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SALMANPK
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Shalimar Gardens: Garden of Delight and Bounty

Over the Eid Holidays I popped over to Lahore to spend it with my extended family and on a lazy Sunday decided to visit the Shalimar Gardens which for some reason or the other I hadn't had the chance to visit before.

The garden was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan (the Fifth in line of the Great Mughal Kings) in 1641 AD and was completed in 16 months. For Mughal Kings gardens were a quintessential part of their life especially since their ancestors from were from Farghana (in present day Uzbekistan) and before that Mongolia which have temperate climates as opposed to the hot flat agricultural plains of Punjab and were a world of Chaghatai respite for them but along with that it was a statement of political and economic might to their subjects and visitors.

Hence these gardens were the setting for important administrative activities, state banquets, meetings and I'm sure some intrigue aswell

The design is that of a Persian garden modeled on Paradise where the basis is the Semetic concept that water flows forth in Eden in all four directions.

The original garden had 7 terraces each with a different purpose and design of which only three remain today spread over 43 acres which is a real shame as I imagined how truly amazing it really must have been back in the day , the original enterance was from the North at the lowest terrace and you made your way to the highest level in the garden but today for visitors the enterance is from the highest level. Each terrace is 15 feet higher than the next. Various buildings include the sleeping areas of the King and Queen, The Grand Hall, Diwan-e-Khas wa Aam (Hall of Audience with the King for Special Guests and Citizens) and guest quarters.

The amazing thing for me was the engineering involved in supplying the fountains and waterways which even to this day remains something of a mystery, although it is known that the original designers deployed a system of water tanks, aquaducts, hydraulics on the flat terrain of Punjab is a testament to the ingenuity of the men involved in the project.

As soon as the enter the top most terrace you were welcomed by this:

and a board talking about the Garden

The top most terrace known as the "Bestower of Pleasure"

The garden has numerous fruit, almond trees and other gorgeous plants

Gorgeous redstone and marble fountains

Towards the end of the Upper most terrace we come to this

The Mughals loved their white marble, precious stones and diamonds and used it extensively throughout all their buildings but through the centuries most of it has been stripped away through conquest and decline

The Summer Pavilion overlooks the second terrace known as the "Bestower of Goodness", the fountains were closed for restoration

Emperor Shah Jahan's throne which is surrounded at the back by a cascading waterfall which must look truly amazing at night with oil burnt lamps lined all across the waterways of the Garden creating an ethereal atmosphere

The third terrace known as the "Bestower of Life"

They had stopped the water for maintenance and restoration work on the third terrace

As I was leaving the Gardens I noticed on the opposite side of the Grand Trunk Road a tomb

Hope you enjoyed the tour of the Shalimar Gardens , next is my visit to the Tomb of Emperor Jahangir, father of Emperor Shah Jahan.

S