Qaisarbagh (Hindi: क़ैसरबाग़, Urdu:, pronounced as /qɛːsərˈbaːɣ/, Emperor's Garden), also spelled Qaiserbagh, Kaisarbagh or Kaiserbagh, is a palace complex in the city of Lucknow, located in the Awadh region of India. It was built by Wajid Ali Shah (1847-1856), the last Nawab of Awadh.[1] [2]
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, it was used as a stronghold of Begum Hazrat Mahal the Begum of Awadh, who played a leading role in the uprising.[3]
The campaigning Irish journalist William Howard Russell wrote a classic account of the looting of the Qaisar Bagh in 1858 by drunken British troops in the course of the Great Uprising/Indian Mutiny.[4] A kiosk from the Qaisar Bagh gardens was sent to England as a tribute for Queen Victoria and now stands in the Frogmore Gardens at Windsor Castle.
Though a major part of the palace was destroyed by British soldiers and lies in ruins, currently it is a major tourist spot of Lucknow.[3]