CHATTAR MANZIL (UMBRELLA PALACE)
Chattar
Manzil or Umbrella Palace is so called because the dome on it has a gilded
umbrella. The palace has a checkered history as its ownership has changed
several hands. It was first built by General Claud Martin as his residence in
1781 on the bank of Gomti River in Lucknow. It was purchased by Nawab Saadat
Ali Khan. Later on Nawab Ghazi Uddin Haider started to extend its construction,
but it was completed by his successor Nawab Nassir Uddin Haider. The palace
currently houses the office of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI). It
remained a place of residence of Nawabs of Awadh and their wives and also
became a focal point for the meeting of freedom fighters during the first war
of Indian Independence in 1857. A unique and intriguing feature of the
historical building is its underground halls called tahekhanas. They were built
in the water of the river Gomti so that they could remain cool during the hot
summer months. The palace has, therefore, become a favourite visiting
destination of the curious tourists as well as some of the famous professional
photographers such as Samuel Bourne, Darogah Ubbas Ali, Felice Beato and Thomas
Rust.
