. It was built by Tomar king Man Singh Tomar in 1508 AD. There are total four stories of the palace of which two stories are underground. The plan on the third story consists of two open courtyards and various rooms supported by different decorated pillars and brackets. There are Jhulaghar, Kesar Kinda and Phansighar below this story.
The palace is decorated with beautiful paintings, glazed tiles of varied colors, different figures like human beings, ducks, elephants, peacocks, lions, plantain trees and attractive pillared domes. The palace is built on the outer wall of the fort raised over the cliff at about 300 feet from the ground level. In Sixteenth century when the fort was captures by the Mughals, this palace was used as a state prison.

Vikram Mahal mandir was constructed by Raja Mansing's Son and heir Vikramaditya (1516-1523). There is a baradari in the middle with a room on each side. The length of the place is about 65 meters.

Jahangir Mahal and Shahjahan Mahal are in same complex. As per Hiraman Munshi it as also known as Sher Mandir which was made by Sher Shah. The palace was later restored by Jahangir. In the north east direction of Jahangir Mahal is Shahjahan Mahal which was made by Shahjahan. The palaces were built in Mughal architecture. The length and breadth are 98X52 meters.

View of Gwalior City 

View of Gurjari Mahal from the top

We could not visit Gurjari Mahal because it was closed on the day due to a holiday.

View from the top

Next stop was Jai Vilas Palace.

Seal

BMW Izetta Car

Dining Table with the train

By the time we were done with the palace it was 6:30 PM, time to call it a night. We returned back to hotel.

Day 7 -- Gwalior to Sagar via Orchha

13-October-2016

8:40 AM Day to leave Gwalior. We were so fed up with the bad food in Taj, we decided to try some local stuff for breakfast. We were told that a shop called S S Kachoriwala may be a good bet. So we checkedout and headed for the shop and then leave to Orchcha.
It is a non-descript shop but makes hot kachoris and samosa. We got some packed and left.
It is approximately three hours journey to Orchcha. We reached there around 12 PM.

We straightaway headed to Betwa Retreet, a MP Tourism hotel for some refreshment before going to Orchcha Fort.

Betwa Retreet

Raja Mahal

Raja Mahal

The construction of the Raja Mahal was started in 1531 AD by Raja Rudra Pratap (1503-1531 AD) and was completed by the year 1539 in the reign of Bharti Chandra (1531-1554 AD). Later on, his successor Madhukar Shah (1554-1592 AD) made some alterations and additions giving it a final shape. Designed on a square plan, the palace is divided into two wings, with five stories on three sides and four stories on one side. The Darbar-e-aam and Darbar-e-khas are quite imposing. The subjects of the painting are mainly the life and deeds of Lord Rama and Krishna. The incarnations of the god Vishnu have also been painted. Nayak, Nayikas, Rag, Raginis, Wrestling, Folk, Hunting and Vignettes and Royal Amusements have also found a place in depictions.

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Paintings on the roof

Jahangir Mahal

Jahangir Mahal

According to common belief Jahangir Mahal was constructed for Jahangir reception by Veer Singh Deo (I). It is square in plan with four bastions at each corner which end in a ribbed dome at the top and have four kiosks at the corner of the base of the dome. The chajja on the corners of the first story is held by a series of elephant brackets at regular intervals on all sides. All the chambers of this palace had been decorated with paintings the remains of which are visible only in few rooms. The Jahangir Mahal is the culminating point of evolution of Medieval - Indo - Islamic architeture, an example of Harmonied imagination and organized execution.

View of Chaturbhuja Temple from Jahangir palace

Fifteen cenotaphs to the bundela kings and members of their clan are located on the southern bank of river Betwa. These include the chhatris of Madhukar Shah, Vir Singh Deo, Jaswant Singh, Pahar Singh & others. Most of the cenptaphs are designed in Panchaytan style. These are constructed on an elevated square platform. The sanctum sanctorum too is square shaped and in the center. The upper potion has been made angular with arches. The peek of the sanctum sanctorum is patterned in the nagar style of temple architecture.

3:40 PM We reached Orchcha Resort that is adjacement to Cenotaphs complex and had a quick dinner.
4:30 PM We just walked around the place for some time and then left for sagar.
8:54 PM We reached sagar and checked into Hotel Deepali. Here is my review of the hotel.

Day 4 -- Lucknow

10-October-2016
One of the most important places that I wanted to visit as part of this trip is The Residency in Lucknow. If you want to get a real feel of 1857, this is the place to go. The hotel told us that the place is closed on Monday. That was a great dampener. But we decided to check out the place anyway and fortunately for us the place was open. It closes on Friday.

The Siege

On 23 May, Lawrence began fortifying the Residency and laying in supplies for a siege; large numbers of British civilians made their way there from outlying districts. On 30 May (the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr), most of the Oudh and Bengal troops at Lucknow broke into open rebellion. In addition to his locally recruited pensioners, Lawrence also had the bulk of the British 32nd Regiment of Foot available, and they were able to drive the rebels away from the city.

On 4 June, there was a rebellion at Sitapur, followed by another at Faizabad,  and outbreaks at Daryabad, Sultanpur and Salon. Thus, in the course of ten days, British authority in Awadh practically vanished.

On 30 June, Lawrence learned that the rebels were gathering north of Lucknow and ordered a reconnaissance in force, despite the available intelligence being of poor quality. The expedition was not very well organized. The troops were forced to march without food or adequate water during the hottest part of the day at the height of summer, and at the Chinhat they met a well-organised rebel force, with cavalry and dug-in artillery. Whilst they were under attack, some of Lawrence's sepoys and Indian artillerymen defected to the rebels. His exhausted British soldiers retreated in disorder. Some died of heatstroke within sight of the Residency.

As a result of the defeat, the detached turreted building, Machchhi Bhawan (Muchee Bowan), which contained 200 barrels (~27 t) of gunpowder and a large supply of ball cartridge, was blown up and the detachment withdrew to the Residency.

Lawrence retreated into the Residency, where the siege now began, with the Residency as the centre of the defenses. The actual defended line was based on six detached smaller buildings and four entrenched batteries. The position covered some 60 acres (240,000 m2) of ground, and the garrison (855 British officers and soldiers, 712 Indians, 153 civilian volunteers, with 1,280 non-combatants, including hundreds of women and children) was too small to defend it effectively against a properly prepared and supported attack.

On 1st July Lawrence was fatally wounded by a shell, dying on 4 July. Colonel John Inglis of the 32nd Regiment took military command of the garrison. Major John Banks was appointed the acting Civil Commissioner by Lawrence. When Banks was killed by a sniper a short time later, Inglis assumed overall command.

On 16 July, a force under Major General Henry Havelock recaptured Kanpur. On 20 July, he decided to attempt to relieve Lucknow, but it took six days to ferry his force of 1500 men across the Ganges River. On 29 July, Havelock won a battle at Unao, but casualties, disease and heatstroke reduced his force to 850 effectives, and he fell back.

The advance resumed on 18 September under the command of Sir James Outram. The force met heavy resistance trying to cross the Charbagh Canal, but succeeded after nine out of ten men of a forlorn hope were killed storming a bridge.  Outram proposed to halt and contact the defenders of the Residency by tunneling and mining through the intervening buildings, but Havelock insisted on an immediate advance. In all, the relief force lost 535 men out of 2000, incurred mainly in this last rush.

By the time of the relief, the defenders of the Residency had endured a siege of 87 days and were reduced to 982 fighting personnel.

Outram had hoped that the relief would also demoralize the rebels but was disappointed. For the next six weeks, the rebels continued to subject the defenders to musket and artillery fire and dug a series of mines beneath them. The defenders replied with sorties, as before, and dug counter-mines. 21 shafts were sunk and 3,291 feet of gallery were constructed by the defenders. The enemy dug 20 mines: 3 caused loss of life, 2 did no injury, 7 were blown in and 7 were tunneled into and their galleries taken over.

The defenders were able to send messengers to and from the Alambagh, from where in turn messengers could reach Kanpur.  A volunteer civil servant, Thomas Henry Kavanagh, the son of a British soldier, disguised himself as a sepoy and ventured from the Residency aided by a local man named Kananji Lal. He and his scout crossed the entrenchments east of the city and reached the Alambagh to act as a guide to the next relief attempt. For this action, Kavanagh was awarded the Victoria Cross and was the first civilian in British history to be honored with such an award for action during a military conflict.

The strength of the rebels investing Lucknow has been widely estimated from 30,000 to 60,000. They were amply equipped, the sepoy regiments among them were well trained, and they had improved their defenses in response to Havelock's and Outram's first relief of the Residency. The Charbagh Bridge used by Havelock and Outram just north of the Alambagh had been fortified.

At daybreak on 14 November, Campbell commenced his relief of Lucknow. Rather than crossing the Charbagh Bridge and fighting through the tortuous, narrow streets of Lucknow, Campbell opted to make a flanking march to the east and proceed to Dilkusha Park. He would then advance to La Martiniere  and cross the canal as close to the River Gomti as possible. As he advanced, he would secure each position to protect his communications and supply train back to the Alambagh. He would then secure a walled enclosure known as the Secundrabagh and link up with the Residency, whose outer perimeter had been extended by Havelock and Outram to the Chuttur Munzil.

On the evening of 15 November, the Residency was signaled by semaphore, "Advance tomorrow."

The first siege had lasted 87 days, the second siege a further 61.

The rebels were left in control of Lucknow over the following winter, but were prevented from undertaking any other operations by their own lack of unity and by Outram's hold on the easily defended Alambagh. Campbell returned to retake Lucknow, with the attack starting on 6 March. By 21 March 1858 all fighting had ceased.

The history of residency can be traced back to 1774 AD when Nawab Shujaddhaula agreed to have a British resident stationed in Awadh. The Residency was established at Lucknow when the capital of Awadh shifted from Faizabad to Lucknow in the year 1775 AD. Originally the site of The Residency belonged to Sheikhzadas. Nawab Asafuddaula started the construction of Lucknow Residency in the year 1775 AD for the British Resident and his staff and was completed by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan in 1800 AD. Later it was used by the Chief Commissioner fo Awadh. gradually more buildings were added as their requirements grew.
The ruins of The Residency preserved in the same condition in which it came under central protection in the year 1920 AD remind us of the great uprising of 1857. The evidence of First War of Independence of 1857 can be seen in each and every structure of Residency. These structures suffered heavy damages due to constant shelling and counter shelling; some were completely razed to the ground and are in ruins. The Residency complex today consists of ruins of several buildings, each ruin has its own story to tell about the event of 1857 AD. During its historic siege of 1857 AD, these buildings, and every fortified post were named usually after the person who lived there. They were named as Sago's house, Dr. Fayerer's house, Brigade mess, Kanpur Battery, Redan Battery, Sikh Square, Anderson's Post etc and covered an area of about 33 acres.
To understand the clear picture of Residency an excavation was taken up here which has brought to light a number of buried structures including the well-planned sewer system besides remains of the material culture of that period.

Bailley Guard Gate (बेली गारद गेट)

This entrance gate was constructed by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan in the honor of Capt. John Bailley who became the resident of Lucknow in the beginning of the 19th century and the portal came to be known as Bailley Guard gate.

The treasury house

 Supported by plain columns the longone-storeyedd treasury was finished in 1851 at a cost of Rs. 16897.00. During the revolution of 1857, the central part of this building was convered into an ordinance factory for manufacturing of the Enfield cartridges.

Memorial

It was named after Dr. Fayrer who was the Resident Surgeon during the siege of 1857. Sir Hennry Lawrence was shifted to this building after being mortally wounded on 2nd July who succumbed to his injuries on 4th July, 1857.

Museum

Originally belonged to Asaf-Ud-Daula and subsequently was sold to some Europeans who ran a subiness of European goods. Later on it was occupied by Vilayati Begum Makhdarah Aliya, the Begum of Nasir-ud-din-haider and after her death, her step-sister Sharfunnisa had built an imambara and a mosque at this place in a traditional architectural style of Awadh unlike other building of the Residency.

Banquetting Hall

This hall was constructed by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan. It was probably the most imposing structure in the whole area with its grand apartments and spacious saloons, furnished with costly chandeliers, mirrors and silk diwans. It was used for banquets in honor of Nawab. The fine futniture in the hall was complemented by high quality of workmanship. In the building a stucco fire place at the first floor level still retains a mable like finish and a broken fountain in the main entrance hall exhibits a find example of inlaid mable work in black and white.

Memorial of Sir Lawrence

Roomi Darwaja

Husainabad Clock Tower

Husainabad clock tower is adjudged as the tallest among all the clock towers in India. it was built as a replica to the BIGBEN clock tower of london. Roskell Payne designed this structure of 67 meter high and it reflects Victorian and Gothic style structural designs. Gunmetal is used for building the clock parts. It’s gigantic pendulum has a length of 14 feet and the dial of the clock is designed in the shape of a 12-petalled flower and bells around it.

Satkhanda

Outside the chota imambara is the watch tower called Satkhanda or tower of seven stories. Though it is called Satkhanda, it has only four stories, as the construction of the tower was abandoned when Ali Shah died. Satkhanda was built between 1837–1842 in the time of Muhammad Ali Shah. He wanted to make it the same as Qutub Minar of Delhi and the leaning tower of Pisa. Its main purpose is lunar observation.

Famous Kulfi Shop

Great place for Chat

Bada Imambara was built under the royal patronage of Nawab Asat-ud-Daula (1775-97 AD) and designed by architect Kifayatullah, the grandest complex locally known as Bara Imambara contains the graves of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula and his wife Samsunnisa Begum. Entered through triple arched two gateways, its scheme comprises Naubat Khana on the north. Asafi mosque on the west. Shahi Baoli on the east. While the main building stands on the rear south. The main building of Imambara is a three storeyed building constructed on  a raised platform. There are seven arched openings in the facade and there are three halls made for different concepts known as main hall, measuring 47.71x16.16 meters with a maximum height of 14.65 meters flanked by Chinese hall on the right and Indian hall on the left. Constructed of Lakhauri bricks laid in lime mortar, the monument is exquisitely decorated with stucco work and adorned with parapets and chattris. The interior is ornamented with costly chandeliers, tazias, alams etc. On the top, Bhulbhulaiya or the labryinth with intricate balconies & passeges with 589 identical doorways is special attraction. The complex was built by Asaf-ud-Daula to cater the religous experiments of the muslim community and also as relife measure during the terrible famine of 1784 AD.

Bhul Bhulaiya on First Floor