Mughal gardens of Kashmir influenced the Taj Mahal, Bagh-e Babur in Kabul: by Jan Haenraets
Mughal gardens in Kashmir set a new style and influenced outdoor gardens, including the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Bagh-e Babur in Kabul, landscape architect Jan Haenraets of Boston University in the United States said on Friday (Jun 19, 2026).
“Kashmir gardens are important sites for understanding Mughal landscape architecture. These gardens fit into a larger context. Kashmir gardens were central to what the Mughals practiced outdoors, like the gardens of the Taj Mahal (in Agra) and the Bagh-e-Babur in Kabul. Both are influenced by Kashmir gardens,” Mr Haenraets said.
Mr Haenraets made the announcement while speaking ahead of the release of the first ever book which deals exclusively with the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir. It is titled “Kashmir’s Mughal Garden Landscape: The Rise and Decline of a Golden Age, 1586-1753”.
“Kashmir offers an imperial garden family of emperors and empresses, from Akbar to Aurangzeb. For me, the water canals of the Taj Mahal garden were influenced by Kashmir. The elongated garden, like Nishat, took shape in Kashmir with the mountains in the background. With the Taj Mahal, unlike the previous idea of the garden as a center with a mausoleum in Kashmir, there was an intelligence in Kashmir,” said Mr. Haenraets.
The author, who spent 16 years researching about 80 Mughal gardens and sites in Kashmir, said the Mughal gardens “are comparable to the monastic monuments of Kyoto, Japan”. He called the Mughal Gardens “core elements of Kashmir’s identity and heritage”.
“Shah Jahan, Jahangir or Nur Jahan focused on the gardens. Mughal governors like Zafar Khan and Ali Mardan Khan are also associated with gardens in Srinagar. Dara Shikoh’s father-in-law (Jahangir’s son Parvez) is behind the garden which preceded Dara Shikoh’s garden in Bijbehara) (South Kashmirets)
Kashmir is home to “hundreds of Mughal gardens, of which only 80 sites remain, including six major Mughal gardens”. “Mughals built several types of gardens. One of them was earlier gardens with strategic encampments like Naseem Bagh etc. Later they focused on pleasure gardens like Shalimar and Nishat gardens,” the author said.
He said that the gardens of Kashmir “deserve a place to understand the Mughal gardens of the world”. “These gardens are of exceptional value and could be compared with the monuments of Persia,” said the author.
He said the Mughals also played with the pre-existing layers of history in Kashmir. “The fact that the top of the Maha Dev is depicted in one of the Mughal paintings is an example of this. Mughal gardens in Kashmir were about power, control and colonization, but also about privilege and pleasure,” Mr Haenraets said.
He said the Mughals gradually took advantage of Kashmir’s topography, hydrology and subterranean nature to create gardens that fully engaged with their environment. “Their horticulture reached its zenith under Jahangir, Nur Jahan and Shah Jahan, with key figures such as Asaf Khan, Dara Shikoh, Jahanara, Zafar Khan and Ali Mardan Khan,” added the author.
His book offers new perspectives on famous gardens such as Bagh-e Shalimar and Bagh-e Nishat, “rediscovering many forgotten ones”. It has Mughal artwork, rare pictures, historic maps and new photographs that “provide a glimpse into Kashmir’s lost Mughal landscape of sovereignty, power and pleasure”.
After Mughal rule ended, Mr. Haenraets said these gardens did not receive enough attention. “Many gardens have been converted into an urban district. Conservation works are funded by funds and are not intended to restore their elements in their proper context. Conservation works, especially at Shalimar and the Shalimar Canal, are a cause for concern. Conservation requires knowledge and understanding. My book aims to set a direction,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Saleem Beg, Director, Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) J&K Chapter said that the book will offer new insights into the conservation of Mughal Gardens in Kashmir.
“Instead of referring to Kashmir as Mulk-i-Kashmir (Land of Kashmir), the Mughals called it Bagh-e-Kashmir (Garden of Kashmir).
Mr Beg said the time had come to restore these gardens to a respectable standard and preserve them as common heritage spaces. We failed to preserve the historical history of these places. Over the decades, we have intervened inappropriately,” Mr Beg said.
Published – 20 Jun 2026 02:35 IST