Government of Jammu & Kashmir and JSW Foundation, the social development arm of US$ 13 billion JSW Group today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the conservation, restoration& maintenance of the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir located at Shalimar Bagh & Nishat Bagh. Government of Jammu & Kashmir in collaboration with JSW Foundation will jointly undertake an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to restore these historic Gardens beginning with Shalimar Bagh site followed by Nishat Bagh site.
According to the MOU, JSW Foundation shall extend Technical& Financial support towards Conservation, Restoration and Maintenance of the Mughal Gardens of Shalimar Bagh and Nishat Bagh in Kashmir. The Government of Jammu & Kashmir will provide assistance and continue to provide funding for the project through support resources and other infrastructure.
Commenting on its MOU with Government of Jammu & Kashmir, Mrs Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of JSW Foundation said, “JSW Foundation has championed the cause of Conservation of India’s cultural legacy by restoring some of India’s architecturally renowned and historically important monuments. Today, in continuation of our commitment to conserving India’s cultural legacy, I take great pride in extending our support for the restoration of Mughal Gardens at Shalimar Bagh & Nishat Bagh in Kashmir. These two sites are a hallmark of the Mughal empire’s landscape design. We will be collaborating with Indias most-respected Heritage &Conservation Architect Ms AbhaNarainLambah for this project. Through our MOU with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir, I am pleased to formalize JSW Foundation’s commitment to restoring the breathtaking beauty of these gardens.”
The Mughal Gardens of Kashmir are outstanding examples of the great paradise garden traditions of the world. In the valley of Kashmir, these sites have become the archetypes of the Timurid-Mughal garden tradition. The six imperial gardens of Kashmir are proposed to be Nominated to UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Among them, the gardens of Shalimar Baghand Nishat Bagh, (1619-1635 CE), built during the reigns of Emperor Jahangir and Shahjahan, epitomize the mastery of Mughal gardeners and engineers.
