After years of neglect, glass top to complete Satkhanda.

LUCKNOW: The 177-year-old iconic

Satkhanda in Husainabad

area of old Lucknow is finally going to live up to its name, of ‘seven storeys’, with the proposed glass roof to the monument taking shape, completing the unfinished Nawabi era structure. The iron storeys which will hold the glass have already come up. Part of the

Husainabad beautification project

, it is likely to be completed in six months.

Conserving the interiors of the monument along with keeping its circular staircase intact, the building will now provide people with an aerial view of the beautified area through the 360-degree glass facade. With a roof on top now, the monument won’t be subjected to rain water either.

"The plan is to conserve the monument and let people experience the building in its original form. Even though the glass roof covering will be on the uppermost storey, it will give the viewer the experience of being on the seventh floor because of the elevated height. The roof on top of this will be flat,” said Tracy, who is part of the Noida-based architecture firm working on the plan. The Satkhanda, originally meant to be seven-storey-high was built in 1837 by Mohammad Ali Shah, the third King of Awadh, for moon-sighting by clerics. However, with his death, the monument was left incomplete at just four storeys. Considering it a bad omen, no other ruler bothered to complete it.

In the initial phase of the beautification work in 2014, only the park around then dilapidated monument was part of the plan. Converting the empty ground into a park with light fixtures, fountains, swings and a bridge was completed around November, 2014. Between 2011-13, restoration work on Satkhanda started. An approximate Rs 50 lakh was spent on the initial restoration that included getting rid of encroachment, grouting cracks, restoring parapet brackets, construction of a new roof and a Chhota Imambara-inspired dome. However, apart from removal of encroachment, nothing else was done then.