Dilkusha Kothi (Palace), Lucknow

"Dilkusha Kothi (Palace) was built in 1800 by a British Major White Osley,it was built in the Gothic style."
Dilkusha Kothi (Palace) is located on the banks of the river Gomti in the Dilkusha area of ​​Lucknow, this Kothi was built in 1800 by a British Major Gore Osley, who used to be friends of the Nawab of Awadh. At present, this Kothi or ancient monument has been transformed into a ruin.

History Of Dilkusha Kothi (Palace)

The Palace was constructed around 1800 by the British resident Major Gore Ouseley, a friend of the ruler of Oudh, 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.

 It is almost an exact replica of an English country house called Seaton Delavel in Northumberland, England, built in 1721.The Kothi built in European-Gothic style of architecture stands amidst plush green garden. Lakhauri bricks plastered with lime were used in it’s construction. The extremes of the kothi were known to have towers that further had circular staircases in them. A series of steps led to the entrance or the main doorway of the palace. It is said that the handrail of the staircases had female statues adjacent to it. There is another structure present near the palace whose lower floor served as a stable for the horses and was also used as a parking ground for the Nawab’s horse-wagons.

This Kothi was used by freedom fighters during the first fight of India's independence. However, after the massive bombing the British army had captured it and consequently this Kothi went to lose its splendor and glory.Campbell used it as a base for the final assault on Begum Hazrat Mahal who was ruling the State from Qaiser Bagh, when her son was crowned as the Waali-us-Saltanat (Guardian of the Kingdom) of Awadh at the tender age of eleven years in the absence of the King, Wajid Ali Shah, deposed by the British. Campbell collected a force of 50,000 men including 5,000 horsemen supported by eighty pieces of heavy artillery to launch the attack from Dilkusha Kothi that resulted in the defeat of the rebels (freedom fighters).

Dilkusha Garden

Now this palace is known as Dilkusha Garden.The Archaeological Society of India has done work to prevent further decay, carrying out gardening and small repairs.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 make up the normal visitors of families picnicing,school children and young couples.The ghostly ruins of Dilkusha Kothi remain today a dismal reminder of sacrifices made by the sepoys of Awadh, who along with the masses, launched a popular revolt against the British, which is known today as the first freedom struggle of India, that sowed the seeds of the ultimate struggle for Independence from British yoke for the country.

Beside all of these "Dilkusha Kothi (Palace) is probably one of the most beautiful monuments in the historic city of Lucknow and people comes from all over the world to visit this historic site."