The Bara Imambara began as a food-for-work famine relief project under the Nawab of Awadh, Asaf-ud-Daulah, in the 1700s. The work continued for decades, with sections built during the day being demolished at night so that labourers would have work the next day.

Coming through the gateway and passing the front lawns, we entered the vaulted hall on the far left. It’s known as the Chinese Hall, and looking at the white-on-blue plaster décor, we were a bit puzzled--until the guide mentioned that the china in question is Wedgwood. Ho-hum. An identical hall, but with a slightly different ceiling, stands at the far right of the Imambara and is known as the Indian Hall.

The dingy Persian Hall, 330 feet long, is Asia’s largest hall that’s unsupported by pillars and stretches between the Chinese Hall and the Indian Hall. It’s full of old mirrors, tazias (Shiite shrines ceremonially carried in Muharram processions), and chandeliers. In the hall stand the ramshackle tombs of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah himself and the Imambara’s architect, Kifayatullah.

On the far left of the Imambara, beside the Chinese Hall, is the entrance to the Imambara’s biggest draw--the bhoolbhulaiyaan, or labyrinth. Awadh’s nawabs lived in tumultuous times, with court intrigue a major part of life. And the bhoolbhulaiyaan is the ultimate in intrigue--it meanders through the entire building, across 1,024 passageways (at each intersection, there are three wrong paths and one correct path). Aligned along the building’s centre are hidden chor khidkis (literally, thief windows), which offer unhindered views of the main road, right through the Imambara. Guards were stationed at these chor khidkis to keep an eye on passers-by and to guard against enemies. Also within the bhoolbhulaiyaan are the now-blocked entrances to tunnels (or so they say--here you can’t tell when reality meanders away into myth!) that go all the way to Delhi, Agra, and Faizabad.

While at the Imambara, descend into the Shahi Baoli (a seven-level, 160-feet-deep stepwell) and photograph the stunning view of the Shahi Masjid and the Gomti river beyond from the Imambara’s roof. And yes, check out the acoustics in the Persian Hall--if you stand on its balcony at one end, you can hear a match being struck or a paper being crumpled at the other end. The bhoolbhulaiyaan’s mortar was very light--it included peanuts, lentils, and water-chestnut flour; because of this, the walls conduct sound fabulously--there are places where you can put a ear to the wall and hear a whisper 60 feet away!

Entry fees for foreigners are Rs300, inclusive of entry to the Picture Gallery and the Shahi Hamams. Guides charge about Rs210 for a complete tour.