Mughal gardens

The mughal garden of the Rashtrapati bhavan is mesmerizing and breath-taking. Spread over several acres of land in the heart of Delhi, Mughal gardens is open for public view for one month from the mid-Feb to mid-March.Its a perfect getaway into the lap of nature amidst the city.Inspired by the Gardens built by Mughals in Agra and the beauty of Kashmir Valley, architect of Rashtrapati Bhavan, Sir Edwin Letyen designed the mughal garden.

Mughal Garden is divided into different sections to name a few are Circular garden, Rosary, Herbal garden, Main Mughal garden and Spiritual garden.

The first garden you would come across is the Herbal garden which is full of all types of herbs one could think of.  Tulsi, all types of mint,khas, aloe-vera, brahmi, ashwagandha, garlic, ghrittakumari and several other medicinal plants can be easily found here. Along with their names the medicinal value of these herbs is also mentioned. Also adjacent to the herbal garden is a small zoo where you can find turkey, geese, peacock, rabbits and swan.

From there you move into the Majestic and mythical Main Mughal garden. The garden is divided by the channels, cutting each other at right angles. The water flowing in these channels reaches the fountain placed at the center. The Garden is full of variety of herbs and seasonal flowers blooming and blossoming  round the year.The garden looks like a green carpet dotted with multi-colored flowers and the red sandstone pavement makes it more vibrant. The perfectly round trimmed trees are like green bubbles floating in the garden. Here and there you would also find benches made of red bricks to sit and admire the beauty under the shade of a tree with fresh breeze laden with fragrance of flowers blowing into your face . Imagine the earthen lamp shade lit all along the pavement, with the silver tree tops under the light of the full moon. Just the thought of it inspired my feelings bordering on ecstasy. The highlights of this year are Bonsai section and the cactus section which are also displayed in the Main Mughal Gardens. The Bonsai section was full of variety of bonsais and some of them were as old as 1925.

The rosary or the rose garden is one of the world's best rosary and it will capture all your imagination. You will find roses in colors of red,pink,violet,green,white,yellow ,orange and even black. Few names which are still in my memory are queen Elizabeth, Mother Teresa,4th of July, Montezuma, and white sherbet rose. One of its kind of rose which I had never seen was a rose which had its bud upside down and it makes a journey of semi-circle on its way to become a flower.

Next to the Rosary is enthralling Circular garden with a high rise fountain at the center. The circular garden is built in steps. The walls are covered with beautiful creepers from top to ground. Different steps of the garden are full of different flowers ranging from petunia, marigold,sunflower, pansies, roses and dahlias. The excitement keeps mounting as one walks through these gardens bursting with flowers one after the other.

The last section of the mughal garden is the spiritual garden which is full of trees like Christmas tree, sandalwood, Rudraksha, fig, mehendi, Retha, Jasmine, Hibiscus etc.

Visiting Hours: The entry to the Mughal garden for the public is from gate no.35 which is open from 10 am to 4 pm except on Mondays. One can easily reach here either from Central Secretariat Metro Station or from Rajiv Chowk.
For more information regarding the herbs check the site on Herbal Garden: http://www.presidentofindia.nic.in/herbal_gardens.html .
For more information you can always visit: http://www.presidentofindia.nic.in/mughalgarden.html