REPRESENTATION IN MUGHAL ARCHITECTURE: A CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF SHALIMAR GARDENS, LAHORE FORT GARDENS AND WAH GARDENS

Abstract

Mughals demonstrated their extraordinary talent for fusing local culture with Islamic thinking. In Asian culture and architectural design, water has long been a key element. Both the Mughal gardens and historic buildings make extensive use of water as an architectural element. On a scorching summer day, water not only provides aesthetic pleasure but also provides isolated cooling. This paper focuses on water as a design element used not merely to make the gardens along the famed Grand Truck Road in Lahore more beautiful, but also to analyse the technological benefits of water. According to design research methods, the water analysis of gardens combines fundamental and applied methodologies. The study in this investigation demonstrate that Mughals used water as a famous representation of their unwavering power to control the temperature as well as for aesthetic purposes by creating lakes, canals, springs, fountains and pools. Keywords: Shalimar Gardens, Lahore Fort Gardens, Wah Gardens, Water, Mughal Architecture