The Rise & Fall of Lucknow's Raja Tikait Rai, Diwan of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula!

Lucknow is known for its intricate architectural gems like the magnificent Imambada, Rumi Darwaza and others, built during the glorious era of Nawabs of Awadh. While the story about how these magnificent structures came into being under the reign of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula is quite popular, there is a lesser-known personality, who played an important role in the commissioning of these historical structures. Raja Tikait Rai, the Diwan (Finance Minister) of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula, was the supervisor, under whose management all these impressive landmarks were erected. Read on to know more about this treasurer of Nawabs.

The rise of Raja Tikait Rai

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The Nawabs of Awadh, famous for their secular values usually kept Hindus, at the top positions in the ministry based on their merit. Tikait Rai Bahadur was one such minister who is said to be one of the most powerful nobles of Awadh. Though many are unaware of his existence, he actually played an important part in the history of Lucknow during the regime of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula. Honoured with titles like Muhsin-ul-mulk, Raja and 'Kunwar', Tikait has left an astounding legacy in the form of various monuments, bazaars, localities in and around Lucknow, here are a few examples-

The fall of Raja Tikait Rai

Despite all the good work that he'd put in during his short span as the Finance Minister, Tikait Rai was dismissed from his service by the Nawab for fraud and mismanagement of funds. His colleagues accused him of this heinous crime while those at the British Residency opposed this preposterous accusation by giving him a clean chit. Some accounts give a detailed description of how Raja Tikait Rai tried his best to reduce the debt of the Nawab while others claim that the extravagant affairs of Asaf-ud-Daula were the reason behind all of this. Well, with all the accusations and counter-accusations, nobody could ever find the truth in the claims and now the answer lies buried in the past.