Khairabad is a town in Sitapur district, around 80 kilometers from the state capital Lucknow. It was a significant portion of Awadh during the Nawabi period.

Khairabad is a historical town known as Khairabad Awadh. It was a well-known educational institution during the Mughal era. This village was home to the Indian freedom warrior Maulana Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, who was a kayasth before converting to Islam. The town has been home to several Urdu poets and authors. It has a well-known madrasa for female education, Jamia Fatima Zehra.

Maharaja Khaira Pasi is believed to have built the town in the early 11th century. It was later acquired by the Kayasth family. Later, several rent-free land concessions were provided to Muslims who arrived in huge numbers during the reigns of Babur and Akbar, but the Nawab of Oudh recovered all of these gifts in the early 1800s. Before the period of Khaira Pasi, the area was known as Masichait (Masi Chitra) and was a pilgrimage site as early as the reign of Bikramajit. The word is still used to refer to a tank whose waters are claimed to have therapeutic capabilities and is known as “Maswasi Talao”.

Khairabad was also a major commercial center and the East India Company was exporting handloom garments made at Khairabad to England.

During the uprising of 1857, Maulana Fazl-e-Haq actively participated in driving the British out of the nation.  Unfortunately, he was captured and condemned to life imprisonment in Kalapani (Cellular Jail) on Andaman Island.

Tailor of Khariabad – Makka Darzee:

Makka Darzee, a tailor from Khairabad, rose to prominence in the royal court of Nasiruddin Haider of Awadh during the colonial era. Makka Darzee’s knowledge in Western-style tailoring, particularly European designer clothing, made him important to the Nawab of Awadh, who was enamored with Western fashion. He acquired his trade from five English friends of the King and was notorious for asking exorbitant fees, despite the fact that the Nawab was ready to pay to keep his trendy clothing.

Makka Darzee was an expert tailor who could create Western-style garments such as frock coats, waistcoats, jabot shirts, and pants. He mastered this trade from the Nawab’s five English acquaintances, setting him apart from the rest of the realm.

Nawab’s Obsession:

Nasiruddin Haider was intrigued by Western culture and enjoyed dressing in European manner. He regarded Makka Darzee’s tailoring as a method to do this, even if it meant paying him exorbitant fees. Makka Darzee’s exorbitant charges, particularly those for royal decorations, aroused criticism from other members of the royal court, who saw them as extortion. He also faced jealously from others who believed his higher status was unwarranted, given that he was only a tailor.

Return to Khairabad:

Imambara Makka-Jamadar

Makka Darzee eventually returned to Khairabad, where he spent the rest of his life. Makka Darzee earned a large fortune, and when he retired, the Nawab sahib gave him a request to build a mosque and Imambara. The Imambara called Makka Jamadar was named after him since he had the rank of “Jamadar”. He personally supervised the construction, and the buildings have resemblances to Lucknow’s Hussainabad and the Asfi Imambaras, as well as vestiges of the great Rumi Gate.