Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan

G V Joshi
The annual public opening of the Mughal  Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan took place on  14 February, 2015.
Tulips have been selected to be the main  attraction for visitors to the garden in 2015. Nearly  10,000 tulips in a vivid colour mix of red, orange,  yellow, pink, purple and white are planned to bloom  in phases up to 10th March. Visitors can find them  growing in earthen pots throughout the gardens as  well as in several beds in the Rectangular and  Circular Gardens.
Rose, a flower found in the Mughal gardens  throughout the year, will also play a key role. More  than 120 varieties of roses will be in bloom.
The garden has more than 250 celebrated  varieties of roses, which makes it one of the best  Rose Gardens in the world. It has roses like Bonne  Nuit, Oklahoma which are nearest to being black.  In blues it has Paradise, Blue Moon land Lady X.  There is a rare green rose too.
The Roses have some very interesting names.  Few Indians who have found place here are Mother  Teresa, Arjun, Bhim, Raja Ram Mohun Roy,Jawahar  and Dr.B.P.Pal The international celebrities here  are John F. Kennedy, Queen Elizabeth, Mr. Lincoln,  and the like. The list is very long and the spectacle  delightful.  The addition of floral carpets a few years back will continue to be a big draw. A newly developed  Lotus pond can be found in the Spiritual Garden.
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors,  set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment  of plants and other forms of nature. The garden  can incorporate both natural and man-made objects.
Gardens may exhibit water features such as  fountains, ponds (with or without fish), waterfalls  and the like. Most gardens are for ornamental  purposes only. Flower gardens combine plants of  different heights, colours, textures, and fragrances  to create interest and delight the senses.
The Mughal garden at Rashtrapati Bhavan is  situated at the back of the main building. It  incorporates both Mughal and English landscaping  styles and feature a great variety of flowers.
The Mughal Gardens cover an area of 6  hectares They were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens  (architect for the then Viceregal Lodge now  Rashtrapati Bhavan) inspired by the beautiful gardens of Kashmir, the garden around the Taj  Mahal, Persian and Indian miniature paintings.  Two channels running North to South and two  running East to West divide this garden into a grid  of squares. There are six lotus shaped fountains at  the crossings of these channels.
The channels are so tranquil in their movement  that they seem frozen. Reflections of the imposing  building of Rashtrapati Bhavan and the flowers can  be seen in the channels at appropriate times of day.
There are two longitudinal strips of garden, at a  higher level on each side of the Main Garden,  forming the Northern and Southern boundaries. The  plants grown are the same as in the Main Garden.
At the centre of both of the strips is a fountain,  which falls inwards, forming well. On the Western  tips are located two gazebos and on the Eastern tip  two ornately designed sentry posts.
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes  octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park,  garden or spacious public area.
Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden  wall, roofed, and open on all sides. They provide  shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape,  and a place to rest. Some gazebos in public parks  are large enough to serve as bandstands or rain  shelters.
The Long Garden or the ‘Purdah’ Garden, so  called because of its shape enclosed by about 4  metres high walls, lies to the west of the main  garden. It has 16 square attractive rose beds  hemmed in low hedges.
There is a red sandstone pergola in the centre over the central pavement which is covered with  Rose creepers, Bougainvillea and Grape Vines. The  walls are covered with creepers like Jasmine. A  pergola is a garden feature forming a shaded  walkway, passageway, or sitting area.
Around the circular garden there are rooms for  the office of the horticulturist, a green house, stores,  nursery etc. Here is housed the collection of  Bonsais, (miniature trees) one of the best in the  country.
Mughal gardens are a group of gardens built in  India by the Mughals in the Persian style of  architecture. This style was heavily influenced by  the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh  structure. Significant use of rectangular layouts is  made within the walled enclosures. Some of the  typical features include pools, fountains and canals  inside the gardens.
The founder of the Mughal Empire, Babur, described his favourite type of garden as a charbagh.  Charbagh means dividing the garden in four rectangles or squares.
The first serious historical study of Mughal  Gardens was carried out by one Mrs. Constance  Villiers-Stuart, with the tide “Gardens of the Great  Mughals” (1913). Her husband was a Colonel in  Britain’s Indian army.
During their residence in India at Pinjore  Gardens, she had an opportunity to direct the  maintenance of an important Mughal garden.
Pinjore Garden (also known as Yadavindra  Garden) is located in Pinjore, Panchkula district in  the Indian state of Haryana.
Her book makes reference to Rashtrapat Bhavan Mughal Garden. She was consulted by  Edwin Lutyens, and this may have influenced his  choice of Mughal style for this project.
All tbe presidents who have occupied the  Rashtrapati Bhavan have taken a keen interest in  the maintenance and upkeep of the Mughal  Gardens. -(PTI)

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