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1. Theory of landscape architecture
Assignment – 01
Central civilization: Mughal Garden
Submitted By:
Kanad Kumar Ghosh
Sankita Manoj. Lodhi
Ist Sem, MLA, SPA Delhi
DEPARTMENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
School of Planning and Architecture
New Delhi - 110004

2. INTRODUCTION
MUGHAL GARDENS IN INDIA
Islamic gardens are greatly inspired by the concept of
paradise in Islam as described in Holy Quran. With the
spread of Islam and conquest of new territories, Muslims
adopted the native technology and combined them with
their knowledge in the new buildings. This amalgamation
proliferated different styles of Islamic architecture in
different regions. There are three precedents for the
Islamic gardens, Arab, Turkish and Persian. The Persian
style gardens were having aesthetic value and were
design to be seen by visitors whereas Turkish gardens were
used as resting places. Scholars have identified Persian
gardens as 'park gardens' and Turkish gardens as
'courtyard gardens'. In India, however, the concept of
Mughal gardens had an influence of Persian and Turkish
style. The Mughal's invasion remarkably influenced the
style of Gardens in India. The idea of Mughal Gardens is
not limited to the Chahar Bagh only but it includes its
symbolic nature as paradise and its pro environment
character for a comfortable living in and outside the
buildings.

3. HISTORY
The founder of the Mughal empire, Babur, described his
favourite type of garden as a charbagh. They Use the term
bagh, baug, bageecha or bagicha for garden. The Aram
Bagh of Agra is thought to have been the first charbagh in
South Asia. From the beginnings of the Mughal Empire, the
construction of gardens was a beloved imperial pastime.
Babur, the first Mughal conqueror-king, had gardens built in
Lahore and Dholpur.
Humayun, his son, does not seem to have had much time for
building he was busy reclaiming and increasing the realm-but
he is known to have spent a great deal of time at his father's
gardens.
Akbar built several gardens first in Delhi, then in Agra, Akbar's
new capital. These tended to be riverfront gardens rather than
the fortress gardens that his predecessors built. Building
riverfront rather than fortress gardens influenced later Mughal
garden architecture considerably.
Akbar's son, Jahangir, did not build as much, but he helped to
lay out the famous Shalimar garden and was known for his
great love for flowers. Indeed, his trips to Kashmir are believed
to have begun a fashion for naturalistic and abundant floral
design.

4. EVOLUTION OF CHAHAR-BAGH
A Paradise Garden was based on the classic Char-bagh
design, in which the garden was divided into 4 parts by water
channels; the 4 water channels being the 4 rivers of paradise,
as described in Islam. Plantation of fruit trees and roses and
other flowers lay in geometrically arranged beds below the
level of flanking pathways, making irrigation simple and also
giving a sensation of walking on a carpet of flowers.
"Before the birth of Islam, gardens, besides being affected by
geographical conditions, were influenced by tradition, ritual,
and the cultural background of the people. For example,
before Islam there wasa representative of the four sacred
elements, water, fire, wind and soil; from the days of the
Sassanids (224-641 A.D;) onwards it was common to divide
hunting grounds into four sections, in the middle of which a
kind of mansion was constructed.
As a result, when we observe ancient gardens in Iran, or in the
territories which were under Iranian influence, we notice this
quadruple division."
"climatic conditions were same almost throughout the Islamic
empire, and Persia had already developed a model for
garden responding to the climatic conditions."

5. "Chahar bagh: concept of the Mandala with four corners... A mandala represents 'wholeness', an organic entity, a harmonic
balance. At the center of the Mandala is the source of energy.....It is from this energy that the thought is nourished. The
analogue of this energy source in a garden if the fountain, as water is the central source of the life of the garden, the energy
source of the mind is central to the life and renewal of human soul........For the garden to flourish, this "water of life" must be
channeled and distributed to all parts of the garden in a balanced and harmonious way.

6. CLASSIFICATION OF MUGHAL GARDEN
Mughal Gardens are generally divided into 4
sections –
● Rectangular Pearl garden
● Long Butterfly garden
● Circular garden
● Terraced garden

7. DESIGN CONCEPT AND PHILOSOPHY
Mughal gardens design derives primarily from the Islamic
garden, although there are influences that come from the
Persian and
Timurid gardens.
The most important feature of Mughal garden is CHAR BAGH
system.
The Mughals were obsessed with symbol and incorporated it
into their gardens in many ways.
Gardens influenced from Islamic gardens

8. 1. Key features of Mughal Gardens include:
2. Symmetry and Geometry: Mughal Gardens are renowned for their symmetrical layout and geometric precision. Paths, water
channels, and planting beds are often arranged symmetrically, creating a harmonious and balanced design.
3. Water Features: Water plays a significant role in Mughal Gardens, with the inclusion of fountains, pools, and cascades. The
reflective surfaces of water enhance the beauty of the surroundings and contribute to a sense of tranquility.
4. Chahar Bagh Layout: The traditional Mughal Garden follows the Chahar Bagh pattern, dividing the garden into four quadrants
by intersecting water channels or pathways. This layout is inspired by the Persian concept of a paradise garden.
5. Terraced Levels: Mughal Gardens often feature terraced levels, creating a sense of elevation and providing different vantage
points for enjoying the landscape. These terraces may be connected by staircases or inclined planes.
6. Floral Arrangements: The gardens showcase a variety of flowers and plants, emphasizing the use of colorful and fragrant
blooms. The choice of plants is carefully curated to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the garden.

9. 1. Architectural Elements: Mughal Gardens incorporate pavilions, palaces, and other architectural structures within the garden
space. These elements serve both functional and decorative purposes, providing shaded areas and contributing to the overall
grandeur of the garden.
One of the most famous examples of a Mughal Garden is the Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir, commissioned by Emperor
Jahangir in 1619. Another notable example is the Nishat Bagh, also in Srinagar, which was built by Empress Nur Jahan in 1633.
These gardens not only served as pleasure retreats for the Mughal rulers but also reflected the broader cultural synthesis that
characterized the Mughal Empire, blending various influences into a unique and visually stunning form of garden design.

10. TYPICAL FEATURES
1-POOLS 2-CANALS 3-FOUNTAINS
4-TERRACE GARDEN 5-LONG BUTTERFLY GARDEN 6- CIRCULAR GARDEN

11. 1. TOMB GARDENS
Mughal gardens were almost universally
planned in the amidst of a Charbagh which was
an integral part of its design and layout. There
were beautiful gardens with such architectural
elements such as stone, pathways, canals, lily
ponds, lotus tanks, stairs, cascades and
waterfalls. It has been remarked that the
association of the garden and the tomb in
Mughal South Asia, where the garden was such
an integral part of the funerary complex, was
not found in any other part of the Islamic world.
The tomb garden came into its own in Mughal
al-Hind as a variation on the classic charbagh
pattern; in the center of the garden was placed
the mausoleum instead of a pleasure pavilion.
One reason for this central placement has been
summed up in the following manner: the tomb is
'in the middle of a charbagh at the crossing of
four raised avenues which have waterways
coursing along them. This layout evoked the
pairi daeza [walled palace], from which the
Persian term 'paradise' [comes from].
2. Palace Garden

12. 3. PLAIN GARDENS
These gardens were laid out independently on a plain surface
on char- bagh plan, enclosed on all the sides by a parkota, with
the main gateway provided in the middle of the south side, and
sometimes ornamental gateways or pavilions also on other
sides. The plan was thus divided into four quarters by four canals
running from the central chabutarah to the middle of the four
sides, with stone or brick-paved causeways on both sides,
having tanks, and sometimes, cascades on both sides. Flower
parterres were provided in the four quarters, irrigated by the
overflowing canals through slits and tree avenues on the sides
along the parkota (enclosing wall). It was thus a perfectly
unified and homogeneous composition. A pleasure pavilion, i.e.
Barahdari or Chaukhandi was originally built on the central
chabutarah, this could be later replaced by a full fledged tomb
of the owner of the garden.
4. TERRACE GARDENS
A terraced garden was laid out with all the basic elements of
the plain garden in several terraces. It had a central canal, in
the middle, descending from one terrace to the other, through
broad, fish scaled cascades (chadars) and relay tanks, each
terrace generally having its own independent charbagh plan.
Shah Jahan is often associated with the terraced garden, the
most famous of which are the Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir and
Lahore. He constructed the first Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir
while still a prince at the command of Jahangir, but once
Emperor he commissioned two further Shalimar Gardens in
Lahore and Delhi, the latter of which no trace remains. All three
were constructed as terraced gardens, the concept of which
was also imported from Central Asia. When completed, the
Shalimar gardens in Lahore were where Shah Jahan would stay
on his visits to the city instead of within the Shahi Qila, the city's
fort. It was constructed on three terraces, the top terrace,
called the Fara Baksh Bagh ('joy-imparting garden'), which was
reserved for the Emperor and the royal family, while the bottom
terrace, the Fayz Baksh Bagh ('bounty-bestowing garden'), was
where the court retinue would stay. The middle terrace was
composed of a large pool with fountains, pavilions and multiple
flower beds. An intricate water- engineering and hydraulic
system was needed for the garden to have running water and
spurting fountains, and the water necessary for this was
transported to the site from the river Ravi by a canal system
designed by one of Shah Jahan's courtiers.

14. PLAN 1
Complete, ideal Char Bagh with four channels of water flowing out
from fountain in the centre to channels round edge of garden. The
garden is divided into four parts, linked by bridges over the water
channels.
PLAN 2
Only one arm of this Char Bagh is a water channel. The
other three arms are tree-lined paths, plus little pools on
the edge of the central pool. But the garden is still divided
into four parts.

15. PLAN 3
Another Char Bagh plan which does not have the full
four water channels. This plan is from a famous
medresse in Isfahan, Iran.
PLAN 4
This garden is divided into four parts entirely by paths,
not by water channels. There is a fountain pool in the
centre.

17. Location-Agra, Uttar Pradesh,India
Height-73 m (240 ft)
Built-1632-1653
Architect-Ustad Ahmad Lahauri
Architectural style(s)-Mughal architecture
1. The 'moonlight garden' to the north of the river Yamuna
2. The riverfront, terrace, containing the Mausoleum, and Mosque
3. The Charbagh garden containing pavilions
4. The jilaukhana containing accommodation for the tomb attendants and two
Tombs subsidiary
5. The Taj Ganji