The Asafi Imambara (Bara Imambara), built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in 1784, is located in:

The Asafi Imambara, also known as the Bara Imambara, is located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It was built in 1784 by Asaf-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh.

About the Bara Imambara:

• An "imambara" is a hall built by Shia Muslims for religious gatherings, especially for mourning ceremonies during Muharram, in memory of Imam Husain, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
• The Bara Imambara was designed by the architect Kifayatullah.
• Its central hall is one of the largest arched halls in the world built without beams or pillars supporting the ceiling.
• It has a famous "Bhul Bhulaiya" (labyrinth), a maze of more than 1,000 narrow passages on its upper floors.
• The complex also includes the Asafi Mosque and a stepwell (the Shahi Baoli).

It was built partly as a famine relief project:

• In 1784, there was a terrible famine in Awadh, and Asaf-ud-Daula undertook the construction to give employment to people.
• According to tradition, ordinary people worked during the day, while nobles, who were ashamed to be seen working, worked at night; what was built in the day was sometimes pulled down at night to keep the work going.
• A popular saying in Lucknow, "Jisko na de Maula, usko de Asaf-ud-Daula" ("Whom God does not give, Asaf-ud-Daula gives"), praises his generosity.

About Asaf-ud-Daula:

• He was the Nawab of Awadh from 1775 to 1797.
• He moved the capital of Awadh from Faizabad to Lucknow in 1775.
• He was a great patron of architecture and the arts, and made Lucknow a centre of culture.
• Other monuments he built include the Rumi Darwaza.

Other monuments of Lucknow:

• The Chhota Imambara (Imambara Hussainabad Mubarak): built by Muhammad Ali Shah.
• The Residency: the site of the siege during the Revolt of 1857.
• The Clock Tower (Husainabad).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Faizabad was the earlier capital of Awadh.
• ✗Murshidabad was the capital of the Bengal Nawabs.
• ✗Hyderabad was the capital of the Nizams.