Nishat Bagh

Nishat Bagh is a terraced garden, with lavish fountains. The garden ascends from the shore of Lake Dal towards the Himalayan peaks which form a backdrop to the garden. It was used as a pleasure garden by the Mughals and became popular with the British in the nineteenth century - and they were probably responsible for converting the planting design to an 'English public park' style with lawns and bedding plants. Susan Jellicoe wrote that 'Although lacking the nobility of Shalamar, it is splendid in a rather showy way and is perhaps the best demonstration of Mughal skill in choosing and exploiting a site' (p 118 'The Mughal garden' in The Islamic Garden Dumbarton Oaks 1976).