Just when you cross the railway junction of Allahabad, you will witness a beautiful garden, Khusro Bagh, nicely protected with walls. This garden surrounds three tombs – that of Khusrau Mirza (eldest son of Emperor Jahangir or Salim) who died in 1622, that of Khusrau’s mother, Rajput princess Shah Begum (first wife of Emperor Jahangir), who died in 1604 and that of Khusrau’s sister, Princess Sultan Nithar Begum who died in 1624.Currently this garden is a site of National Importance.

History

Emperor Jahangir was the son of the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar. When he rebelled against his father, Jahangir set up a pleasure resort for himself during 1599 and it became to be known as the Khusro Bagh.  Jahangir, who was known as Salim in his younger days, was kind of a rebel and he always had difference of opinions with his father. As a result, he wished to stay alone in this pleasure resort.

Construction of this garden –cum-resort-tomb started when Emperor Jahangir’s first wife, Shah Begum passed away in 1604. The queen was an erstwhile Rajput princess as well.

The tomb of Shah Begum was designed by Aqa Reza. Legend has it Shah Begum was very disappointed because the relationship between her husband and her eldest son Khusro was quite strained and unpleasant. Hence she consumed a lot of opium and committed suicide.

A few years later, Emperor Khusrau too rebelled against his father, but fortunately for him, he was laid to rest within the garden premises itself.

Architecture

The Khusro Bagh and the tombs that it surrounds are excellent pieces of elegant Mughal architecture. These tombs are made from sandstone. Aqa Reza, the main court artist of Emperor Jahangir deserves the full credit of designing the garden, its entrance, the three-floor structure of Shah Begum’s tomb who passed away in 1604. Shah Begum was a Rajput princess and the daughter of Raja Bhagvan Das of Amber. She committed suicide by consuming an overdose of opium during 1604 as she was disturbed by the strained relationship between her husband and her eldest son.

Shah Begum’s tomb is quite similar to Fatehpur Sikhri. There are three floors here and no central mound. One can note beautiful decorations of arabesque inscriptions all over the tomb. These were designed by Mir Abdullah Mushkin Qalam, who was the chief calligrapher of Emperor Jahangir. A big chhatri is found over the plinth of the tomb here.

Nithar Begum (daughter of Shah Begum and sister of Khusro) is located right next to the Begum’s tomb. The pattern of this tomb is very elegant. It is constructed on a raised platform and contains intricately carved out panels. There are motif patterns all over here. The ceilings in this room have beautiful stars drawn on them in concrete designs. The walls of the central room of this tomb have the most elegant designs and floral decorations of plants, flowers, wine vessels and cypresses from Persia.

The last tomb in this complex is that of Khusro, the eldest son of Emperor Jahangir.  It is believed that this was the place where he was first kept in custody when he rebelled against his father during 1606. When he tried to escape again, he was made blind as per the instructions of Jahangir and was killed based on Prince Khurram’s (third son of Emperor Jahangir) orders. This tomb is marked by windows with lots of fretwork. Khusro’s mare’s tomb is also found adjacent to this.

The completion of Khusro’s tomb got over in 1622. Nithar Begum’s tomb, that is sandwiched between Khusro’s and Shah Begum’s tombs got over only during 1624-1625and it was made according to her wishes. Currently this mausoleum is empty and does not have Nithar Begum’s tomb in it.

Maulvi Liyakat Ali made Khusro Bagh as the headquarters for his sepoys during the Great Mutiny of 1857. He became the Governor of Allahabad once the latter became a free district. However during the Mutiny, Allahabad was defeated heavily and was brought back under the control of the British.

Khusro Bagh now refers not only to the garden and the tombs surrounding the same, but also the entire township that is developing at a great speed.

Best Time to Visit

If you want to enjoy Khusro Bagh in its fullest glory, you must visit the gardens during the summer season. This is the time when you can witness some of the most delicious mangoes from the gardens and even taste some if you are really lucky. The entire complex was finished by 1622 with great support and guidance from Emperor Jahangir. The graves of Khusro and Shah Begum, the son and wife of Jahangir respectively, are found here. Jahangir built and named this garden in the memory of his son.

Timings

Khusro Bagh is open all through the week from 7 in the morning to 7 in the evening.

Entry Fees

Entry into the garden complex is free of charge for Indian and international tourists for both adults and kids.

How to Reach

Since Allahabad lies in the heart of Uttar Pradesh, it can be easily reached by all modes of transport.

By Rail

Allahabad is a big railway junction. It is well connected by trains to almost all the important cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai.

By Road

There are lots of trains operated by the Uttar Pradesh Road Transport Corporation to connect Allahabad with all the cities in the state and also with New Delhi and Kolkata.

By Air

Bamrauli airport in Allahabad is the nearest domestic airport to get to Khusro Bagh. There are flights connecting this place to all the major cities in India.