Butler Palace

Awesomazing!!! I loved the place so much, it was super spooky buy still. I wonder why the hell its prohibited to go there. Also, i saw a huge spectacled cobra there... It is also said that a female spirit is seen at night, which slides down the stairs and jumps into the nearby lake. The story attached to this place is very spooky, and you cannot ignore them as the paranormal spirits will make you realize their presence every time. The Butler Palace is a four-faceted palace with a stellar architecture and it is the only monument in Lucknow to be built in this way. Since, the palace was shut down in 2009, it has become a ruin. Wild flora everywhere! Wish i could go back in time and see its real beauty.

Named after Sir Spencer Harcourt Butler, a famous British Civil Servant and the Deputy Commissioner of Awadh, Butler Palace is an iconic Awadhi Heritage Building with a fascinating yet troubled history. The foundation stone for the building was originally laid in 1915 by the Raja of Mahmudabad. While the original plan was to build a palace with 3 wings, only 1 wing could be completed as Maharaja Ali Mohammad Khan donated the rest of the building funds for flood relief after the River Gomti flooded in 1921. Now it is just lying there as a abandoned building. It is sad to see that the government is not taking any effort to preserve this cultural heritage of Lucknow.

Outstanding spooky experience when you will visit it during the dark. Beautiful Monument which is now totally ruined gives very strong spooky scary vibes. The enterance is totally destructed and the garden area around the building is in worsen condition with wild grasses and plants grown up. Still the building gives very strong feeling of being beautiful and scary.

One of the most underrated and under appreciated monuments of Lucknow. Built in the Rajputana style of architecture, Butler Palace is the only monument in Lucknow which showcases the architecture and the elegance that the Rajput builders of Rajasthan had. The place is crowned with domed structures, crafted panels, arched windows, made to maintain ample air flow with high ceiling walls-dripping with elegance. Built in 1915 for the Deputy Commissioner of Avadh, Spencer Harcourt Butler by Raja Mehmoodabad, the palace served as a British residence and then the personal property of the heir of Raja Mehmoodabad. During the war of 1965 the property was declared ‘enemy property’ as India went into war with Pakistan. After which it was used by the government, served as a hideout for drug addicts and was even left to the devices of thieves who destroyed the property trying to unscrew the brass hinges off the door. Sometime in between, handed back to the Raja of Mehmoodabad and then taken back by the Indian government in 2010, after that the palace has been an abandoned mess. It was originally planned to be a complex of 4 such buildings but flood of the gomti made the engineers to improvise the plan and settle down with just one. Surrounding area houses the top bureaucrats of Lucknow and even though being at the centre of V.V.I.P. settlement it's in sorry condition due to a long legal battle. I hope it resolves and government tries to preserve it as this type of architecture is super rare in this part of the state.

Butler Palace has the potential to be converted into a major tourist attraction. The Palace, Lake etc all need investment. U.P Govt should build a new apartment complex for all the officials residing here in some other location and convert Butler Palace into a Park like facility with Restaurants, Theatre, Auditoriums and Cafes. Also maybe a joggers park around the lake. If nothing else, The natural lake and the Old Palace can be a beautiful cultural setting for Events and Festivals.