THE BEST PRESERVED MUGHAL GARDEN OF LAST 400 YEARS

THE BEST PRESERVED MUGHAL GARDEN OF LAST 400 YEARS (Shalimar Gardens , Lahore, Pakistan)


The great Mughal Empror, Shah Jahan Literally meaning, “King of the world, ruled India for 30 years from 1628 to 1658.He was considered to be one of the greatest Mughals and his reign has been called the Golden Age of
Mughals.

Besides erecting many splendid monuments like, Taj Mahal, Moti Masjid, Delhi Red Fort and Mosque, Shah Jahan has also constucted Shalimar Gardens at Lahore which are considered to be the best preserved Mughal Gardens of last 400 years. Anyone going there would first encounter a high red sandstone wall interrupted by small decorative kiosks.This is a hallmark of Mughal architecture. Beside privacy and security, the walls excluded the wildness of nature and included the tended, watered greenery of the garden.

When one pays a visit to these amazing gardens, the first glimpse is always awesome; a line of fountains in a water channel stretched a long way. The garden had three levels. The first and the highest level, Presumably, in old days it was reserved for the imperial ladies as it was concealed from the view of people entering directly from the side doors on the lower levels.

By a leisurely walk along trees and budding flowerbeds, there is an arcaded pavilion which marked the end of the upper terrace. It was entirely built with white marble. Water flows under the pavilion, cascading down over a carved marble slab mimicking a waterfall effect. In the years gone by, this pavilion was used by Mughal Emperors and their family members to enjoy the coolness created by about 410 fountains.

Standing by the edge of the pavilion, one can see the middle and lower terraces. The gardens are surrounded by a wall with intricate fretwork or interlaced decorative designs in geometric patterns giving an overall view of an oblong parallelogram.

In the middle terrace, there is a magnificent water reservoir studded with fountains bordered by an elaborate marble work. During Shalimar Festival the grounds are artistically laid out with flower beds and promenades and all pavilions would glitter with lights and whole place would be transformed into fairyland. Shalimar Gardens of Lahore were one of the best specimens of the art of land-scaping introduced by the Mughals in the South Asian Sub-Continent. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage.


image credit