A walk in the lap of nature

SERENE ABODE

Delhi encapsulates an enormous amount of history within which the famous Mughal Gardens truly stand apart.

Situated close to the main building of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the luscious gardens spread across 15 acres are now open to the public. So one can breathe in the fragrance of various flowers, locate herbs and medicinal plants and enjoy a walk in the lap of nature.

The splendour and grandeur of Mughal Gardens needs no introduction. But its segregated gardens, musical fountains and floral carpets are often talked about the most.As one reaches the entrance of the gardens passing the many winding paths of Connaught Place, the long queues at the cloak room might be tiring. But after crossing the various security check points and reaching the gardens, you can be assured that you will get a grand welcome thanks to the beautiful yellow and orange sunflowers around.

The rectangular Mughal Gardens, which were designed by Edward Lutyens, are divided into various segments for the benefit of the visitors. The Herbal Garden is the first section where, as the name suggests, a number of herbal plants such as tulsi are grown.
A few steps ahead is the Bonsai Garden where over 200 plants like bougainvillea and China orange are placed in small pots.

As one enjoys the beauty of the bonsais, the tunes from the musical fountain soothe the ears. The Musical Garden is the next section in the journey where a lot of visitors prefer to sit and relax in the ambience of synchronised musical fountains. KS Rohila, a retired official from the Ministry of Defence, recollects his lunch hours when he used to frequent the gardens. “I used to come here along with my colleagues every year during my service tenure. During our lunch hour, we used to take rounds of the whole area and enjoy the fountains which calm the mind and soul. It is truly a memorable sight,” he says.

The directions then lead to the main Mughal Gardens area, which catches the attention of all with the vibrant and varied flowers it houses. These flowers have popular names such as Eiffel Tower, Christian Dior, Avon and Sugandha. The tulips in red, white and orange grown here have become everybody’s favourite this year.

A security in charge with the Delhi Police says, “Most people who have visited the Mughal Gardens are all praises for the tulips and admit that they have not seen any flower as beautiful as these.”

Within this area, the gardeners prepare innovative ‘floral carpets’. These are a major attraction this year and also the theme for ‘Udyanotsav 2012’. The busy gardeners showcase their hard work by designing a carpet using various types of flowers. A gardner informs that one such design stays for around three days after which the flowers wither and have to be replaced. A special ‘cactus corner’ at one end is a new feature added this year.

If you thought that was all, then you are mistaken. There are many more surprises lined up in the form of Rose Garden, Spiritual Garden and Central Garden. The Rose Garden is yet another favourite among all with red, white, pink, maroon and other hybrid roses.

The maroon coloured roses are named Bhim whereas the pink ones are called Queen Elizabeth. The Spiritual Garden comprises exclusive trees such as sandalwood and ‘kalpavriksha’ which are mentioned in scriptures. The path then leads to Central Garden which is a quite a sight with the pansies and a number of flowers grown around a fountain.

Gunjan Kumari, a visitor from Jharkhand says, “It is my first visit to the Mughal Gardens and I am extremely elated to see the beautiful flowers like roses and tulips. I am also impressed with the way the old trees are taken care of.” The availability of drinking water and washrooms along with lounges are a welcome change.