The Shalamar Garden is renowned all over the world. It is: about six miles from Lahore. Near it is in the village of Baghbanpura, an important suburb of Lahore, which was originally the place of residence of the gardeners who planted and designed the gardens.
The garden is about eighty acres in extent, and is walled all round. On each corner there are towers. There are four gates in the wall, one on each side, and an imposing gateway facing the south, by which we can enter. The Grand Trunk Road runs in front.
Inside, the gardens are divided into three terraces, each lower than the other, and reached by a flight of steps. The gardens were laid out by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1637. Standing on the edge of the first terrace, one can have a very fine view of the whole place
Mango trees abound there, and during the rainy season, people from Lahore and outside go there to enjoy a holiday. It is a very good place for picnics.
A canal carries water to all parts of the garden. In the center of the second terrace, there is a large tank with causeways, and a wide marble platform in the middle. There are numerous fountains and waterfalls, which play when the water is plentiful, and the whole place, especially at night when the moon is shining, or the lamps are lighted, looks like a fairyland. The buildings are in decayed condition, and the gardens are not well-kept; but in their palmy days, they must have been a veritable paradise.
An annual fair is held here in the month of March, the fair of Lamps (Chiraghan), which is attended by thousands of people from all over the province. Numerous official and non-official parties are held there during the years, and the number of daily visitors is very large, indeed.