Sikandar Bagh 🇮🇳

Sikandar Bagh in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, offers you a compelling journey into history and nature. Originally laid out around 1800 as a royal garden by Nawab Saadat Ali Khan and later enhanced by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as a 4.5-acre summer residence named for his favorite wife, Sikandar Mahal Begum, this site blends royal heritage with stark historic drama. Today, it houses the National Botanical Research Institute of India, making it a unique destination where botanical science meets preserved 19th-century architecture.

When you visit, you will explore a fortified enclosure featuring a historic gateway, high walls, loopholes, and corner bastions. In the center, you can view a small pavilion once used for Kathak dances, music, and Ras-lilas performances. You will also witness the tangible marks of the 1857 Indian Rebellion, when British forces stormed the garden-turned-stronghold, resulting in the deadly slaughter of 2,200 sepoy mutineers.

Examine the old walls still scarred by historic cannonball impacts, see the center pavilion, and stop by the statue honoring Uda Devi, a fierce female fighter who held off British attackers from a treetop. Finally, visit the NBRI Exhibition to inspect excavated relics like cannonballs, swords, and muskets.

What to see at Sikandar Bagh

• Fortified walls, gateway, and corner bastions showing visible cannonball scars from 1857
• Central pavilion, formerly the scene of Kathak dances, music, and royal cultural performances
• Statue of Uda Devi, honoring the fierce female warrior who fought British forces from a garden tree
• NBRI Exhibition displays showcasing excavated weapons, cannonballs, shields, and musket parts

Visiting tips

Head to the National Botanical Research Institute Exhibition inside the grounds to view authentic cannonballs, swords, and rifle parts recovered directly from the garden.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Sikandar Bagh is easy to reach on Lucknow’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Qaisar Bagh. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Lucknow travel guide.