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Shalimar Gardens, Lahore

For other gardens of the same name, seeShalimar Gardens.

TheShalamar Gardens(Punjabi:شالمار باغ,romanized:Śālamār Bāġ) orShalimar Gardens(Urdu:شالیمار باغات,romanized:Śālīmār Bāġāt) are aMughal gardencomplex besidesBaghbanpura,located inLahore,Punjab,Pakistan. The gardens date from the period when theMughal Empirewas at its artistic and aesthetic zenith,[1]and are now one of Pakistan's most popular tourist destinations.

Shalamar Gardens, Lahore
UNESCO World Heritage Site
LocationLahore,Punjab,Pakistan
Part ofFortand Shalamar Gardens in Lahore
Reference171-002
Inscription1981 (5thSession)
Coordinates31°35′09″N74°22′55″E/ 31.58583°N 74.38194°E/31.58583; 74.38194
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore is located in Lahore
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore
Location of Shalimar Gardens, Lahore in Lahore
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore is located in Punjab, Pakistan
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore (Punjab, Pakistan)
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore is located in Pakistan
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore
Shalimar Gardens, Lahore (Pakistan)

The Shalamar Gardens were laid out as aPersian paradise gardenintended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature.[2]Construction of the gardens began in 1641 during the reign of EmperorShah Jahan,[2]and was completed in 1642.[3]In 1981 the Shalamar Gardens were inscribed as aUNESCO World Heritage Siteas they embody Mughal garden design at the apogee of its development.[1]

Names

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The gardens provide a popular recreation spot for Lahore's men

The courtiers told the MaharajaRanjit Singh"that Shala was aTurkicword which means pleasure and the mar means the place to live in ".[4]"The arguments of the courtiers in favour of the Turkic signification of the word failing to make any impression on Ranjit Singh, he gave his own name to the garden, and called it “Shahla Bagh”شهلا باغ, “Shahla”meaning in Persian “sweetheart” with dark gray eyes and a shade of red and “Bagh”meaning “garden.” "[5]

The courtiers present passed high eulogies on the Maharájá's ingenuity in selecting so charming a name for the famous gardens of Láhore, and it was ordered, accordingly, that henceforward the gardens be called by that name, and written so in all public correspondence.[5]

The gardens are however still known as the "Shalimar Gardens" nowadays. According to Muhammad Ishtiaq Khan,

The most plausible interpretation, however, seems to be that the word "Shalamar" is a corruption of original "Shalimar" [...].[6]

Location

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The Shalimar Garden is located next to theGrand Trunk Road,about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of theDelhi Gateof theWalled City of Lahore.Near Bhaghbanpura Lahore

Background

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View from Farah Baksh (Bestower of Pleasure) terrace

Lahore's Shalimar Gardens were built by the Mughal royal family primarily as a venue for them to entertain guests,[7]though a large portion was open to the general public. The gardens' design was influenced by the olderShalimar Gardens in Kashmirthat were built by Shah Jahan's father, EmperorJahangir.[7]Unlike the gardens in Kashmir which relied on naturally sloping landscapes, the waterworks in Lahore required extensive engineering to create artificial cascades and terraces.[8]

The Shalimar Gardens were designed as a Persian-styleCharbagh"Paradise garden" - a microcosm of an earthly utopia.[2]Though the wordBaghis translated simply as "garden",baghrepresents a harmonious existence between humans and nature, and represents a poetic connection between heaven and earth.[2]All natural elements of thebaghare appreciated - including the sun, moon, and air.[2]Muhammad Saleh Kamboh,historian toShah Jahan,reported that the gardens of Kashmir inspired the design for the Shalimar Garden in Lahore,[2]and that a wide variety of trees and flowers grew together in the garden.[2]

The site was chosen for its stable water supply.[2]The project was managed by Khalilullah Khan, a noble ofShah Jahan's court, in cooperation with andMulla Alaul Maulk Tuni.Ali Mardan Khanwas responsible for most of the construction, and had a 100-mile-long canal built to bring water from the foothills of Kashmir to the site.[8]

The site of the Shalimar Gardens originally belonged to theArainMian Family Baghbanpura.Mian Muhammad Yusuf, then the head of the ArainMian family,ceded the site ofIshaq Purato the Emperor Shah Jahan in order for the gardens to be built. In return, Shah Jahan granted the Arain Mian family governance of the Shalimar Gardens, and the gardens remained under their custodianship for over 350 years.

History

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Inside Shalimar Gardens
Shalimar Gardens in 1895

Construction of the gardens began on 12 June 1641, and took 18 months to complete.[2]During theSikh Empire,much of the garden's marble was pillaged and used to decorate theGolden Templeand theRam Bagh Palacein nearbyAmritsar,[9]while the gardens' costlyagategate was stripped and sold byLehna Singh Majithia.[10]

The garden during Sikh-rule. Lithograph titled 'The Shalimar Gardens, Lahore', from 'The Court and Camp of Runjeet Sing' by William Godolphin Osborne, ca.1840.

In 1806 MaharajaRanjit Singhordered the Shalimar Gardens to be repaired.[11]

The Gardens were nationalised in 1962 byGeneral Ayub Khan[12]because leadingArainMian familymembers had opposed his imposition of martial law inPakistan.[citation needed]

The annualMela Chiraghanfestival used to take place in the gardens untilGeneral Ayub Khanforbade it in 1958.

Design and layout

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The middle level terrace of the garden, known as theFaiz Bakhshterrace, was the Emperor's garden.

Mughal Gardens were based uponTimuridgardens built in Central Asia and Iran between the 14th and 16th century.[2][13]A high brick wall richly decorated with intricatefretworkencloses the site in order to allow for the creation of aCharbaghparadise garden - a microcosm of an earthly utopia.[2]

The Shalimar Gardens are laid out in the form of a rectangle aligned along a north–south axis, and measure 658 metres by 258 metres, and cover an area of 16hectares.Each terrace level is 4–5 metres (13–15feet) higher than the previous level.

The uppermost terrace of the gardens is namedBagh-e-Farah Baksh,literally meaningBestower of Pleasure.The second and third terraces are jointly known as theBagh-e-Faiz Baksh,meaningBestower of Goodness.The first and third terraces are both shaped as squares, while the second terrace is a narrow rectangle.

Shalimar's main entrance was onto the lower-most terrace, which was open to noblemen, and occasionally to the public.[2]The middle terrace was the Emperor's Garden, and contained the most elaborate waterworks of any Mughal garden.[2]The highest terrace was reserved for the Emperor'sharem.[2]

The square shaped terraces were both divided into four equivalent smaller squares by long fountains flanked by brickkhayabanwalkways designed to be elevated in order to provide better views of the garden.[8]Cascades were made to flow over a marble paths in what are known aschadors,or "curtains" into the middle terrace. Water collected into a large pool, known as ahaūz,over which a seating pavilion was made.[2]

Water features

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The Shalimar Garden's contain the most waterworks of any Mughal Garden.[2]It contains 410 fountains, which discharge into wide marble pools, each known as ahaūz.The enclosed garden is rendered cooler than surrounding areas by the garden's dense foliage, and water features[14]- a relief during Lahore's blistering summers, with temperature sometimes exceeding 120 °F (49 °C). The distribution of the fountains is as follows:

  • The upper level terrace has 105 fountains.
  • The middle level terrace has 152 fountains.
  • The lower level terrace has 153 fountains.
  • All combined, the Gardens has 410 fountains.

The Gardens have 5 water cascades includingthe great marble cascadeandSawan Bhadoon.

Garden pavilions

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Painted door from Shalimar Gardens

The buildings of the Gardens include:

  • Sawan Bhadunpavilions
  • Naqar Khanaand its buildings
  • Khwabgahor Sleeping chambers
  • Hammamor Royal bath
  • The Aiwanor Grand hall
  • Aramgahor Resting place
  • Khawabgahof Begum Sahib or Dream place of the emperor's wife
  • Baradariesor summer pavilions to enjoy the coolness created by the Gardens' fountains
  • Diwan-e-Khas-o-Aamor Hall of special and ordinary audience with the emperor
  • Two gateways and minarets in the corners of the Gardens

Conservation

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In 1981, Shalimar Gardens was included as aUNESCO World Heritage Sitealong with theLahore Fort,under theUNESCOConvention concerning the protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage sites in 1972.

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  • Nigar Khana
  • East wall corner of the second level terrace
  • Minaret on the west wall corner of the second level terrace
  • A Mughal style structure inside the gardens

See also

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References

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  1. ^ab"Fort and Shalimar Gardens in Lahore".UNESCO.Retrieved4 January2017.
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopREHMAN, A. (2009). "Changing Concepts of Garden Design in Lahore from Mughal to Contemporary Times".Garden History.37(2):205–217.JSTOR27821596.
  3. ^Shalamar GardensGardens of the Mughal Empire. Retrieved 20 June 2012
  4. ^Nazir Ahmad Chaudhry (1998).Lahore: Glimpses of a Glorious Heritage.p. 279.ISBN9789693509441..
  5. ^abLatif, Syad Muhammad(1984).History of the Panjáb from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time.p. 361.
  6. ^Khan, Muhammad Ishtiaq (2000).World heritage: sites in Pakistan.p. 88.
  7. ^abClark, Emma (2004).The Art of the Islamic Garden.Crowood.ISBN186126609X.Retrieved30 December2017.
  8. ^abcSchimmel, Annemarie (2004).The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture.Reaktion Books. p.295.ISBN1861891857.Retrieved30 December2017.shalimar lahore public.
  9. ^Turner, Tom (2005).Garden History: Philosophy and Design 2000 BC – 2000 AD.Routledge.ISBN9781134370825.
  10. ^Latif, Syad Muhammad (1892).Lahore: Its History, Architectural Remains and Antiquities.Oxford University: New Imperial Press.
  11. ^Hari Ram Gupta (1991).History of the Sikhs.ISBN9788121505154..
  12. ^Upon A Trailing Edge: Risk, the Heart and the Air Pilot.Troubador Publishing Ltd. 2015. p. 268.
  13. ^"Shalimar Gardens".Gardens of the Mughal Empire.Smithsonian Productions.Retrieved28 August2016.
  14. ^Hann, Michael (2013).Symbol, Pattern and Symmetry: The Cultural Significance of Structure.A&C Black.ISBN978-1472539007.Retrieved30 December2017.
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