Qaisarbagh (Hindi: क़ैसरबाग़, Urdu: قيصر باغ, pronounced [qɛːsərˈbaːɣ], Emperor's Garden), also spelled Qaiserbagh, Kaisarbagh or Kaiserbagh, is a complex in the city of Lucknow, located in the Awadh region of India.[1] The site includes several buildings and gardens and was constructed under the order of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who envisioned the place as a paradise.[1]
Paintings and photographs of the Qaiserbagh gardens taken before 1857 indicate that the main quadrangle, which was the heart of the palace complex, had an elaborate charbagh.[2] One entered and exited the charbagh through two identical gates known as Lakhi (Hindi: लाखी, Urdu: لاکھی) gates, named after their price—one lakh rupees.[3] It was known as the "Paree Khānā" (Hindi: परी ख़ाना, Urdu: پری خانہ, translation: Place of Fairies).[2] This part of the complex is where the queens of the King lived and remains intact today.[2]
The Qaisarbagh complex included residential quarters for the royal ladies were two stories high and had large courtyards; however, these quarters did not include exterior windows.[2] The royal ladies also were able to enjoy two bāzārs named "Meenā Bāzār" and "Kaptan Bāzār"; these bāzārs were included in the Qaisarbagh complex.[2]
After the India's First War of Independence, the British ordered the demolition of Qaisarbagh, as it was the stronghold of the Nawabs under the leadership of Begum Hazrat Mahal, who had assumed leadership after her husband, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who was exiled in 1856.[2] Nonetheless, some structures of the original structure still stand today; moreover, the Government of Uttar Pradesh in close co-operation with the Archaeological Survey of India has plans to revitalize the complex.[2]