A Little History of Ghantaghar (Lucknow)

The Husainabad clock tower of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh is the tallest tower in India with the hight of 219 feet (67m) and the replica of the Big Ben of London, built by Nawab Nasir-Ul-Din Haider, made of break lime and iron with the finest artwork of that time to celebrate and mark the arrival of Sir George Cooper, the First Lieutenant Governor of the United Province of Awadh, the Husainabad clock tower is one of the seven iconic clock towers. The cost of construction of the clock tower was 1.75 lakh, designed by Richard Rousell Payne in Victorian and Gothic style, adjacent to Rumi Darwaza Bada Imambara and Teele Wali Masjid.

The clock tower stopped working entirely as reported by officials of Husainabad and Allied Trust in the year 1984. (HAT). Several attempts to restart were made but ended up in vain. Another tragedy occurred when an individual employed by Husainabad and Allied Trust officials in 2004 fled with the important parts of the clock . HAT attempted to contact a Swiss company in 2009 and they said it would not be fixed because its components were missing. So in 2010 advanced decided to replace the clock, but one last attempt was made by Akhilesh Agrawal and paritosh Chauhan in April 13 2010 after the 27 long years of silence clock chimed on September 13 2011.But the delight lasted for a few years and became seldom again and still silent

Like other architectural landmarks, the clock tower is not yet protected by the Archaeological Department of India. British clock towers in India were made for people to aware the value of time, but the clock tower lost its meaning of existence over time.