Imambara of Sharaf-un-Nisa, (Imambara Vilayati Begum), Residency. (लखनऊ)

 मकबरा, इस्लाम, इमामबाड़ा

This Imambara and the adjacent Mosque was built by Sharaf-un-Nisa Begum as a thanks giving to her sister Vilayati Mahal. Vilayati Mahal was the wife of King Nasir-ud-Din Haider (2nd King of Awadh),who had bestowed upon her the title of "Muqaddar-e-Alia", her original name was Miss Walters and probably she was the daughter of George Walter Hopkins.
After getting married to the King Nasir-ud-Din Haider (2nd King of Awadh) she converted to Shia Islam and took active part in Muharram rituals. But after the death of King Nasir-ud-Din Haider (2nd King of Awadh), she preferred to stay with her widowed mother Mrs. Whearty at her residence (Begum Kothi) inside the residency complex. She breathed her last on November 12, 1840 and lies buried near the grave of her mother.
The resident gave Kothi to Sharfun-Nisa along with a reasonable share in the treasure left by Vilayati Begum. Sharfun-Nisa proved to be a much better inheritor as she built a mosque and Imambara as a thanks giving of the fortune that had smiled on her.
The remains of Vilayati Begum along with her mother are buried in this Imambara.