As the Mughal imperial entourages made the long journey from the dusty plains of Agra and Lahore to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir, the emperors and their noblemen encamped at natural springs, lakes and places of breathtaking beauty and commissioned the building of pleasure gardens in the finest settings. These gardens were laid out in the reigns of the Mughal emperors, between 1619 and 1650 CE.
Though Akbar did visit the sites of Verinag and establish the Mughal garden traditions in Kashmir, it was primarily during the reigns of his son Jahangir and grandson Shah Jahan that the gardens were laid out and developed.
All six gardens were built by the Mughals— emperors, queens, princes and noblemen—as pleasure gardens and retreats to enjoy the natural beauty of the valley that they referred to as “Kashmir jannat nazir”—Kashmir that is like paradise.
The sacred spring of Verinag became the focus of a breathtaking garden and Shalimar Bagh was laid out near Dal in the reign of emperor Jahangir by his young prince, Khurram, who later was known as Shah Jahan.
Nishat Bagh facing the lake was laid out by Asaf Khan, brother of empress Nur Jahan, and the garden of Achabal was developed by empress Nur Jahan and later by Princess Jahanara. Chashma Shahi, a natural spring believed to have healing powers as recorded in the Akbarnama, was set within a charming terraced garden by Ali Mardan, Shah Jahan’s governor in Kashmir.
Pari Mahal was commissioned by Prince Dara Shikoh for his spiritual guide. Collectively, these six gardens represent the supreme achieve ment of Persian-Timurid garden traditions and the garden legacy of the three greatest Mughal emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan.
This story is from the November - December 2024 edition of AD Architectural Digest India.
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This story is from the November - December 2024 edition of AD Architectural Digest India.
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