Mughal garden
Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, described his favorite type of garden as a charbagh. He laid out gardens in Lahore and Dholpur during his early years in India. The Aram Bagh of Agra is thought to have been the first charbagh built in South Asia. Babur applied the term chaharbagh in its widest sense which includes terraced gardens on mountain slopes. His extravagant rock cut garden, the Bagh-i Nilufar at Dholpur, stands as an early example of this style. Humayun, his son, spent time at his father's gardens but did not build many himself. Akbar built several gardens, first in Delhi then in Agra, his new capital. These tended to be riverfront gardens rather than fortress gardens that his predecessors built. Building riverfront rather than fortress gardens influenced later Mughal garden architecture considerably. Jahangir helped lay out the famous Shalimar garden and was known for his great love for flowers. His trips to Kashmir are believed to have begun a fashion for naturalistic and abundant floral design. Shah Jahan marks the apex of Mughal garden architecture and floral design. Gol Bagh was the largest recorded garden of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing the town of Lahore with a five-mile belt of greenery. It existed until as late as 1947.
Water became the central and connecting theme of the Mughal gardens from the time of Babur. Most of these gardens were divided into four quadrants by two axis comprised with water channels and pathways. At every intersecting point there used to be a tank. In India, the early gardens were irrigated from wells or tanks. Under the Mughals the construction of canals provided more adequate and dependable water supply. The principal source of water included lakes, tanks, wells, step-wells, canals harnessed from rivers, and natural springs. Fountainry and running water was a key feature of Mughal garden design. Water-lifting devices like geared Persian wheels were used for irrigation. These fed water-courses at Humayun's Tomb in Delhi and Akbar's Gardens in Sikandra. Royal canals were built from rivers to channel water to Delhi, Fatehpur Sikhri and Lahore. Adequate pressure on fountains was applied through hydraulic pressure created by movement of Persian wheels or water-chutes. Terra-cotta pipes carried water through natural gravitational flow on terraces. The Shalimar Bagh in Lahore had 450 fountains. Pressure was so high that water could be thrown 12 feet into the air.
The standard Quranic references to paradise appeared in architecture, layout, and choice of plant life. Numbers eight and nine were considered auspicious by the Mughals. They appear in the number of terraces or in garden architecture such as octagonal pools. Garden flora also held symbolic meanings. Cypress trees represented eternity while flowering fruit trees represented renewal. The garden might include a raised hillock at the center reminiscent of the mountain at the center of universe. This often surmounted by a pavilion or palace. Tulips are metaphorically considered to be branded by love in Persian poetry. Shah Jahan adopted tulips as his personal symbol. The marble of the Taj Mahal is inlaid with semiprecious stone depicting scrolling naturalistic floral motifs. The most important motif being the tulip. The Turkish-Mongolian elements relate primarily to inclusion of tents, carpets and canopies reflecting nomadic roots. Tents indicated status in these societies. Wealth and power displayed through richness of fabrics as well as size and number. The Old Persian word pairideaza means walled garden.
Significant use of rectilinear layouts made within walls enclosures. Some typical features include pools, fountains and canals inside gardens. Afghanistan, Bangladesh and India have number of gardens which differ from Central Asian predecessors regarding highly disciplined geometry. Fundamentally, Mughal gardens had edifices in symmetrical arrangement within enclosed towns. Provisions included water channels, cascades, water tanks and fountains. Almost all Mughal gardens contained buildings such as residential palaces, forts, mausoleums, and mosques. Gardens became essential feature of almost each kind of Mughal monuments. They interrelated to monuments categorized as gardens attached with Imperial palaces, forts, and private residential buildings of nobles. Religious and sacred structures like tombs and mosques erected in gardens formed another category. Resort and public building in pleasure gardens formed third category. Excavated Mughal garden at Wah near Hasan Abdal reveals pattern and overall design has not been symmetrical on first and second terraces. Modern scholars increasingly question excessive use of term chaharbagh since it was not always symmetrical. This view finds archaeological support also. The pavilions within Shah Jahan's Mahtab Bagh are faced with white marble to glow in moonlight.
The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan stand among most famous of all Mughal-era gardens. The Taj Mahal at Agra features gardens that were levelled by British to resemble formal English lawns. Humayun's Tomb garden exists in Delhi. Nishat Bagh is a terraced Mughal garden built on banks of Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir. Rashtrapati Bhavan was built in 1912 in Mughal style. Tomb of Jahangir sits in Shahdara Bagh. Pinjore Gardens date from 17th century with significant later renovations by Sikh rulers of Patiala. Bagh-e Babur stands in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lalbagh Fort appears in Bangladesh. Qudsia Bagh and Amrit Udyan exist in Delhi. Red Fort contains gardens alongside other structures. Safdarjung's Tomb includes garden elements. Naseem Bagh and Achabal Gardens appear in Kashmir. Chashma Shahi and Pari Mahal complete the list for that region. Brindavan Gardens and Daria Daulat Bagh exist in Karnataka. Bibi Ka Maqbara and Himayat Bagh are found in Maharashtra. Aam Khas Bagh and Hazuri Bagh appear in Punjab. Shahdara Bagh and Wah Gardens exist in Pakistan. Mehtab Bagh lies opposite Taj across Yamuna river at Agra.
Early textual references about Mughal gardens found in memoirs and biographies of emperors including Babur, Humayun and Akbar. Later references come from accounts of India written by European travelers like François Bernier and Thomas Roe. First serious historical study written by Constance Villiers-Stuart titled Gardens of Great Mughals published in 1913. She was consulted by Edwin Lutyens who may have chosen Mughal style for Viceroy's Garden in 1912. The Herbert Offen Research Collection exists at Peabody Essex Museum. Jonas Benzion Lehrman wrote Earthly paradise: garden and courtyard in Islam in 1980. D. Fairchild Ruggles published Islamic Gardens and Landscapes in 2008. These works examine how gardens functioned as earthly utopias where humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature. Modern scholars question whether strict symmetry defined all Mughal gardens since archaeological evidence shows variation. The influence extends to modern landscape architecture through direct consultation between historians and architects during colonial period.
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Common questions
What is the name of the garden type founded by Babur in South Asia?
Babur described his favorite type of garden as a charbagh. The Aram Bagh of Agra is thought to have been the first charbagh built in South Asia.
When did Shah Jahan mark the apex of Mughal garden architecture and floral design?
Shah Jahan marks the apex of Mughal garden architecture and floral design. Gol Bagh was the largest recorded garden of the Indian subcontinent, encompassing the town of Lahore with a five-mile belt of greenery that existed until as late as 1947.
How many fountains were located in the Shalimar Bagh in Lahore?
The Shalimar Bagh in Lahore had 450 fountains. Pressure was so high that water could be thrown 12 feet into the air.
Which book published in 1913 provided the first serious historical study of Great Mughals gardens?
Constance Villiers-Stuart wrote Gardens of Great Mughals which was published in 1913. She was consulted by Edwin Lutyens who may have chosen Mughal style for Viceroy's Garden in 1912.
What does the Old Persian word pairideaza mean regarding walled gardens?
The Old Persian word pairideaza means walled garden. Significant use of rectilinear layouts made within walls enclosures defined these spaces.