Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens  Lahore  complex is one of the most significant Gardens of Mughal Gardens and of-course, Pakistan's most popular tourist desitnation. Shalimar Gardens Lahore is a relief to the visitors in the summer specially.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: Location
Shalimar Gardens are located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. People of Lahore love to visit it for the soothing environment of it.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: History

 Shalimar Gardens Lahore was built in the period of Mughal Empire as a venue to entertain their royal guests. Shalimar Gardens Lahore was under custody of Arain Mian family because Shah Jahan granted the governance of Shalimar Gardens Lahore to them. But These Gardens were nationalized by General Ayub Khan in 1962 and forbade to celebrate the annual festival of Mela Chiraghan in the Shalimar Gardens Lahore.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: Construction

Shalimar Gardens Lahore was started to construct during the period of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in June 1641 and completed in almost 18 months under the supervision of Khalilullah Khan, a noble of Shah Jahan court. These gardens were designed by being inspired by Shalimar Gardens Kashmir that was built by Jahangir (Shah Jahan's Father). But The difficulty to build this Shalimar Gardens Lahore in comparison with Shalimar Gardens Kashmir was the lack of natural beauty. But the engineers of Shalimar Gardens Lahore left no stone unturned to make it as beautiful as they can by adding artificial cascades and terraces. Shalimar Gardens Lahore is in Persian style and just like an earthly utopia in Lahore.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: Design

Shalimar Gardens Lahore resembles as an oblong parallelogram. The measurement of Shalimar Gardens Lahore is about 658x258 meters. These Gardens cover almost 16 hec area and each terrace level is about 13 feet higher than the other. The Shalimar Gardens Lahore is divided into three distinct terraces. Three terraces of Shalmiar Gardens Lahore are named as Bagh-e-Farah Baksh (the uppermost terrace) means Bestower of pleasure, Bagh-e-Faiz Baksh(The second terrace) means Bestower of Goodness and Bagh-e-Hayat Baksh (The lower terrace) means Bestower of Life. Lower most terrace was for public but occasionally, the second was the Emperor's Garden and the highest terrace was for Emperor's harem. These terraces are full of beauty with fountains, cascades, pool and pavilion. The high brick wall, surrounds Shalimar Gardens Lahore, is also famous for its detailed fretwork.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: Water-work

The interesting thing to note in Shalimar Gardens Lahore is its elaborate waterwork. Its stable water supply is better than any other Mughal garden. Having 410 fountains in numbers, these gardens are the best escape from the hot summer of Lahore. People of Lahore enjoy its cooling environment as a blessing during the scorching summer season for its water features.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Shalimar Gardens Lahore: Conclusion

Shalimar Gardens Lahore was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site along with Lahore Fort in 1981. Shalimar Gardens Lahore is must to visit in summer to get a relief from the scrotching heat of sun and it also has a very refreshing view to its visitors.

Shalimar Gardens Lahore Punjab

Dear "Reader"!
Keep in touch with us to visit more worth-seeing places of this beautiful world.. Don't forget to share your views and experiences with us. You can also visit my other posts about Lahore Fort, Lahore Zoo, Lahore Museum and Minar-e-Pakistan Lahore.

Thanks a million :)

By: Hayat Maidah