https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=General_Wali_KothiGeneral Wali Kothi - Revision history2026-10-29T12:03:32ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=General_Wali_Kothi&diff=500208&oldid=prevMarta694059068: creating a bio - done2026-03-22T04:56:55Z<p>creating a bio - done</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2019}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2019}}<br />
{{More footnotes|date=August 2018}}<br />
{{Infobox building<br />
| name = General Wali Kothi<br />
| native_name = तारा वाली कोठी<br />
| native_name_lang = hin<br />
| image = Lucknow_Album_(18)_-_Tara_Khothe_or_Star_house.jpg<br />
| image_size = <br />
| image_alt = <!-- or | alt = --><br />
| image_caption = ''Tara Khothe'' or ''Star house'' in 1874 by [[Darogha Ubbas Alli]]<br />
| alternate_names = Star House<br />
| location = [[Lucknow]], [[India]]<br />
| address = <br />
| coordinates = {{coord|26|51|13.4|N|80|56|23.3|E}}<br />
| current_tenants = [[State Bank of India]]<br />
| construction_start_date = 1832<br />
| opened_date = 1841<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''General Wali Kothi''' was an observatory commissioned in 1832 by King of Oudh [[Nasir-ud-Din Haidar Shah]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lucknow.nic.in/Nasir.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410102332/http://lucknow.nic.in/Nasir.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 April 2009|title=Nasir|date=10 April 2009|accessdate=15 August 2018}}</ref> It was not functional until 1841 when Colonel Richard Wilcox, a Royal Astronomer, was appointed.<br />
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It contained several excellent instruments. On the death of Wilcox in 1847, the establishment was dismissed, and the instruments disappeared during the Mutiny. It was said that once a brass pillar stood in central chamber through the roof.<br />
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== History ==<br />
The building was the headquarters of the Maulvi [[Ahmadullah Shah]] of Faizabad during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], and the insurgent council frequently held its meetings there.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V16_196.gif|title=Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 16, page 190 -- Imperial Gazetteer of India -- Digital South Asia Library|website=Dsal.uchicago.edu|accessdate=2 February 2021}}</ref> Later it was occupied by the [[Imperial Bank of India]], being restored for use as a bank but, in October 1923, it was flooded for 15 days. Mr. Davis then the occupant bank manager, his staff and clients used boats to ferry them back and forth. Some years later, it was used for as a local court of civil justice. later it was occupied by the Imperial Bank of India (now, [[State Bank of India]]), and became the bank's headquarters in 1923.<ref name="Knocksense">{{cite news |last1=Kirti |first1=Khushbu |title=From a royal observatory to SBI branch: Know all about the 190-yr-old Tare Wali Kothi in Lucknow |url=https://www.knocksense.com/lucknow/from-a-royal-observatory-to-sbi-branch-know-all-about-the-190-yr-old-tare-wali-kothi-in-lucknow |date=5 March 2023 |language=en}}</ref> Now it is a SBI branch head office.<ref name="Knocksense"/><br />
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[[Martin Gubbins]] described it as a handsome classical design building, protected by a regular guard of native infantry.{{Citation needed|date=January 2026}}<br />
[[File:Lucknow. Photographed from the Observatory - ILN-1858-0102-0001.jpg|thumb|Lucknow, viewed from the Observatory, [[Illustrated London News]]]]<br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[List of astronomical observatories]]<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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== External links ==<br />
* {{Commonscat-inline|General Wali Kothi}}<br />
*{{cite web|url=http://lucknow.me/Tare-wali-Kothi.html|title=Lucknow - Tare wali Kothi|website=Lucknow.me|accessdate=15 August 2018}}<br />
*{{cite web|url=http://www.lucknowpulse.com/2015/10/28/landmarks-history-kothis-lucknow|title=The Majestic Kothis of Lucknow|website=Lucknowpulse.com|date=28 October 2015|accessdate=15 August 2018|archive-date=11 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111054635/http://www.lucknowpulse.com/2015/10/28/landmarks-history-kothis-lucknow/|url-status=dead}}<br />
{{Telescopes and Observatories in India}}<br />
{{Portal bar|India|Astronomy|Stars|Spaceflight|Outer space|Solar System|Education|Science}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomical observatories in India]]<br />
[[Category:1841 establishments in British India]]<br />
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lucknow]]<br />
[[Category:Defunct astronomical observatories]]</div>Marta694059068