Mughal Gardens of Kashmir: Builders, Years & MCQs for JKSSB

The Mughal gardens are a favourite JKSSB topic because they combine history (who built them) and tourism (where they are). The questions are almost always about the builder and the year.

The gardens at a glance

• Shalimar Bagh (Srinagar): built by Jahangir for Nur Jahan in 1619; the largest Mughal garden in Srinagar
• Nishat Bagh (on the bank of Dal Lake): built by Asif Khan, Nur Jahan's brother, in 1633; the second largest
• Chashma Shahi ('royal spring'): built by Ali Mardan Khan, the Mughal governor, in 1632, at the foot of the Zabarwan hills
• Pari Mahal ('Palace of Fairies'): a seven-terraced garden above Dal Lake, associated with Dara Shikoh
• Verinag (Anantnag): developed under Jahangir, at the source of the Jhelum
• Achabal (Anantnag): a Mughal garden linked with Nur Jahan

Other gardens often asked with them

• Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden (Srinagar): Asia's largest tulip garden, opened in 2007, at the foot of the Zabarwan range
• Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden (Srinagar): set up in 1969

How to remember

Pair S-1619-Jahangir, N-1633-Asif, C-1632-Ali Mardan. Nishat and Chashma Shahi are one year apart, so keep their builders straight.

What makes a Mughal garden

Mughal gardens follow the charbagh plan, a garden divided into four parts by water channels. They use terraces to bring water down a slope, with a central canal, cascades and fountains. Chinar and poplar trees line the paths, and flower beds sit in symmetrical patterns. Pavilions, called baradaris, give views across the garden. In Kashmir, the gardens use the natural springs and the slopes of the Zabarwan hills above Dal Lake.

The main gardens in more detail

• Shalimar Bagh: laid out in three terraces on a long central canal, for the public court, the private court and the royal ladies. It stretches from Dal Lake towards the hills
• Nishat Bagh: built on twelve terraces, said to stand for the twelve signs of the zodiac, with Dal Lake in front and the Zabarwan range behind
• Chashma Shahi: a small garden built around a natural spring, and its water is believed to have healing properties
• Pari Mahal: a terraced garden with arched walls, above Dal Lake, linked with Dara Shikoh as a school of astronomy and astrology
• Achabal Bagh: in Anantnag, built by Nur Jahan around a large spring, with a water cascade
• Verinag: in Anantnag, at the source of the Jhelum, with an octagonal pool and an arcade built under Jahangir

The Mughals and Kashmir

Emperor Akbar conquered Kashmir in 1586 and added it to the Mughal empire. His successor Jahangir loved the Valley and visited often, and he is credited with the finest gardens. Shah Jahan continued to develop them. The gardens reflect the Mughal ideal of paradise on earth, and a Persian couplet often linked with Kashmir praises it as heaven.

Tulip garden and other gardens

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar opened in 2007 at the foot of the Zabarwan range, and it is the largest tulip garden in Asia. It blooms in spring, in March and April. The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden in Srinagar is another well-known garden.

How to answer the typical questions

• If the question asks for the builder of Shalimar Bagh, the answer is Jahangir (for Nur Jahan)
• If it asks for the builder of Nishat Bagh, the answer is Asif Khan, Nur Jahan's brother
• If it asks which garden is built around a spring, the answer is Chashma Shahi, the 'royal spring'
• If it asks for the garden with seven terraces, the answer is Pari Mahal

Memory aid

Remember S-J, N-A, C-A: Shalimar by Jahangir, Nishat by Asif Khan, Chashma Shahi by Ali Mardan Khan. Then attach the years 1619, 1633 and 1632.

Related reading

Tourist destinations of J&K, culture, festivals and handicrafts and Dogra rule in J&K history.

Where this fits in the JKSSB paper

J&K General Knowledge carries 20 marks in Junior Assistant, 30 in Finance Accounts Assistant and Panchayat Account Assistant, and 40 in Class-IV and Sub-Inspector (General Awareness). See which subjects to study first and the exam patterns compared.