SHAHNAJAF IMAMBARA

                              When I began to think about how to begin with the description of the Shahnajaf Imambara , I had feeling which was quiet strange .Every time I have written a write up , I have tried my best to make it interesting , and as I don’t prefer to read much I don’t expect someone else to prefer what I don’t  prefer .But for this one article I was out of ideas , in the sense I was feeling blank and at the same time too full to think anything .Well but I had to write something , and as a great friend of mine quotes , “A good writer is one, who is successful in conveying his mental state to the reader , making him experience the same feelings as he does and thereby binding him in such a way that the person cannot sleep until he has read the entire book, for it is only the way in which things are conveyed matters and nothing else .” It is these words which help me to continue every time I decide to give up because of mental block . Because that mental block is also a state of mind , and if put to paper will definitely help me to make a connection with the reader , irrespective of being good or bad .

                          Well, moving on to the history of the Imambara. Shah Najaf Imambara in Lucknow takes us back to the ancient times when Islam was in the nascent state and still struggling to make its own mark. The Imambara is dedicated to Moula Ali or Shah Najaf, the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad who was a great intellectual as well as a brave warrior. His valiant endeavors in protecting and popularizing Islam won him the title of Haider-e-Khuda, meaning "Lion of Allah". He later became the 4th Caliph of Islam.  The monument can without a doubt be tagged as one of the most splendid monuments of the city .It was built by Ghazi – ud – Din Haider to serve as his mausoleum . It is also the repository of the remains of Ghazi-ud-din Haider and his wives that also include Mubarak Mahal, his European wife.

                                 This Imambara is in the shape of a dome . At the entrance lie beautiful gardens ornamented with flowers of various kinds. The tomb of Ghazi-ud –Din Haider is located at the center of the building , and is surrounded by  the more impressive silver and gold tomb of Mubarak Mahal , and another tomb . The tombs and their  design patterns are simply charming .