Dilkusha Bagh (Punjabi : دلکشا باغ, literally The Engaging Garden or The Charming Garden) is an old date orchard in Bhakkar District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is believed to be a Mughal garden built by Humayun or Akbar. However, Humayun never visited the area. On his retreat to Safavid Empire, he went to another Bakhar in Sindh to seek help from Mahmood Khan, but this route was rejected by Major Henry Raverty as the possible retreat of Humayun. [1]
Dilkusha Bagh is home to hundreds of rare date cultivars, along with its common Basra dates. Efforts are being made by district government and Agriculture Department of Punjab to preserve these hundreds of rare date cultivars. [2]
Very little is recorded about this orchard, the official district record states:
In the western city of Bhakkar, there is an Indus river flowing, on whose bank lies this old orchard, Dilkusha Bagh, which was constructed right in between the trade route by the Princess Mehr-un-Nissa, the daughter of Mughal Shah Jahangir. During their journey they made a well on that spot, whose water turned out to be extremely sweet. They stayed there for a long period and built an orchard on this spot and built two thrones to sit on them whose remains can still be seen today. During their stay a very precious horse of one of the Mughal sardars died in whose memory a building was built on the horse's grave, remains of which can still be seen on the eastern side of the orchard. [3]
One of the later works from the 18th century gives an idea about the Orchard as there were no other major orchards except Dilkusha Bagh, in this region, in the 18th century. The Imperial Gazetteer of India mentions the Orchards of Bhakkar as follows:
The neighbouring riverain is full of date groves and fruit gardens; and in it stands a famous mango-tree, the fruit of which used to be sent to Kabul in the old days of Afghan rule. [4]
Nasir al-Din Muhammad, commonly known by his regnal name Humayun, was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from 1530 to 1540 and again from 1555 to his death in 1556. At the time of his death, the Mughal Empire spanned almost one million square kilometers.
The paradise garden is a form of garden of Old Iranian origin, specifically Achaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a four-fold design called chahar bagh. One of the most important elements of paradise gardens is water, with ponds, canals, rills, and fountains all being common features. Scent is an essential element with fruit-bearing trees and flowers selected for their fragrance.
Bagh-e-Jinnah, formerly known as Lawrence Gardens, is a historical park in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The large green space contains a botanical garden, Masjid Dar-ul-Islam, and Quaid-e-Azam Library.
The Architecture of Lahore reflects the history of Lahore and is remarkable for its variety and uniqueness. There are buildings left from the centuries of rule of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire, as well as from the era of the British Raj, whose style is a mixture of Victorian and Islamic architecture often referred to as Indo-Saracenic. In addition, there are newer buildings which are very modern in their design. Unlike the emphasis on functional architecture in the west, much of Lahore's architecture has always been about making a statement as much as anything else.
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of Mughal emperor, Mirza Nasir al-Din Muhammad commonly known as Humayun situated in Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief consort, Empress Bega Begum under her patronage in 1558, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and his son, Sayyid Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila, that Humayun found in 1538. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.
Mughal Gardens are a type of garden built by the Mughals. This style was influenced by the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh structure, which is intended to create a representation of an earthly utopia in which humans co-exist in perfect harmony with all elements of nature.
Mughal architecture is the type of Indo-Islamic architecture developed by the Mughals in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of earlier Muslim dynasties in India and from Iranian and Central Asian architectural traditions, particularly Timurid architecture. It also further incorporated and syncretized influences from wider Indian architecture, especially during the reign of Akbar. Mughal buildings have a uniform pattern of structure and character, including large bulbous domes, slender minarets at the corners, massive halls, large vaulted gateways, and delicate ornamentation; examples of the style can be found in modern-day Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
Lodhi Road in New Delhi, India, is named after the Lodhi Gardens located on it. Two Mughal mausoleums, Humayun's Tomb and Safdarjung's Tomb, lie at the eastern and western ends of the road respectively. A number of cultural, educational, and international institutions line the road. The Jor Bagh metro station lies under Aurobindo Marg near its intersection with Lodhi Road. Also located near it are Lodhi colony and Lodhi Estate built during British Raj in 1940s, and Lodhi Road Institutional Area.
A charbagh or chaharbagh is a Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden with a layout of four gardens traditionally separated by waterways, together representing the four gardens and four rivers of Paradise mentioned in the Quran. The chaharbagh may also be divided by walkways instead of flowing water. Such gardens are found in countries throughout West Asia, South Asia, North Africa and the former al-Andalus. A famous example of a charbagh is that of the Taj Mahal in India.
Bhakkar is the principal city of Bhakkar District, Punjab, Pakistan. It lies on the left bank of the Indus River. It is the 86th most populous city in Pakistan.
Yadavindra Gardens, also known as Pinjore Gardens, is a historic 17th century garden located in Pinjore city of Panchkula district in the Indian state of Haryana. Panchkula city is nearby it. It is an example of the Mughal gardens architectural style, which was renovated by the Patiala dynasty Sikh rulers. The garden was built by Fidai Khan.
The Tomb of Jahangir is a 17th-century mausoleum built for the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The mausoleum dates from 1637, and is located in Shahdara Bagh near city of Lahore, along the banks of River Ravi, in Punjab, Pakistan. The site is famous for its interiors that are extensively embellished with frescoes and marble, and its exterior that is richly decorated with pietra dura. The tomb, along with the adjacent Akbari Sarai and the Tomb of Asif Khan, are part of an ensemble currently on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage status.
Bagh-e Babur, also known as Gardens of Babur, is a historic site in Chelsatun, Kabul, Afghanistan. It is located in the Sher Darwaza hillside of District 5, southwest of Shahr-e Naw, or a short distance south of Kabul Zoo and north of Chihil Sutun. The gardens of Babur has several terraced buildings, a small mosque, and plenty of walking space. Visited by up to one million locals and foreign tourists a year, it is also where the tomb of the first Mughal emperor Babur is located. The park is thought to have been developed around 1504, when Babur gave orders for the construction of an "avenue garden" in Kabul, described in some detail in his memoirs, the Baburnama. It has been re-developed by various Afghan rulers since then.
Himayat Bagh Biodiversity Heritage site is a 17th-century garden that now houses the Fruit Research Station and Nursery, which is a part of the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth. It is located near Delhi Gate in Rauza Bagh area of Aurangabad, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is a sprawling complex spread over 300 acres (1.2 km2), naturally green and in the olden days it was known as the Mughal Garden.
Aam Khas Bagh is the remains of a highway-inn constructed for the use of royalty as well as common people. It was divided into two parts - the Aam for public use and the Khas for private use by the Royalty. This Royal inn was initially built by Akbar and planned by Mughal architect Hafiz Rakhna. It was rebuilt by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan along the Mughal military road between Delhi and Lahore. The Royal couple used to stay here in the old building complex while going to and coming back from Lahore. Later on, some additions were made to this monument by Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
Sunder Nursery, formerly called Azim Bagh or Bagh-e-Azeem, is a 16th-century heritage park complex adjacent to the Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi. Originally known as Azim Bagh and built by the Mughals in the 16th century, it lies on the Mughal-era Grand Trunk Road, and is spread over 90 acres. Future plans aim to link nearby areas to develop it into India's largest park covering 900 acres.
The Gujarat Subah was a province (subah) of the Mughal Empire, encompassing the Gujarat region. The region first fell under Mughal control in 1573, when the Mughal emperor Akbar defeated the Gujarat Sultanate under Muzaffar Shah III.
Shalimar Bagh also known as Shalimar Garden is a Mughal garden located on the banks of Yamuna river in Delhi, India. It was named as Aizzabad Bagh when the garden was laid by Izz-un-Nissa wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1653 as a tribute and replica of Shalimar Bagh, Kashmir, laid by erstwhile Mughal emperor Jahangir in 1619, the Shalimar Bagh of Delhi is now abandoned but still houses shade trees, majestic parterre and structure such as the Sheesh Mahal and the garden pavilion.
Langah is a historical tribe and surname found in Balochistan (Lasbela), Sindh and south Punjab. They are considered as Jats or Rajput.
A sprawling ground for Basra date palm trees ... there are hundreds of rare palm trees in the orchard ... the district administration is taking all possible steps to provide facilities in the orchard. "We are also trying our best to renovate the garden in order to provide the best atmosphere for these rare palm trees. In this regard, we have also taken services from the Agriculture Department, ... Work is also underway to protect the rare breed of palm and to make it even better ... More of these rare palm trees will be planted here ..."