Dilkusha Kothi is the remains of an eighteenth-century house built in the English
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including ...
style in the quiet
Dilkusha
Dilkusha is a residential colony in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India. Near the banks of the River Gomti, the colony has been the residence of government officials for more than a hundred years. Dilkusha is situated 2 km ...
area of
Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
.
[Dilkusha Kothi, expressindia.com 9 September]
accessed 11 September 2007 Today there are only a few towers and external walls as a monument, though the extensive gardens remain. The house was shelled during its involvement in the
Lucknow siege in 1857 together with the Residency and the nearby school of
La Martiniere.
History
The house was constructed around 1800 by the British resident Major
Gore Ouseley,
[nic.in]
accessed 10 September 2007 a friend of the ruler of
Oudh
The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...
, Nawab
Saadat Ali Khan. It was initially intended as a hunting lodge for the
Nawabs of Oudh, although it was later used as a summer resort too. Changes were made to its design by Nawab, King
Nasir-ud-Din Haider (1827-1837). The building had patterned walls and unusually no inner courtyard as was traditional in Indian architecture. The building therefore had a smaller footprint and did not extend over a large area but was taller than traditional local architecture. Like its neighbour,
La Constantia, it is located on the banks of Lucknow's main river, the
Gomti.
[
The design bears a startling resemblance to the style of Seaton Delaval Hall in ]Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
. Seaton Delaval Hall was built in 1721 and was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh
Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...
, who also designed Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace (pronounced ) is a country house in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the only non- royal, non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, ...
. Dilkusha Kothi is depicted in a rare early albumen print
The albumen print, also called albumen silver print, was published in January 1847 by Louis Désiré Blanquart-Evrard, and was the first commercially exploitable method of producing a photographic print on a paper base from a negative. It ...
by the photographer Samuel Bourne
Samuel Bourne (30 October 1834 – 24 April 1912) was a British photographer known for his prolific seven years' work in India, from 1863 to 1870. Together with Charles Shepherd, he set up Bourne & Shepherd first in Shimla in 1863 and later i ...
, dating from 1864–1865.
The British actress Mary Linley Taylor
Mary Linley Taylor (1889–1982) born Hilda Mouat Biggs, was an English stage actress, who spent most of her adult life in Korea.
Background
Marly Linley Taylor was born on September 14, 1889 in Abbey Row, Westport, Malmesbury, to Dr. Charles E ...
was impressed by Dilkusha Kothi and named her own home in Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
after it. She explained, "From that moment in India when first I saw Dilkusha, the Palace of Heart's Delight, I dreamed of this moment when I would bestow upon our home the name 'Dilkusha'."
Balloon ascent
It is said that in 1830, Dilkushi Kothi was the location for an early balloon ascent by "an Englishman". This story is less notable given that the Frenchman Claude Martin
Major-General Claude Martin (5 January 1735 – 13 September 1800) was a French army officer who served in the French and later British East India companies in colonial India. Martin rose to the rank of major-general in the British East India C ...
who had been a neighbour when his palace of Constantia, later La Martiniere Boys College, was started in the 1790s. He too had arranged a balloon ascent in Lucknow and he died before the demonstration here. The ascent in 1830 was watched by King Nasir-ud-Din Haider and large number of his courtiers.[The siege at DefenceJournal.com]
accessed 20 September 2007 Faizal Khan Lakri Mohal Sadar Lucknow is the king of Dilkusha
1857
The military positions in 1857 are shown on the map illustrated. The Dilkusha gardens are at the lower right near St.Paul's College. In 1857 the house was held by Indian insurgents and was forcibly recaptured by British forces under the instructions of British commander-in-chief, Sir Colin Campbell. The British General Sir Henry Havelock died on 24 November 1857 from dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
at Dilkusha.[ The map illustrated shows how the grounds were at the centre of the British military activity in September and November 1857. North west along the river Gomti is La Martiniere and further along the river is the Residency of Sir Henry Lawrence. These three buildings played a substantial role in the uprising in Lucknow. This building received heavy shelling.][ although the photograph above dated 1858 shows little evidence of major damage. A photo taken in 1898 shows the building in ruins so it would appear that the major damage was not in the siege.
Following the uprising a large number of medals were awarded, but the most valuable are those that bear the message "siege of Lucknow".
]
Today
Today the gardens are visited by few people. It has been surmised that the reason may be the lack of publicity.[ There are a greater number of visitors during the winter when foreign tourists add to the normal visitors of families picnicking,][Dilkushi Kothi at Indiainfoweb]
accessed 12 September 2007 school children and young couples.[ The Archaeological Society of India has done work to prevent further decay, carrying out gardening and small repairs. The site is considered to be deserving of further publicity by the ASI, subject to funding.][ It is claimed that "Dilkusha Kothi is probably one of the most beautiful monuments in the historic city of Lucknow."][
]
In literature
There are strong links to E. M. Forster's '' A Passage to India''. In the book there is a place called Dilkusha, which is a replica of an English stately home.The Geographical Presence in A Passage to India
accessed 13 September 2007
See also
*Dilkusha
Dilkusha is a residential colony in Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, India. Near the banks of the River Gomti, the colony has been the residence of government officials for more than a hundred years. Dilkusha is situated 2 km ...
*Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...
* Lucknow Siege
* La Martiniere school
References
{{coord, 26.831, 80.954, type:landmark, display=title
Houses completed in 1805
Buildings and structures in Lucknow
Houses in India
Tourist attractions in Lucknow
Ruins in India
Baroque architecture in India
1805 establishments in British India