Question

What are the elements of Mughal Chahar Bagh Garden?

Answer 1

Hint: As the literary meaning suggests, Chahar bagh denotes ‘four gardens’. It is based on Persian and Indo Persian style of garden architecture which is quadrilateral in design.

Complete answer: The design of a Chahar bagh is intersected by four walkways having narrow waterways, known as gardens of paradise in Quran. The concept of Chahar bagh takes its roots from the Quran and was brought in the Indian subcontinent by Mughal rulers from Central Asia. This style of architecture is visible in Humayun Tomb, Taj Mahal etc in India and in Pakistan, the Mughal Shalimar Gardens and the Garden in the Tomb of Jahangir in Lahore are based on this concept only. Other cities like London also have the char bagh which is on the rooftop of the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington.
This concept is evident in monuments of western and south Asia, Persia and India. Moreover, the centre of the chahar bagh was also designated as important political territory, as the ruler sometimes held vital ceremonies on it. Besides, the highly structured geometrical scheme became a powerful method of organisation and domestication of the landscape.

Note: The first Indian garden having the Chahar bagh architecture was built by Emperor Babur in 1528 with the name of Rambagh, Babur was buried there only before interred in Kabul.