RECONSTRUCTION AND SECTIONS OF WAH GARDEN

SUBMITTED BY:

SADAF DEHLVI AHMED NAEEM HAMZA ALI KASHIF NAAZ TABEER MAQSOOD

SUBMITTED TO:

AR. SAMRA KHAN

WAH GARDEN ..!!

The Moguls and gardens are synonymous to each other. When they came to rule this part of the world, wherever the halted, rested or stayed, gardens were their first choice and they ordered beautiful lush green landscapes developed with eye catching garden buildings that still enchant the onlookers. The amazing Shalamar Gardens at Lahore, the Kallar Kahar Garden and many more around buildings and tombs still remain, though in varying shades of maintenance and upkeep. There is yet another garden, worthy of praise and visit, which is generally forgotten and left out while talking of Mughal gardens - the Wah Gardens.

Why the name WAH .. ?

Why the area called as Wah, has many anecdotes attached to it. It is said that when Mughal emperor Akbar came to this place, he was straightaway impressed by the beauty and landscape of the area and upon seeing the idyllic setting and clear, rushing waters, purportedly uttered the word "Wah" - the "Wow" in English. Hence the place came to be known as Wah. Another explanation is that Mughal Emperor Jahangir, while traveling to Kashmir, stopped at a small village near Hassanabdal. The village called Jalalsar was situated near a number of springs. “Wah, Wah, exclaimed the weary emperor at the idyllic sight. From then on the village was renamed as Wah. Today, the area is called the Wah Gardens as the emperor had built a miniature Shalamar Gardens at the site. Whatever the root, Wah Gardens, built by Mughals are not only unique, aesthetically designed and laid but also provide freshness to the burning eyes from the scorching heat of the area. The basic map and design was planned by Ahmed Mehmer Lahori.

Location:

Located just ahead of the ancient Buddhist monastery of Taxila, and 2 kilometres east of the town of Hasan Abdal, famous for the Sikh religious sites, are the 17th century Wah Gardens.

Features:

The gardens have two terraces, the upper and the lower one. These gardens were initially used as a transit camp by Mughal emperors , but owing to the natural beauty, the area was developed and cultivated by the successive emperors into gardens. The garden now contains all the features of a traditional Mughal garden. It is famous for its beautiful ponds, reflecting pools, water channels, cascades and fountains built during the reign of Shah Jahan.

Water tank:

A large water tank to the eastern end supplies its three water channels that run parallel to the length of the garden. Fifteen fountains flow from the central water channel.

Fed by clear, cool springs from the nearby mountains, the water collects in a large square tank on its upper terrace. The water originally flowed through a "Bara-Dari" , meaning a pavilion with twelve (bara) doors (dari), and two flanking pavilions, one of which had elaborate bath chambers (hammam), over an inclined cascade that was decorated in a typically Mogul black-and-yellow marble chevron pattern. The water

continued along a cypress-lined garden axis, through a central water tank and platform, and ultimately through the main entrance gate of the garden. The interior walls of the bara-dari were originally embellished with stucco traceries depicting fruits, vases, foliage and trees, of which remains can still be seen. Seven watchtowers were discovered along the perimeter wall, and a hammam, or bath, is attached to the southern wing of the bara-dari.

Remains of the hammam and its inner mosaic (above left and second from left), tile work and inside of the bara-dari (above right)

Lower Level:

The lower terrace has tapering cypress trees, loved by the Mughal, that line the canals through which once cool water flowed between elegant romantic pavilions and cascading into large reflecting basins.

Although Hasan Abdal's springs and shrines have a much longer history, the fourth Mughal ruler, Jahangir, provides the first detailed Mughal account of the site and its garden. The sixth ruler, Aurangzeb, stayed there for over a year. The gardens fell into disarray during the Durrani and the Sikh periods. During the British period, the garden was handed over to Muhammed Hayat Khan of Wah, to prevent further deterioration.

The excavation work discovered a water channel system and a water tank at Wah Gardens. The Department of Archaeology says that the department officials made a remarkable discovery of an unexcavated garden besides platform of main water tank. The new discovery includes original floor of main platform, measuring 14 x 12 feet, and other steps of the same structure. According to archaeologists, this discovery is very important and will help assess the actual layout of the main water tank and its boundaries. A coin bearing image of Emperor George of India, dated 1917, was also found during landscaping. The original drainage system linking to the main water tank of the Gardens was also exposed. At the depth of 1 feet, remarkable original fresh water drain linked through the wall plus walkway of main tank wall were exposed. In the same trench, southern corner was excavated up to 3-and-a-half feet, exposing an arched water channel. The drain was adorned internally with red sand stones.

References:

http://www.pakistanpaedia.com/landmarks/wah/wah_gardens.htm http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden/bagh-i_wah-wah_garden http://www.mughalgardens.org/html/roads-wah.html#1 http://books.google.com.pk/books?

id=zRPbecWnkoIC&pg=PA168&dq=wah+hamam&hl=en&ei=4Ez4TfmTCM7FswbgpuCKCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=wah%20hamam&f=false

The historic city of Taxila: Volume 19 Journal of the Pakistan Historical Society: Volume 48 The Mughal garden: interpretation, conservation and implications Shahid rajput (1996) documentation

(LAST VISITED: 15-6-2011 )