MUGHAL GARDENS IN THE CITY OF LAHORE – A CASE STUDY OF SHALIMAR GARDEN

Abstract

Although gardens were constructed before and after the Mughal period but gardens of the Mughal era have the most lasting impression on the identity of Lahore. Mughal gardens of Lahore have a powerful impact on architectural history and design in many parts of the world. Almost every introductory textbook on world architecture refers to Mughal gardens as one of the pre-eminent expressions of Islamic art, culture, and values. Lahore has been the capital of Mughal dynasty and became a prominent settlement when the Akbar ordered to make this city fortified. Other Mughal capitals in subcontinent like Delhi, Agra, and Fatehpur Sikri were also graced with different gardens but only Lahore came to be known as a “City of Gardens”. Despite of destruction that Lahore endured during the 120 years previous to the inauguration of English rule, these gardens still survive and admired world wide. But due to lack of preservation in present times these landmarks are continuing towards severe dilapidation. Shalimar garden, which is also one of the UNESCO world heritages, is taken up as a case study here. This garden is comparatively in better position today than other Mughal gardens in and around Lahore but it needs a proper maintenance and rehabilitation to restore this national heritage. In this paper, a rational model is proposed for proper rehabilitation of Shalimar Garden. On the basis of that, results and recommendations are made with a proposal of continuation of further research.