House of Sissendi · Our Story

From the House

Why a forgotten taluqdari estate in Awadh gives House of Sissendi its name, and its sense of purpose

Every brand has an origin story. Ours is written into the stone of a half-ruined estate near Mohanlalganj, in the Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh — a place most maps no longer mark, but whose carved arches and patronage of craft still shape what we make today. House of Sissendi takes its name from this estate, and its purpose from the world it once sustained.

A Village, a Pargana, a Temple

Sissendi is historically a village and erstwhile pargana — an administrative region — located near Mohanlalganj in the Lucknow district. During the later phases of Oudh's history, the Sissendi estate grew into a notable taluqdari, a landed estate held in trust under both indigenous rule and, later, colonial oversight. At its height, under Raja Kashi Prasad of Sissendi, the territory included a cluster of villages and played its part in the wider social and political life of the Awadh region.

Although the estate survives today largely in ruins, its historic buildings still carry the prestige and architectural ambition of the taluqdars who built them. Photographic remnants and oral tradition point to palatial structures and guest buildings that once served as centres of social and administrative life — spaces built not just to govern, but to receive, to celebrate, and to impress.

A carved stone archway with scalloped lotus-and-floral ornament, part of the ruined Sissendi estate palace, photographed from below against a pale sky
An archway of the Sissendi estate's palace buildings, its scalloped stonework still carrying the floral and lotus ornament of its original carvers, despite a century of neglect.
Painted interior archways inside the Sissendi estate palace, decorated in red, cream and black with floral motifs and a small alcove painting
Inside the same palace, painted plasterwork in red, cream and black survives along its arches — a reminder that the estate's architectural ambition extended from carved stone to painted interiors alike.

A Temple, and history

The most enduring landmark associated with the estate is not the palace itself, but a temple a short distance away. The Kasheshwar Mahadev Temple in nearby Mohanlalganj was originally built by Raja Kashi Prasad in 1860, and later renovated by Rani Subhadra Kunwar in 1926 — a plaque at the temple still records both acts of patronage, sixty-six years apart.

A weathered stone plaque reading: This temple built by Raja Kashi Pershad Sahib Taluqedar Sissendi in 1860, has been repaired repainted and improved upon by Rani Subhadra Kunwar Saheba the present Taluqedar in 1926
The temple's own record of its patronage — built in 1860 by Raja Kashi Prasad, renovated in 1926 by Rani Subhadra Kunwar.

Craft became a bridge between devotion and livelihood, embedding spiritual symbolism within material culture. To this day, the Kasheshwar Mahadev Temple stands at the centre of Mohanlalganj — a marker of religious identity for the region, and, quietly, a space that still supports local economic life around it.

The silhouetted spire of the Kasheshwar Mahadev Temple against a clouded evening sky
The temple's spire at dusk, silhouetted against the same Awadh sky it has stood beneath since 1860.

About the brand

House of Sissendi is an endeavour to translate the spiritual and architectural motifs of Awadh, Kashi, Mathura, and — going forward — other cultural centres of India into portable, tactile forms, mirroring the way sacred and exquisite symbolism has always moved between streets, gateways, and homes.

The carved elements found on the walls of these estates and temples — floral scrolls, stylised foliage, birds, and symmetrical compositions — form a visual vocabulary that artisans have long adapted across mediums and time. We take the same approach: showing how a stone carving can inspire woodwork, metalwork, painting, and embroidery alike, ensuring continuity of form across craft traditions. This is the broader Awadhi aesthetic we draw on — ornament as meaning, where beauty, symmetry, and repetition reinforce ideas of order, prosperity, and divine balance.

The estate that gives us our name may stand largely in ruins today. But the craft it once sustained — and the artisans who carry that inheritance forward — are very much alive. That continuity, more than any single motif, is what House of Sissendi exists to carry forward.