Himayat Baugh : the glorious heritage and potential biodiversity hot spot

1. SOS Himayat Baugh
A d v . S w a p n i l B . J o s h i
C h a n d r a s h e k h a r V . B o r d e

2. Aurangabad : the city of throne
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 Originally founded by Malik Amber, the city was named after
the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
 Aurangabad is said to be the Tourism Capital of Maharashtra.
 The city is surrounded by many historical monuments, including
the ‘Ajanta Caves’ and ‘Ellora Caves’, which are UNESCO World
Heritage Sites, as well as ‘Bibi Ka Maqbara’.

3. Aurangabad : the city of gates
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 One of the things that made Aurangabad
stand out from several other medieval
cities in India was its ‘24 gates’, each
of which had a local history or had
individuals linked with it.
 Out of the 24, only four main and nine
subordinate gates have survived.
 The most famous, oldest and biggest of
them is the ‘Bhadkal Gate’ near the
Naukhanda Palace of Nizams.

4. Himayat Baugh : the glorious heritage
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 In Aurangzeb's time, ‘Khizri Lake’
extended to the whole length of
the northern wall, (from present day
‘Salim Ali Lake’ till ‘Begumpura /
Makbara’) but the exhalation and
dampness proved unhealthy and
Aurangzeb ordered the portion
immediately in front of his palace
(Kila-e-Ark) to be filled in and
converted into fields.

5. Himayat Baugh : the glorious heritage
 Meharam Khan, the Superintendent of
Garden in 1699 wrote a letter to
Aurangzeb, that, the rear portion of
Qill-e-Ark Palace could be converted
into a ‘Mughal garden’.
 Aurangzeb approved the suggestion and
ordered a spacious garden behind his
Palace.

6. Himayat Baugh :
the glorious heritage
 This area was transformed into a beautiful
blend of architectural creation and plush
gardens with trees, shrubs, fruits, herbs,
fountains etc. Buildings were constructed to
blend harmony with the garden.
 Buildings included Medieval entrance gate,
Barra Darri, Summer Palace, Chandni Chabutra,
Fortification Wall with Bastions, Shakkar
Bawdi and Oblong Water Reservoir with
Fountains.

7. Himayat Baugh at present
 Presently area of the Himayat Baugh is wide
spread and admeasuring approx. 350+ Acres.
 Major portion of the Himayat Baugh is
occupied by Fruit Research Centre of
Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Agricultural
University and an area admeasuring approx 5
H is under Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.
 Some portion is occupied by State Forest
Department which runs a nursery at Himayat
Baugh.

8. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 Himayat Baugh not only holds a
historical significance but also is a
biodiversity hot spot.
 It has unique blend of flora and
fauna.
 The garden is surrounded by Kham
river on one hand and Salim Ali Lake
on the other hand.

9. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 Not only it is densely forested, but
also it has swamps, grassland hosting
various verities of shrubs which
creates a conducive and ideal
environment for pea fowls to breed
and butterflies and insects to grow.
 it is a favorite destination to many
winter migratory birds.

10. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 Himayat Baugh is situated at the
banks of Kham River.
 A small dam constructed adjacent to
the fortification wall of garden has
created swamp which receives various
migratory water birds such as Swamp
Hens, White Breasted Hens, Black
Winged Stilt, Glossy Ibis, various
ducks and many more.

11. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 The green vegetation and dense forest
is shelter for rare birds such as
Mottled Wood Owl, Spotted Owlet, Barn
Owl, Gray Hornbill and raptors like
Black Kite, Oriental Honey Buzzard,
Shikra and winter migratory Birds
wherein majority of them are Fly
Catchers.

12. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 The Garden is also home to reptiles, like
venomous and non venomous snakes, fan
throated lizards, garden lizards chameleons
etc.
 Shrubs in the garden are home to 30
different types of butterflies including
Jezebel, Tailed Jay, Grass Yellow, Common
Emigrant, White Orange Tip, Yellow Tip,
Grass Blue, Crimson Tip etc. The shrubs also
cater needs of flies, bees, grass hoppers
and Dragon Flies.

13. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 The Himayat Baugh is enriched with
diverse flora and fauna.
 The very founder of the city of
Aurangabad, Malik Ambar had brought
plants of Baobab (Adansoia Digitata)
from Ethiopia to India.
 Those plants were planted in
Aurangabad and some of them are still
found in and around Aurangabad.

14. Himayat Baugh
biodiversity hot spot
 Himayat Baugh also shelters rare
plants and trees like Dekamali
(Gardenia Gummifera), Indian lavender
(Bursera Delpachiana), Blue Jacaranda
[Vulnerable Species], Fish Tale Palm,
Sandal, Mahogani, Ritha (Sapindus
Mukorossi), Kandol, Arjun, Mahuwa,
Bibba (Semicarpus Anacardium),
Kigelia Africana, Bhokar etc.

15. Himayat Baugh
lungs to aurangabad
 The dense forestation at Himayat
Baugh generates a huge amount of
oxygen and it can truly be called
“Lungs of the City” as well as
“Oxygen Hub”.
 It is one of the few lifelines and
open spaces of the city where the
citizens of Aurangabad come for
jogging and walking early in the
morning.

16. Threat to Himayat Baugh’s existence
Himayat Baugh from the last few years
is continuously in the news due to
several damaging and endangering
threats which shall certainly result in
extinguishing this historical garden of
the city.
 Encroachment, Deforestation,
Trespassing are wreaking havoc on this
paradise.

17. Joint efforts
to save Himayat Baugh
Considering the ecological and
historical importance of the Himayat
Baugh, the authorities of State
Government, Agricultural University,
Municipal Corporation and
Archaeological survey of India, shall
conjointly take efforts for its
conservation.

18. Special thanks to
R a f a t Q u r e s h i
D r . D u l a r i Q u r e s h i
C h a n d r a s h e k h a r V . B o r d e
D r . K i s h o r P a t h a k
M i l i n d G i r d h a r i
B a s e e r u d d i n H y d e r

19. Thank
you!