Mughal garden

**History**:
– Babur founded the Mughal empire and favored charbagh gardens.
– Akbar built riverfront gardens in Delhi and Agra.
– Jahangir laid out the famous Shalimar garden.
– Shah Jahan constructed the Taj Mahal and the Mahtab Bagh.

**Waterworks**:
– Water was a central theme in Mughal gardens.
– Babur’s gardens had central watercourses.
– Mughal gardens had a hydraulic system for water supply.
– Sources of water for Mughal gardens included lakes, wells, canals, and springs.
– Fountains symbolized the life cycle in Mughal gardens.

**Design and Symbolism**:
– Mughal garden design is influenced by medieval Islamic gardens.
– Essential features of medieval Islamic gardens included running water and pools.
– Mughal gardens reflect elements from Ancient Persia and nomadic influences.
– Trees, flowers, grass, birds, and breezes were key elements in Mughal garden design.

**Architecture**:
– Mughal gardens had edifices in a symmetrical arrangement.
– Buildings in Mughal gardens included palaces, forts, mausoleums, and mosques.
– Mughal gardens were essential features of various Mughal monuments.
– Mughal emperors selected locations of great natural beauty for gardens.

**Legacy**:
– The Mughal garden tradition began with Babur’s admiration of Timurid gardens.
– Shah Jahan marked the zenith of Mughal garden architecture.
– Mughal gardens were interrelated to various types of monuments.
– Modern scholars question the excessive use of the term ‘chaharbagh’ for Mughal gardens.