India today, comprises of several magical gardens built by the
Moghuls. The first Moghul immigrant to India was Babur who ruled
the kingdom of Agra from the year 1483 to 1530. Besides being a
warrior he was blessed with a poetic talent also. He mentioned a
few lines about India when he wrote his autobiography. He
discovered that India was a land where water was in abundance
and at the same time there was no water logging during monsoons. Hence, the Indian nation was considered as the land best suited for building gardens.

Babur found a location on the banks of the Yamuna river at Agra
and this location was later converted into a garden named Ram
Bagh. It was the first garden ever built by Moghuls and it still
exists today. The notable feature about this garden is the flowers
that are widespread in the garden premises. This garden is
termed as the four fold paradise as the garden is divided into

four main spheres. Each garden is separated from the running water that flows in shallow channels. Large
water tanks supply water to the channels through gravity.

Amber fort has one of the gardens, which was established in 1592 by the Rajput Emperor named Raja Man
Singh I. The garden was formerly a parade ground and is now converted into a four square garden.
Elephants here help carry the tourists to the place.

When you travel 8 kilometers from Agra, you will view a mausoleum built by Akbar. It has a large park that
surrounds a building built of red brick and marble. This garden is divided into quadrants and each sphere has
a fountain, a sunken pond, fruit trees, birds, deer and monkeys.

Taj Mahal is one of the most magnificent monuments, built by the Moghul king Shah Jahan as a memorial for
his wife. It has a beautiful garden that is divided into two portions with a broad channel in between. One side is
filled with groves of trees and the other side is filled with a fountain.

Fatehpur Sikri is situated 37 kilometers from Agra. It is a walled city built with a blend of Hindu and Islamic
style in the year 1571. Here only one garden exists today.

Back To Home                                                                                                 Next Page