I PRESSED MY EAR FIRMLY against the wall and tried hard to focus. Amid multiple echoing voices, I tried to make out the one taking my name. My guide, Taqi Mirza, a resident of Awadh; as he likes to call it, had assured me that he would whisper my name against the wall on one end and I’ll hear it from the other. Despite several noisy tourist groups adding to the cacophony, I remained undeterred. After all, I had spent half a day getting drenched in Lucknow’s torrential rains to make it to the famed Bara Imambara. I heard a whisper finally. But much to my dismay, it wasn’t my name. As I walked through the labyrinth, trying to figure my way out, Mirza popped up. And upon asking, he blamed the motley crowd and rather amusingly continued to tell stories from the past in his thick Awadhi accent.
I wasn’t sure whether one could hear the name from within the walls or not. But I definitely knew that I couldn’t have weaved my way out of the maze had it not been for him. It has over a thousand passages—1024—if Mirza is to be believed. I was told that the whole purpose of this monumental maze was to confuse and delay the invaders.
Built-in 1784 by Asaf-ud-Daula, the fourth Nawab of Awadh, various myths surround the Bara Imambara. Erected as a famine relief project, it is said that construction workers built the structure during the day, which was demolished on orders from the Nawab at dusk, only to be rebuilt the next day.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2020-Ausgabe von Outlook Traveller.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2020-Ausgabe von Outlook Traveller.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Chutneys For Every Season
GROWING UP IN JHARKHAND, I've always been enchanted by the state's culinary landscape. Here, the local cuisine never fails to surprise with its depth and variety.
BADGE OF HONOUR
IN THE DYNAMIC LANDSCAPE of tourism, where greenwashing often taints sustainability, certifications can help distinguish between genuine efforts and marketing gimmicks. Green certification systems encourage businesses to enhance their environmental credentials.
WHEELS OF TIME
IN 1947, TRAINS CARRYING REFUGEES ACROSS THE BORDER WERE SYMBOLIC OF THE TUMULT OF THE PARTITION.
RAILS OF THE Raj
FROM ITS CONCEPTION TO ITS ROLE IN THE NATION'S HISTORY, THE BRITISH INDIAN RAILWAYS IS A PHENOMENON MARKED AS MUCH BY MARVEL AS AVARICE
THE RHYTHM OF BOLLYWOOD
FROM THE RAILROAD THRILLER MISS FRONTIER MAIL 1936) TO SHAH RUKH KHAN DANCING ON A TRAIN IN DIL SE' 1998), TRAINS HAVE GIVEN UNFORGETTABLE SONG SEQUENCES TO MANY HINDI FILMS
MEMORY'S OASIS
REMEMBRANCES OF GROWING UP IN SEALDAH RAILWAY OFFICERS COLONY IN KOLKATA
A FAREWELL × TO FLAVOURS
FROM CUTLETS AND RAILWAY MUTTON CURRY IN DINING CARS TO THE UNREMARKABLE FARE AVAILABLE TODAY, THE JOURNEY OF FOOD ON THE INDIAN RAILWAY IS FASCINATING
HERITAGE ON THE TRACKS
THE ICONIC DARJEELING HIMALAYAN RAILWAY, FONDLY CALLED THE TOY TRAIN,' HAS HELD ITS UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE STATUS SINCE 1999
HIDDEN LIVES
SPANNING 65,000 KILOMETRES THROUGH DENSELY POPULATED INDIA, THE RAILWAYS ARE A BACKDROP TO COUNTLESS STORIES. 'THE UNRESERVED' BY FILMMAKER SAMARTH MAHAJAN CAPTURES A FEW
JOURNEYS WITHIN AND WITHOUT
FOR IMTIAZ ALI, TRAIN JOURNEYS ARE TRANSFORMATIVE, OFFERING GLIMPSES OF INDIA'S DIVERSE SOCIETY AND ITS MANY CULTURES AND RELIGIONS