In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, lush gardens built for the city of Agra‘s nobility lined the Yamuna River. Today, the few that remain face challenges of urban development, pollution, traffic congestion, and lack of visitor amenities.
Four years ago, the World Monuments Fund partnered with the Archaeological Survey of India to restore the authentic form of two of Agra’s most notable gardens, re-activate their water features, and enhance their visitor experience.
Thanks to major support from the Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation and American Express India, the gardens are again in bloom.
On January 11, 2019, restoration was completed on significant features of Mehtab Bagh and the Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah, two of India’s most celebrated Mughal gardens.
As the project developed it became clear that an innovative approach to water management would be required. Over the centuries, the river that was once fed by the melting snows of the Himalayas became depleted and contaminated. An integrated water management system was designed to address the needs of the project as well as ensure that there would be no discharge or waste.
Today, clean water is again flowing in the channels and into the gardens. The transformative restoration seeks to evoke the spirit of a Mughal Char Bagh as it relates to fragrance, fruit, shade, and running water.
Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah prior to restoration.
Students from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design joined the project by conducting studios in Agra in 2014 and 2015 and engaging in an analysis of the urban fabric that surrounds the gardens to provide holistic solutions for the sites within their urban context.
The four-year project concluded with the construction of a new visitor center at I’timad-ud-Daulah. Raising awareness and visibility of the gardens was an important objective of the conservation, as they are often overshadowed by their more famous neighbor, the Taj Mahal.
The enhanced visitor services will now offer local residents and tourists an opportunity to learn more about the history of the magnificent gardens through interactive exhibition kiosks, video, and more.
Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah after restoration.
All photos courtesy of the World Monuments Fund. Featured photo shows the Garden of the Tomb of I’timad-ud-Daulah after restoration.
See World Monuments Fund website.