Shalimar Gardens Lahore
Shalimar Gardens Lahore is located in Lahore , Punjab, Pakistan. Also known as Shalamar Bagh. Lahore is called the city of gardens. Shala Mar Bagh is one of the old gardens of Lahore, which was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.
Construction started in 1637 and ended in 1641. Spread over about 80 acres of land, this garden is rectangular in shape. Before the construction of the garden started, Shah Jahan ordered that a canal be drawn from the river Ravi to the garden to irrigate it. A huge amount of money was spent on the construction of this canal.
The garden is divided into three parts. The uppermost part is called “Farah Bakhsh” meaning the giver of happiness. The middle one is called “Faiz Bakhsh” meaning beneficial and the lower part is called “Hayat Bakhsh” meaning giving life. Each section is about twelve or thirteen feet higher than the other. Stairs have been built to go from one part to another.
To keep the garden cool in summer, 410 fountains have been built, whose water falls into marble cisterns. There are also five Baradaris (a building or pavilion with twelve doors designed to allow the free flow of air) made of marble in this garden. During the rainy season, the king used to sit here and watch the rain. The king used to hold his court on a marble throne here. Near the marble waterfall next to it, Princess Zeb Al-Nisa, daughter of Aurangzeb Alamgir, used to say poetry.
Behind the gates built into the walls surrounding the garden, the king also had sleeping quarters for himself. Shah Jahan also built a royal bath here. It also has three parts. There are two fountains in one part, and two reservoirs in the other part. One of them is a hot water tank while the other is a cold water tank. Several marble niches were made to keep the lamp. The water falling into the tank from the burning of the lamps would give the appearance of rain and the light of the lamp would look like a flash of lightning.
Along with these constructions of the garden, Shah Jahan ordered and planted almond, apple, cherry, potato, peach, mango and sapwood trees from Kabul and Kandahar. The gardens have been declared the most beautiful garden in South Asia and one of the grandest gardens in the world. In 1981, the United Nations organization UNESCO declared this garden as part of the world’s cultural heritage.