Chota Imambara, also known as Hussainabad Imambara is an imposing monument located in the city of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Built as an imambara or a congregation hall for Shia Muslims, by Muhammad Ali Shah, the third Nawab of Awadh in 1838, it was to serve as his own mausoleum and his mother, who is buried beside him.OverviewIt is situated near the Bara Imambara and on the connecting road stands an imposing gateway known as Rumi Darwaza. The building is also known as the Palace of Lights because of its decorations and chandeliers during special festivals, like Muharram.The chandeliers used to decorate the interior of this building were brought from Belgium. Also housed within the building, is the crown of Muhammed Ali Shah and ceremonial tazias. Thousands of labourers worked on the project to gain famine relief.It has a gilded dome and several turrets and minarets. The tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah and other members of his family are inside the imambara. This includes two replicas of the Taj Mahal, built as the tombs of Muhammad Ali Shah’s daughter and her husband. The walls are decorated with Arabic calligraphy.Water supply for the fountains and the water bodies inside the imambara came directly from the Gomti River.SatkhandaOutside the imambara is the watch tower called Satkhanda or tower of seven stories. Though it is called Satkhanda, it has only four stories, as the construction of the tower was abandoned when Ali Shah died. Satkhanda was built between 1837–1842 in the time of Muhammad Ali Shah. He wanted to make it the same as Qutub Minar of Delhi and the leaning tower of Pisa. Its main purpose is lunar observation.