The concept of the ‘Villa’ and other European ideas came to Lucknow with foreign soldiers, travellers and adventurers. For the Nawabs of Lucknow, architecture became the physical manifestation of their new status, and a way of proclaiming their alignment to the new power bloc. _________________. Villas, hence, provided an ideal substitute. Europe sold to the Nawabs the idea of villas, based on designs in publications carried by them, and often aided by memory. The building chosen as the prototype for the famous Dilkusha Kothi was a country house in Northumberland.

The passage talks about how European architectural ideas, especially the concept of the villa, were introduced to Lucknow by foreign soldiers, travellers, and adventurers. The Nawabs adopted villas as symbols of their alignment with British power, using them to express both personal and political identity. These villas, often inspired by British country houses, became ideal substitutes for traditional palaces.

Option D embodies the general idea of the passage. The nawabs fancied the British architectural homes, and this fits perfectly with the tone of the passage. 

Option A is unrelated, as nowhere in the passage does it mention the nawabs' private lives. Option B introduces a purely practical reason (ease of construction ), which is also not discussed in the passage. Option C is too vague; "foreignness" is not stated explicitly in the passage, and the general idea revolves around the nawab's affinity for the architectural styles of British houses. 

Hence, option D is the best fit.