A Few Gardens Built By The Moghuls
India today, comprises of several magical gardens built by the
Moghuls. The first immigrant to India was Babur who ruled the
kingdom of Agra from the year 1483 to 1530. Besides being a
warrior he was blessed with a poetic talent also. He mentioned a
few lines about India when he wrote his autobiography. He
discovered that India is a landmark where there were no drops of
snowcaps or cold water after the torrential rains. Therefore,
the gardens would not get logged with water during the monsoons.
In this way the Indian nation was considered as the land best
suited for building gardens.
Then immediately, he found a location on the banks of the Yamuna
river at Agra and this location was later converted into a
garden named Ram Bagh. It was the first garden ever built by
Moghuls and it still exists today. The notable feature about
this garden is the flowers that are widespread in the garden
premises. This garden is termed as the four fold paradise as the
garden is divided into four main spheres. Each garden is
separated from the running water that flows in shallow channels.
Large water tanks supply water to the channels through gravity.
Amber fort has one of the gardens, which was established in 1592
by the Rajput Emperor named Raja Man Singh I. The garden was
formerly a parade ground and is now converted into a four square
garden. Elephants here help carry the tourists to the place.
When you travel 8 kilometers from Agra, you will view a
mausoleum built by Akbar. It has a large park that surrounds a
building built of red brick and marble. This garden is divided
into quadrants and each sphere has a fountain, a sunken pond,
fruit trees, birds, deer and monkeys.
Taj Mahal is one of the most magnificent monuments, built by
Shah Jahan as a memorial for his wife. It has a beautiful garden
that is divided into two portions with a broad channel in
between. One side is filled with groves of trees and the other
side is filled with a fountain.
Fatehpur Sikri is situated 37 kilometers from Agra. It is a
walled city built with a blend of Hindu and Islamic style in the
year 1571. Here only one garden exists today.