DEEG 261 



XXXVII.) also came from the palace gardens of 

 Nur-Jahan and her niece Arjmand, the Beloved. 

 The principal building is the Gopal Bhawan ; the 

 north side of which faces a large bathing tank, 

 and with its balconies and open pavilions forms 

 a beautiful water front. One of the great features 

 of Deeg apart from the gardens is the fine roof 

 terraces. The flat Indian roof, " the best room 

 of the house," is here extended on all four sides 

 beyond the walls of the building by a bracketed 

 pierced stone cornice. Below this again there is 

 the usual wide dripstone ; and this unique 

 combination gives a large roof space for pro- 

 menading in the cool of the evening, and the 

 richest effect of light and shade to the buildings 

 in the sunshine. February and March are the 

 months to see this lovely garden-palace, Suraj 

 Mai's fairy creation, at its best ; when the 

 fountains are playing, the flowering bushes are 

 just coming out, the roses in the parterres are all 

 in bloom, and the soft cool green of the mango, 

 jaman, amalaka, and nim trees has not yet been 

 spoiled by the hot, dusty winds of the Indian 

 spring. 



Although the Mughal garden under the in- 

 fluence of Hindu customs became essentially a 



