Aurangzeb’s Bagh Badshahi to get facelift

LUCKNOW: The Archaeological Survey of India's Lucknow circle has drawn elaborate plans to conserve Bagh Badshahi, a monument built by Aurangzeb in Fathepur district's Khajua area. Addressing reporters ahead of the world heritage week here on Wednesday, ASI Lucknow chief Navratna Kumar Pathak said, “The monument is a beautiful piece of architecture in need of attention, hence the conservation plan.”
Senior ASI officer Saiyad Jamal Hasan would also be inaugurating a photo exhibition in the district on Thursday.Pathak informed that Bagh Badshahi complex comprised a saraai (inn), tank, masjid, garden and pavilion. Of these, two sections are protected. “The site may also be promoted for rural tourism,” he said.
Bagh Badhshahi is the place where Aurangzeb defeated his brother Shah Shuja in January 1659. He stayed here for about a week after the victory and renamed the place as Aurangabad and ordered to build a ‘Charbagh’ along with a pavilion, masjid and a karwan saraai. This site was also used for processing of indigo under the British rule.
He said archaeologically too, the place is significant. “The garden at Khajuha is one of the last examples of the tradition of construction of pavilion-gardens introduced by the first Mughal emperor Babur (1526-1530),” explained Pathak.