264 MOONLIGHT GARDENS 



men. These reservoirs are shallow as a rule, 

 and filled by one or more fountains, so that the 

 water may always be running and clear. The 

 canals were also kept clean and free from plants, 

 the lotus tank being generally on one of the lowest 

 terraces or in an outer garden. At the Lahore 

 Shalimar the mistake has recently been made of 

 trying to grow these flowers in the shallow canals, 

 which only results in making the water muddy, 

 and confusing the effect of the range of little 

 fountains. On the other hand, if grown round 

 the central chabutra of the large tank the lotus 

 would look very well, for the plants themselves 

 cannot be seen to advantage unless they are 

 given plenty of space and deep water. 



To return to the swimming pools. Certainly 

 there is nothing so exhilarating as a swim in 

 the open air ; but among the changes due to 

 the British Raj and the consequent copying of 

 European fashions, one of the greatest drawbacks 

 to Indian women must be the loss of their fine 

 water gardens. Indeed, in India we all lose by 

 the neglect of Indian garden art, but none of us 

 lose more of health, delight, and happiness than 

 the gentle purdah ladies, whose lives are, in truth, 

 rather cramped by contact with our ideas when 



