230 THE LOTUS OF THE GOOD LAW 



of taste, forms of art and poetry, which the 

 narrowness of men's minds constantly tends to 

 oppose to each other, have a great stimulus for 

 the intellect, and are almost always worth under- 

 standing." It would be difficult to find a better 

 expression and a sounder reason for the study of 

 any branch of Indian art than that contained in 

 these vital words of Walter Pater. How much of 

 truth and value their application holds in the 

 case of the gardens, a glance at the various in- 

 fluences which acted and reacted on each other 

 there will show. Two connecting links are 

 plainly visible : the Indian Buddhist origin of 

 the distinctive Chinese and Japanese gardens, 

 and the Hindu influence on the Indian Moslem 

 pleasure-grounds. 



Babar, as we have seen, was the first to intro- 

 duce the Central Asian irrigated garden into 

 India. But although the comparatively late 

 date of 1526 marks that epoch in Indian art 

 and garden history, the early Buddhist source 

 of the Turki love of flowers and garden design 

 has been most curiously brought to light by the 

 discoveries of Sir Aurel Stein. 



Gardening demands, perhaps more than any 

 other art, peace and leisure, tranquillity and 



