'Qasr-ul-Aza'- Mourning Hall to Marriage Hall ?

Safed Baradari- Built by Wajid Ali Shah as Imambara in Lucknow

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Strange are the ways of Lucknow Imamis. They liberated Sibtainabad Imambara in Hazratganj, raised demand for return of Karbala Aghameer and frequently stage demonstrations for recovery of all Imami shrines from land-grabbers and illegal occupants. But somehow they have ignored the continuing use of an Imambara for solemnizing marriages and other celebrations. It is quite surprising and shocking, considering the status of Lucknow as capital of Azadar world and its immense contribution to propagation and preservation of Karbala movement across the globe.

The story of conversion of a mourning hall into a marriage hall goes as under:

An Interior View of safed Baradari  

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last king of Awadh, had built an Imambara in the center of Kaiserbagh complex in 1854. He named it as ‘Qasr-ul-Aza’(place of mourning) and observed Azadari with regal touch in it. After the annexation of Awadh in 1856, the British stopped observance of Azadari at Qasr-ul-Aza. They began holding court for petitions and claims by the relatives, nobles and officers of the deposed King Wajid Ali. They handed over the building to Association of Awadh Taluqedars (Big Landlords) in 1923 as a gesture of appreciation for their loyalty to the British Empire.

A number of these Taluqedars had also served Wajid Ali and his predecessors. They had built Imambaras and popularized Muharram rituals in the areas under their control also. They continued to do so  till the annexation of Awadh. But ‘Mutiny’ in1857 changed the scenario. Some Taluqedars sided with Wajid Ali’s Queen Hazrat Mahal in her endeavor to overthrow British regime. But many a their counterparts just did the opposite and assisted British in their bid to recapture Lucknow. The British offered them rewards and in return they consolidated the colonial regime after the failure of 1857 struggle. When British found them in trouble due to growing popularity of Mahatma Gandhi, the British handed them over Qasr-ul-Aza to remain assured of their loyalty once again if confronted with yet another uprising.

After independence in 1947,these Taluqedars should have returned the building to either descendants of dethroned king or to Hussainabad Trust as a gesture of goodwill. It was easy for them as British no longer ruled the country and there was nothing to worry about. But the association preferred to keep it with them, got it painted white(Safed) and used it for holding celebrations like marriage ceremonies, Mehfils, Kavi Sammelans, Musical Evenings with least consideration to its past as an Imambara.   

The building is today popularly called as Safed Baradari and stands as one of the most common monuments of Lucknow. Those who attend such joyous occasions get no idea that once Safed Baradari was an Imambara and used to organize religious gatherings to mourn the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain. It is so because no one ever raises an objection or demands restriction on joyous celebrations inside an Imambara. It is true that Wajid Ali had not created any trust like Hussainabad for his dream project Kaiserbagh complex. But it is also a fact that all his properties vested with government after the independence. Even if it is accepted that it was incumbent upon the government to honor the handing over of Qasr-ul-Aza, the government could have easily persuaded Taluqedars to return it to Imamis in view of their religious sentiments associated with it. How the government deprived landlords of their properties through Zamindari Abolition Act is well-known”. As the countrymen welcomed the abolition, they would have been happier had the government asserted pressure on the association to vacate Baradari since Taluqedars always preferred to serve the British cause. But government made no such move. Likewise, admirers of Imam Hussain also remained mute to the use of Qasr-ul-Aza as a venue for marriages and celebration with gaiety. The outcome of the strange silence is the continued use of Safed Baradari as a hall for marriages instead of mourning.(References available on request. Photo Courtesy Google Image)