130 GARDENS OF THE PLAINS LAHORE 



Nur-Jahan's Garden of Delight, now called 

 Shah-Dara, lies across the Ravi, five miles north 

 of Lahore. The road from the city runs past 

 the fort and Aurungzeb's huge Badshahi Masjid 

 (Imperial Mosque) the only great mosque in 

 India with a garden courtyard, and on through a 

 dense cool woodland, out to where the picturesque 

 bridge of boats spans the wide sandy bed of the 

 river. On the far side scattered plantations and 

 groups of wild palms mark the sites of many 

 ruined pleasure-grounds between the water and 

 the high walls of the old royal garden. It was 

 here in the Dilkusha Bagh that Jahangir was 

 buried, in spite of his dying request to be taken 

 back to Verinag, the favourite Kashmir spring 

 where he and Nur-Jahan had spent so many 

 happy summers. 



The gardens are entered, like those of the 

 Taj, through a serai courtyard. This in itself 

 is a very fine building, a great square with high 

 gateways and a series of arched alcoves opening 

 on to a wide terrace running all round the walls. 

 These recesses formed convenient quarters for 

 the guards and numerous servants when the 

 Court paid a passing visit to the gardens ; and at 

 other times afforded a halting-place for wayfarers 



