Considered the high point of Mughal horticulture, the Bagh was built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan in 1619. Currently a public park, the gardens are often referred to as the "Crown of Srinagar".
The garden covers an area of 12.4 hectares stretching along the 587 metre-longmain axis channel. All the three terraces of the garden are fitted with fountains and sycamore tree-lined vistas. Willow groves and rice terraces fringe the lake edge.
Such Persian style gardens were built by Mughals throughout Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan and were highly symbolic with a raised hillock at the center, reminiscent of the mountain at the center of the universe in cosmological descriptions.
Substantial efforts are being made to bring Mughal Gardens on the prestigious list, which already features several examples of similar ensebles, including the Humayun's tomb in Delhi, the world-famous Taj Mahal in Agra and Quadrangle gardens at Lahore Fort in Pakistan.
Mughal Gardens in Srinagar Claim Worthy UNESCO's World Heritage Status
News in Asia
The famed Mughal Gardens in Srinagar, Shalimar Bagh, also known as Shalimar Gardens, Farah Baksh, and Faiz Baksh, will fill up a claim to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) and Department of Archives, Archaeology, and Museums in Srinagar said.