Essays

I have seen some beautiful places that are located in India. Kashmir is really a heaven on earth with scenic beauty and bracing climate. Close to Srinagar are those long tall pine trees. Mumbai, the gateway of India is a natural harbour with beautiful surroundings. Chandigarh, a union territory housing the capitals of Punjab and Haryana, is a planned and most well laid out city with neat and clean tarred roads speaks volumes of the skill of the French designer who planned it in the first place.

The Taj in Agra is the most beautiful tomb that symbolises eternal love. But I have not seen a more beautiful place than the Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

The Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan were laid out by the British and is a replica of the Nishat or Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar. It is called Mughal Gardens as it is designed in Mughal style. The gardens more thrown open to the public in spring in February when I he flowers are in full bloom in shades of vibrant hues.

We, some friends, decided to visit the gardens on a Sunday in February- We reached the northern gate in the morning. There was already a queue of anxious persons. Men, women and children had queued up on the red gravel path and were moving ahead to enter the big gate.  Once in, the staff was courteous in helping us with the mutes to cover the entire area.

The green grass was so soft that it looked like a carpet of velvet. There was symmetry of the grassy plots. The Hewers beds were a treat for the eyes. There were flowers of different shape, size and colour. The rose, the jasmine and the marigold were filling the air with sweet fragnance.

In the centre of the garden there was a pond having multicoloured fish, a charming spectacle indeed. Fountains and water channels running across the garden added to the feast of flowers.

In the background of the high concrete structure of Rashtrapati Bhavan the gardens lookd majestic. The sylvan surroundings added to the grandeur of the environment. The visitors moved on as there was so much to see. The liveried staff gave us cold drinking water and asked if we needed anything else. The tall eucalyptus trees here and there and we had to look up each time.

The gardens are well laid out to the south and north of Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is literally a thing of beauty that gives lasting joy to the mind. It took us a. few hours going round tarrying here and there to admire nature at its best. A beautiful place indeed. It stands stored in our mind's eye. We were told, each year the experience is different.

Famous Buildings Built. During Mughal Period

Red Fort, Agra                                         — Akbar

Buland Darwaja, Fatehpuri Sikri                — Akbar

Panch Mahal, Fatehpuri Sikri                     — Akbar

Akbar's Tomb, Sikandra, Agra                  — Akbar

hangir's Tomb, Lahore                             — Jehangir

Red Fort, Delhi                                        — Shah Jehan

Taj Mahal, Agra                                      — Shah Jehan

Jama Masjid, Delhi                                  — Shah Jehan

Bibi Ka Makbara, Aurangabad                  — Aurangzeb

Moti masjid agra                                     — Aurangzeb