A History of Agriculture in India v2.c82.s2.2

v2.c82.s2.2

Zafar Khan, his Governor of Kashmir, introduced improved varieties of cherry, peach, plum and grapes from Persia and Afghanistan. His next Governor, Ali Mardan Khan, a Persian, had great engineering skill. He built a network of roads in the valley and planted avenues of poplars along them. It was he who built the small but elegant garden of Chashma Shahi overlooking the Dal lake. The architecture of the garden pavilion is in harmony with the pyramidal peaks of the rugged mountains which provide the background. Its roof repeats the conical beauty of the mountain in a striking manner. The pavilion enshrines the spring, whose water is relished for its purity and digestive qualities. The garden in front of the building is divided into two terraces and a chute leads the water to the second terrace. In the centre of the second terrace is a tank with five jet fountains. The entrance gate and the boundary walls are green with a thick cover of the tenacious creeper *Ficus pumila* (*F. repens*). Chashma Shahi garden, though built on a small scale, has all the elements in its design which lend charm to a Mughal garden.