Field guides / Punjab / Farud Gah, Shahan e Mughlia
Field guide · Heritage
Farud Gah, Shahan e Mughlia
About 15 km from Taxila on the main G.T.
Road at Wah, there is a complex of Garden, pavilions and tanks known as Farud Gah Shahan-i-Mughlia, constructed during the days of Emperor Akbar by Man Singh. It was also visited by Emperor Jahangir. Like the other pleasure gardens of the Mughal period, this garden was also divided into three stages through screen walls having main entrance on the west. In between the first and middle stages was an imposing pavilion having a cascade, a cistern and water channels, the middle stage had the main water tank (60mx60m) and a pavilion at its end.
Why go
- ✦A Mughal pleasure garden in three stages, divided by screen walls
- ✦A pavilion with cascade, cistern and water channels between the stages
- ✦Main water tank measuring 60 by 60 metres
- ✦Built under Akbar by Man Singh, later visited by Jahangir
History
When Akbar laid the foundation of Attock Fort in 1581 he left Man Singh to hold the north-west frontier, and Man Singh founded this garden of two terraces. In 1607 Jahangir came to Hasan Abdal pursuing his rebellious son Khusrau and stayed three days; he twice sent money from Lahore for its enlargement — four thousand rupees, then five thousand — paying for a large bathhouse south of the baradari, a central canal and fountains. In 1639, resting here on his way to Kabul, Shah Jahan ordered the whole complex rebuilt by his central works department under Ahmed Maamar Lahori, the leading architect of the day; the work took two years.
Historical Significance
Three emperors in succession built here — Akbar's general, then Jahangir, then Shah Jahan's chief architect. Few Mughal gardens carry that continuous a record.
Architecture
At Wah, about 15 km from Taxila on the Grand Trunk Road, a complex of gardens, pavilions and water tanks built in Akbar's day by Man Singh and later visited by Jahangir. the middle stage held the main tank, 60 metres square, with a pavilion at its end.
Why Visit
The halting place that made the road to Kabul bearable for a travelling court, and the sister-work of Attock Fort a few miles away.
Interesting Facts
- Founded in 1581 by Raja Man Singh, in the same year Akbar began Attock Fort
- Jahangir stayed three days in 1607 while pursuing his rebel son Khusrau
- He sent 4,000 rupees and then 5,000 from Lahore to enlarge it
- Shah Jahan had it rebuilt in 1639 by Ahmed Maamar Lahori — two years' work
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, October to April; spring is the pick. Summer on the Potohar plateau is hot and hazy.
Getting there, Along the Grand Trunk Road south-east and west of Rawalpindi. Bhallar and the Wah gardens sit within reach of the Taxila museum and its excavated cities; Mankiyala lies on the GT Road towards Jhelum.
Allow, An hour at each; a full day for Taxila and its outlying stupas.
What to Do
Make Farud Gah, Shahan e Mughlia Part of a Trip
GreenPak resorts within reach, and the journeys that travel this region.
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Farud Gah, Shahan e Mughlia, within 30 km.
