Sikandar Bagh

Sikandar Bagh is a historic garden complex in central Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, located on Rana Pratap Marg near Hazratganj. Built in the late 1840s by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah as a summer pavilion and garden named for his wife Sikandar Mahal Begum, it is known for its Awadhi architectural gateway and landscaped grounds. Today it forms part of the National Botanical Research Institute campus and is noted for its botanical collections and association with events of 1857.

Visitors can expect a walled garden enclosure with a historic gateway, landscaped lawns, flower beds, and tree-lined pathways maintained as part of the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) campus. The site includes remnants of the original 19th-century pavilion and boundary walls, interpretive displays about the garden's history, and extensive botanical collections. The setting is urban and relatively tranquil, suitable for leisurely walks, photography and observing seasonal flora.

Sikandar Bagh was laid out around 1847-1850 by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, as a royal summer garden and pavilion for his wife Sikandar Mahal Begum. The enclosure originally covered a large area with a pavilion, garden and perimeter wall with a decorated gateway. In November 1857, during the events of that year in Lucknow, the garden was the site of a military engagement. Later the grounds were taken over for botanical research and now house the National Botanical Research Institute established in 1953.

The garden represents late Awadhi landscape and architectural traditions of Lucknow under the Nawabs of Awadh. It is valued as a heritage garden and urban green space, and as part of the city's Nawabi-era heritage circuit. Its integration with the National Botanical Research Institute adds scientific and educational significance related to plant conservation and horticulture.