Shalamar Gardens, Lahore

• 1. Imperial Origins And Construction

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  Construction of the Shalamar Gardens began on 3 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1051AH, which corresponds to the 6th of June 1641. Emperor Shah Jahan ordered the project during a period when the Mughal Empire reached its artistic zenith. The work took exactly 17 months and 14 days to complete before finishing in 1642. Muhammad Saleh Kamboh served as the historian to Shah Jahan and reported that gardens in Kashmir inspired this design. A wide variety of trees and flowers grew together within the new complex. The site originally belonged to the Arain Mian Family Baghbanpura. Mian Muhammad Yusuf ceded the land known as Ishaq Pura to the emperor for the construction. In return, Shah Jahan granted the family governance over the gardens. They maintained custodianship for over 350 years.

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• 2. Etymological Debates And Naming

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  The gardens were originally called Farah Bakhsh, meaning Delightful, until the reign of Shah Alam I. Historians of Nader Shah first used the name Shola-i-Mah, translating to Ray of the moon. Some scholars suggest the word derives from Sanskrit shala combined with Turkic mar or Kashmiri mar. This creates meanings like abode of joy or abode of streams respectively. Muhammad Ishtiaq Khan argues that Shalamar is a corruption of Shalimar. He traces it to two Kashmiri words: shali for rice paddy and mar for black loamy soil. During a debate in the court of Ranjit Singh, his courtiers claimed shala meant pleasure while mar meant place to live. Maharaja Ranjit Singh remained unconvinced by these explanations. He believed the name came from Punjabi words meaning God and Curse. He renamed the site Shahla Bagh, which translates to garden of the black-eyed sweetheart.

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• 3. Engineering The Artificial Paradise

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  Unlike the gardens in Kashmir, this complex relied on naturally sloping landscapes. Waterworks here required extensive engineering to create artificial cascades and terraces. The project was managed by Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan's court. Mulla Alaul Maulk Tuni also cooperated on the management. Ali Mardan Khan oversaw most construction efforts. He had a 100-mile-long canal built to bring water from the foothills of Kashmir. The site was chosen specifically for its stable water supply. Engineers created artificial waterfalls on flat terrain using hydraulic systems. These features allowed the creation of an earthly utopia representation. The design intended humans to co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature. Dense foliage rendered the enclosed garden cooler than surrounding areas during blistering summers.

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• 4. Sikh Era Decline And Restoration

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  During the Sikh Empire, much of the garden's marble was pillaged. Workers used the stone to decorate the Golden Temple and Ram Bagh Palace in nearby Amritsar. The costly agate gate was stripped and sold by Lehna Singh Majithia. In 1806 Maharaja Ranjit Singh ordered repairs to the Shalimar Gardens. An 1840 lithograph titled The Court and Camp of Runjeet Sing shows the gardens during this period. The annual Mela Chiraghan festival used to take place within the grounds until General Ayub Khan forbade it in 1958. The Gardens were nationalised in 1962 by General Ayub Khan. This action occurred because leading Arain Mian family members had opposed his imposition of martial law in Pakistan.

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• 5. Architectural Layout And Terraces

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  The Shalimar Gardens are laid out as a rectangle aligned along a north, south axis. They measure 658 metres by 258 metres and cover an area of 16 hectares. Each terrace level stands 4, 5 metres higher than the previous one. The uppermost terrace is named Bagh-e-Farah Baksh, meaning Bestower of Pleasure. The second and third terraces are jointly known as Bagh-e-Faiz Baksh, meaning Bestower of Goodness. The first and third terraces are both shaped as squares while the second is a narrow rectangle. The main entrance opened onto the lower-most terrace which was open to noblemen. The middle terrace served as the Emperor's Garden with elaborate waterworks. The highest terrace remained reserved for the Emperor's harem. A high brick wall richly decorated with intricate fretwork encloses the entire site.

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• 6. Hydraulic Systems And Fountains

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  The garden contains the most waterworks of any Mughal Garden. It holds 414 fountains that discharge into wide marble pools called haūz. The distribution of these fountains varies across three levels. The upper level terrace has 105 fountains. The middle level terrace has 152 fountains. The lower level terrace has 153 fountains. All combined totals 414 fountains throughout the complex. Five water cascades exist including the great marble cascade and Sawan Bhadoon. Cascades flow over marble paths in what are known as chadors or curtains. Water collected into a large pool over which a seating pavilion was made. Long fountains flanked by brick khayaban walkways divided square terraces into four equivalent smaller squares. These walkways were designed to be elevated to provide better views of the garden.

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• 7. Modern Conservation Status

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  In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This designation came alongside the Lahore Fort under the 1972 Convention concerning the protection of world cultural sites. The gardens embody Mughal garden design at the apogee of its development. They remain one of Pakistan's most popular tourist destinations today. The site is located next to the Grand Trunk Road about east of the Delhi Gate. Preservation efforts continue to maintain the historical integrity of the complex. The Herbert Offen Research Collection holds documents regarding the irrigation systems. YouTube links in Urdu document the process of irrigating the Shalimar Gardens. Current work focuses on protecting the marble structures from further deterioration.

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