Footloose: 15. Back to the Roots: A trip to Lucknow (4): The Lucknow Residency:

The ruins of the Lucknow Residency are an important part of Indian History and the dilapidated structures stand testimony to the fact that the siege of the Lucknow Residency by the fighters of the Indian “war of Independence in 1857”, thoroughly unnerved the Europeans who were in complete disarray and sought military assistance and resources from whatever military establishments they could to save themselves.

Estimates place the war dead on the European/East India Company side defending the Residency at, at least 2100 (both Europeans and “Native Indians” who fought for the “Defence of the Residency”).

Although history records that the Indian War of Independence was not a success, it, nevertheless, spelt the death-knell of the East India Company’s rule in India and the governance of the Indian sub-continent was taken over by the British Crown with India being called the “Jewel in the Crown”. Shortly, after the war, the East India Company also lost the right to issue their own coins in 1860 and the era of the “Regal Coinage” in India began.

A brief history of the Lucknow Residency:

· In 1774, Nawab Shujauddaula (Ruler of Avadh from 1753-1775) agreed to a proposal by the East India Company to have a British resident stationed in Avadh.

· In 1775, the Lucknow Residency was established for the British resident, when the capital of Avadh shifted from Faizabad to Lucknow by Nawab Asafuddaula (Ruler of Avadh from 1775-1797) who succeeded Shujauddaula. However this was in the nature of a small residence for the British resident which functioned both as his residence and office.

· The construction of the Residency was completed in 1800 A.D. by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan who was the Nawab from 1797- 1814.

· Sometime later, the Residency became the office of the Chief Commissioner of Avadh with several more residential and administrative buildings being added to the complex.

· In 1857, the Residency came under severe assault during the siege by the Indian forces fighting the “First War of Independence” and the effects of cannon-shelling is seen even on the ruins of each and every building that still stand today, while several buildings were completely razed to the ground.

· During the siege, with a view to boost sagging morale of the British/ European Forces several of these buildings were called by the name of the persons who lived there or fought at their posts. Thus, Dr. Fayerer’s house, Brigade Mess, Kanpur Battery, Redan Battery, Sikh square, Anderson’s post, Sago’s house apart from Banqueting Hall, Residency Main building, Begum Kothi, the Treasury etc. There was also a mosque in the Residency in which prayers are offered to the present day as well as a church called the St. Mary’s church.

· The Residency Complex today also houses a “1857 War Memorial Museum’ set up to honour the sacrifices of the Indian soldiers fighting for Independence from the British (in a basement – or “tehkhana” here). The Museum Guard told us that one had to go down 44 steps to the reach the tehkhana. The British/European entrenchment in the Residency was in complete disarray (showcased on the ground floor), as can be evidenced through the letters exchanged between various British Army cantonments/Army Camps, among other artefacts.

An amusing “interpretation” which we came across in the showcased letters was that one British Army Commander despatched all his available resources to aid the embattled British garrison at Lucknow concluding in his letter that “the men and materials have been despatched by me but they can only reach you by the day after Tuesday”. The interpretation of the beautifully hand-written letter by an Indian museum Interpreter says “but they can only reach you by the day after yesterday”. (Imagine, if the British Garrisons had “Indian” interpreters like this, perhaps they would have been driven out of India in 1857 itself, instead of waiting for another 90 years).

What we saw:

As one enters the Residency one comes across the remnants of a walled gate called the “Bailey’s Guard Gate” or as it is known in the vernacular “Bailey Garad Gate”.

"hukum dharandhar funde-fu" the vernacular equivalent of "Who comes thereunder - friend or foe?" (The normal guard-gate query).

The Bailey’s Guard Gate was erected by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan to honour John Bailey the English Resident of Lucknow in the early 1800s.

A modern day bench set up by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India”, imitating Victorian style benches for effect).

A similar effort on street lamps.

A memorial to the so called “devoted Native officers and Sepoys”. (“devoted” or “loyal”?)

A memorial to a British soldier who survived the siege of the Lucknow Residency carved by “Martin” sculptor, as clearly readable today as it was when it was made in the 1880s.

The Treasury (image shown above) was housed in a building supported by plain columns made in 1881. It served as an Ordnance Factory for making the infamous Enfield cartridges during the siege of the Lucknow Residency.

The ruins of the Banquet Hall, which was one of the grandest structures of the Residency with luxurious rooms, spacious saloons, intricately designed chandeliers, ornate mirrors, silk drapes and carpeting. A fire place on the first floor still has a marble finish and a broken fountain at the main entrance is a fine example of inlaid black and white marble work.

Squirrels banqueting outside Banquet hall.

Food tasters discussing the flavour of the seeds?

Dr. Fayrer's bungalow

This is a palatial building with several rooms. No wonder the “India services” of the British East India Company (and later the Crown) were highly coveted because the “Firangis” lived in great style and comfort in India, away from the dank, cold climate of the British Isles.

The white marble plaque over the fireplace in Dr. Fayrer’s house mentions that Sir Henry Lawrence wounded during the siege of the Lucknow Residency on 2^nd July 1857, died of his wounds on 4^th July 1857.

A memorial to Sir Henry Lawrence and his men whose Post was almost decimated in the withering cannon fire from the Indian side.

A photo of the kitchen wing of the Residency also called the “Paakshala” in the vernacular.

Two cannons, grim reminders of the siege where no quarter was given or asked for from both sides. Don’t miss the “bowler hats” on the sculptures of the “gentlemen” standing besides the cannon, as if they was going out for an evening walk instead of an artillery exercise. (A later day sculptor’s vivid imagination as he perceived the Europeans!).

An old well with approach platform for supplying water to the main body of the Residency. There were quite a few other wells in the Residency complex.

The “Main Building” (Administrative) had three storeys with a portico and colonnaded verandah in front. The floors above ground floor were accessed by two turrets, one each on the North and South sides. The building had huge basements (tehkhanas) which provided a cooling effect against the hot Lucknow summer.

During the siege of the Lucknow Residency, European civilians, women and children hid in the basement which was also shelled in the fighting resulting in quite a few casualties. One can see cannon-ball holes in several walls even today, as grim reminders that no place was safe during the siege.

Small cannons, remnants of the past.

A memorial to British soldiers erected in the 1880s with granite brought from the Bosahan Quarry in Cornwall, U.K.

The “1857 Memorial Museum” (“1857 Smiriti Sanghralaya”), façade. Mobiles, cameras are not permitted inside, so I missed taking snaps of the British period silver/copper coins as well as Nawabs of Avadh coins and other artefacts for my coins blog.

The Residency had a St. Mary’s Church built in 1810 in the Gothic style. The building was completely demolished and has been reduced to its foundation stones with the passage of time. All round the Church is a cemetery which was used during the siege of the Residency to bury the European soldiers killed in action.

The enormous number of casualties were buried after sundown on many occasions by being simply dumping the bodies into mass graves without a proper burial service. The cemetery is now in a state of disrepair with vegetation growing all around making it impossible to read the text on the headstones, as we used to during our University days in the 1970s.

The above images are of some of the headstones placed on the mass graves which we could still access through the thick foliage. I do wish that steps are taken to take care of the cemetery, like the rest of the Residency complex.

The resting place of the Colonel commanding the Bengal Native infantry.

The resting place of a Judicial Commissioner shot during the siege.

The resting place of the wife of a British soldier killed during the siege.

The Begum Kothi was one of the possessions of Nawab Asafudaulla and was purchased by a family of European businessmen in 1778 from him and was converted into their residence. When they wound up their business about five decades later in 1829 the Kothi (Bungalow) was resold to Nawab Nasiruddin Haider (Nawab of Avadh from 1827-1837) and it became the residence of Begum Vilayati Mahal Makhdarah Aliya, the Nawab’s wife and upon her demise, her step-sister Sharfunnissa took up residence in the Kothi. She had an Imambara and a mosque built in traditional Avadh architectural style, unlike the other buildings in the Residency.

The Imambara and Masjid which is still an active mosque. You can see a loudspeaker to call the faithful to prayer and a caretaker sitting in the extreme corner of the first floor.

There were several other buildings in the Residency complex which could not be traced by the Archaeological Survey of India.