via http://www.ndtv.com – Excerpt: The gardens of Humayun’s Tomb with their pools, plants and trees are meant to symbolise paradise and are one of the earliest examples of a royal garden tomb in the Indian subcontinent, scholars say.
But they fell into neglect as Mughal power waned and were only restored a decade ago when the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India brought back to life long-dormant fountains for the first time in some 400 years.
Water started flowing through narrow canals representing the four rivers of paradise described in the Koran and gardeners planted thousands of mango, lemon and pomegranate trees and sweet-smelling hibiscus and jasmine plants – Mughal favourites.
Source Homesick British put colonial stamp on India’s gardens | NDTV.com.
Ismailimail 