5/5 Farman Abbas M. 5 months ago on Google
Satkhanda
The
word
‘Satkhanda’
means
Seven-Storeyed.
Initially,
this
building
was
intended
to
comprise
seven
storeys
but
it’s
construction
work
was
later
abandoned
and
thus,
only
4
level
of
it
could
be
completed.
Incomplete
but
nevertheless
splendour
of
heritage
architecture,
Satkhnada,
a
red-brick
watch-tower,
constructed
by
King
Mohammed
Ali
Shah,
is
situated
near
the
Chota
Imambara.
Satkhanda,
a
four-storey
tower,
has
got
it’s
architectural
design
influenced
from
‘The
Leaning
Tower
of
Pisa’,
one
of
the
seven
wonders
of
world.
The
tower
is
constructed
in
a
blend
of
Greek
and
Islamic
architecture.
It’s
framework
and
pediments
reflect
Greek
structural
design
whereas
arches
of
the
gates
and
windows
show
influence
of
Islamic
structural
design.
The
height
of
the
octagonal
ground
floor
of
this
structure
is
almost
10
feet,
making
it
the
highest
storey
of
this
tower.
One
of
the
distinctive
feature
of
this
structure
is
that
each
of
it’s
successive
storey
has
been
constructed
in
the
decreasing
order
of
height
and
breadth
of
it’s
base
storey.
The
total
height
of
Satkhanda
is
35
feet
approximately.
The
tower
has
numerous
triple-arched
huge
windows
and
compartments.
A
flight
of
spiral
steps
leads
to
the
different
storeys
of
the
building.
From
the
uppermost
storey
of
the
facade,
one
can
see
the
beauty
of
the
city’s
adjacent
area.
The
construction
work
of
Satkhanda
was
initiated
by
King
Mohammed
Ali
Shah
during
his
reign
in
the
years
1837-1842.
He
built
it
as
a
watch-tower
with
an
intention
of
having
the
bird’s
eye
view
of
the
old
city
area
of
Lucknow
along
with
it’s
royal
buildings.
There
is
also
a
myth
about
the
building
that
it
was
constructed
for
having
a
sight
of
chand
for
Eid.
‘It’s
said
that
the
construction
of
this
structure
was
stopped
as
the
king
had
hurt
his
leg
while
climbling
down
the
stairs
of
this
structure
while
it
was
being
constructed.
And
since
then,
people
started
treating
it
as
a
bad
omen
and
left
it
unfinished.
But
this
is
a
fake
rumoured
story
as
Mohammed
Ali
Shah
was
65
years
old
when
he
was
elected
as
the
king
of
Awadh
and
at
the
same
time
he
was
not
fit
with
his
hands
and
legs,
therefore,
not
being
in
a
condition
to
climb
the
stairs
of
the
tower’,
states
Roshan
Taqui,
the
prominent
historian
of
Awadh.
‘It’s
exquisite
designs
and
marvelous
layout
makes
it
a
must-see
edifice
of
Lucknow’,
says
Brijesh
Yadav,
a
student.
‘Being
lured
by
just
seeing
the
unfinished
tower,
has
left
me
wondering
as
to
how
amazing
it
would
look
when
it’s
renovation
gets
completed.
Waah
Lucknow!’,
says
Geeta
Srivastava,
a
home-maker.
Inspite
of
the
fact
that
the
renovation
work
has
been
taken
up
and
guards
have
been
assigned
the
duty
to
look
after
the
safety
of
the
edifice,
the
tower
still
stands
deserted
with
just
animals
prowling
around.
The
pathway
to
it
is
uneven
and
dirty.
Adding
to
the
grievance,
the
backside
of
the
tower
is
treated
as
a
dumpsite
for
household
wastes
and
is
also
a
safe
place
for
drug
traffickers.
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