Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/381

 LUC 373 Khanda," or seven-storied tower, from the top of which he might look down on his finished work," the great Babylon that he had built," and enjoy its beauty and splendour, but the work was never finished, and the tower only reached its fourth story. The great tomb of Hakim Mehndi Ali Khan, situated to the east of Goláganj, and near Mina Shah-ki-Dargáb, was erected by his nephew, Munawar-ud-daula, during this reign. Amjad Ali Shah, son of the last king, (A.D. 1941), built Hazratganj, made the metalled Road to Cawnpore, laid the iron bridge over the Gumti, and built his own Mausoleum in Hazratganj. Amín-ud-daula, his minister, founded the Amínabad Bazar, one of the great thoroughfares of the city which leads into the Cawnpore road. The iron bridge was brought out from England by the order of Gházi- ud-din Haidar, but he died before it arrived. His son, Nasír-ud-dín Haidar, directed it to be put up in front of the Residency, just where a small temple and ghát now stand on the opposite side of the river. He gave the contract for erecting it to his own engineer, a Mr. Sinclair, who commenced sinking wells (which are still visible) on which to found the piers, but failed before any great progress had been made. The bridge was thus again delayed till Amjad Ali Shah, the 4th king, took up the project and completed it. The Qaisar Bágh, the great work of Wajid Ali Shah, the ex-king's reign, was commenced in 1848, and finished in 1850 A.D., at a cost, including furniture and decorations, of eighty lakhs. Qaisar is the same word as Cæsar, a title adopted by the kings of Oudh, and used by them on the royal seal. To describe this palace, it will be best to suppose the visitor to enter at the north-east gateway, which faces the open space in front of the Tára- wali Kothi. We pass up the open court in front of the gate called the Jilaukhána, or place where the royal processions used to form up and prepare to start from, and turning to the right through 2 gateway covered by a screen, we cross the Chini Bagh (so called from the lange China vessels with which it was decorated), and going under a gate flanked by green mermaids we come to the Hazrat Bagh. On the right hand we have the Chándiwali Bárádari which used to be paved with silver, and the Khás Muqar and Badshah Manzil, which used to be the special residence of the king. The Badshah Manzil has been before alluded to as having been built by Saádat Ali Khan, and included by Wajid Ali Shah in the plan of his new palace. His Wazir, Nawab Ali Naqi Khan, used to reside above the mermaid's gate- way we have just passed under, in order that he might be close to the king, and obtain instant information of all he was doing. On the left we have the large confused pile of buildings called the Chaulakkhi, built by Azím-ulla Khan, the royal barber, and sold by him to the king for four lakhs. It formed the residence of the chief nahals and of the queen. The 48