The restoration work of Kashmir’s two prominent Mughal Gardens – Nishat Bagh and Shalimar Bagh – has begun. The work begins a month after government signed a (MoU) with the JSW Foundation for conservation of the UT’s heritage places.
Conservation architect, Abha Narain Lambah, who is working with JSW Foundation, gave a detailed briefing to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
“The Lt Governor impressed upon the conservation architect to conduct the work of conservation, restoration, and preservation meticulously for restoring the original beauty and grandeur of the famous heritage gardens,” a spokesperson of the government said.
Shalimar Bagh is the largest Mughal garden in Kashmir built by Emperor Jahangir for his wife Noor Jahan in 1619.
The picturesquely terraced Nishat Bagh is also a Mughal garden situated close to the Shalimar on the eastern side of the Dal Lake.
In March 2020, Lambah, who runs an architectural conservation firm, was also appointed by J&K government to prepare a dossier to enlist prominent tourists’ spots of Kashmir like Mughal Gardens on the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Lambah’s firm has won 9 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for conservation projects.
With its technical expertise, the support of the JSW Foundation is expected to provide a “determined push” to the conservation work of the heritage gardens.
The project is being taken up in two phases. The estimated cost of the conservation and restoration project of Nishat Bagh is ₹7 crore while a similar project is envisaged for Shalimar Bagh also.