32-662: Mehtab Bagh ( lit. ' Moonlight Garden ' ) is a charbagh complex in Agra , North India . It lies north of the Taj Mahal complex and the Agra Fort on the opposite side of the Yamuna River , in the flood plains. The garden complex, square in shape, measures about 300 by 300 metres (980 ft × 980 ft) and is perfectly aligned with the Taj Mahal on the opposite bank. During
64-524: A charbagh is that of the Taj Mahal in India. The traditional chaharbagh has a four-part garden layout with axial waterways joining at a small square basin in the garden's centre. The chaharbagh layout originated in the paradise gardens of the Achaemenid Empire , as suggested by excavations at Pasargadae and Susa . The highly structured geometrical scheme of the chaharbagh became a powerful method for
96-673: A laboratory in the field of environmental science and engineering and is one of the constituent laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The institute has six zonal laboratories located in Chennai , Delhi , Hyderabad , Kolkata , Nagpur, and Mumbai . NEERI operates under the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Indian government. NEERI is a partner organization of India's POP National Implementation Plan (NIP). In 1958,
128-478: A layout of four gardens traditionally separated by waterways, together representing the four gardens and four rivers of Paradise mentioned in the Quran . The chaharbagh may also be divided by walkways instead of flowing water. Such gardens are found in countries throughout West Asia (which includes Iran), South Asia (which includes Pakistan and India), North Africa and the former al-Andalus . A famous example of
160-686: Is an institution listed on the Integrated Government Online Directory. It operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), based in New Delhi . Indira Gandhi , the Prime Minister of India at the time, renamed the Institute NEERI in 1974. The Institute primarily focused on human health issues related to water supply , sewage disposal , diseases, and industrial pollution. NEERI operates as
192-462: Is involved in the design and development of air pollution control systems. The institute has also developed a water purification system called 'NEERI ZAR'. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Institute developed guidelines for Defluorination techniques. They have sometimes formed a departure point for the development of other techniques. The Institute tests samples for research on Defluorination and
224-407: The Taj Mahal is also the charbagh of a mausoleum, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (great-great-grandson of Babur) for his favourite Indian wife Mumtaz Mahal . Unlike the other tombs, the mausoleum is not in the centre of the garden, however archaeological excavations have revealed another garden opposite indicating that historically the mausoleum was centered as in tomb garden tradition. In
256-417: The Taj Mahal . Mughal emperor Shah Jahan is said to have desired a mausoleum for himself exactly to that of the one he had built in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, but built entirely out of black marble. . But Shah Jahan was not able to complete it as he was put under house arrest by his son Aurangzeb in the Agra Fort . Shah Jahan died in 1666 and his son, Aurangzeb planned to bury his father's body in
288-553: The four rivers mentioned in a hadith : Sayhan, Jayhan, the Euphrates and the Nile . In the 16th century, the chaharbagh layout was brought from Iran to the Indian subcontinent by the Mughal dynasty founded by Babur , who was originally from Central Asia. This tradition gave birth to the Mughal gardens , which perhaps displayed its highest form in the Taj Mahal ( see below ). Several of
320-866: The Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute (CPHERI) was established. It was created by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In 1974, after participating in the "United Nations Inter-Governmental Conference on Human Environment" and with its renaming by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, CPHERI became the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI). NEERI has headquarters in Nagpur and five zonal laboratories in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The study for
352-659: The Institute created a national program for water industry professionals. Graduate programmers were established in Public Health Engineering at the Guindy Engineering College , Madras , Roorkee Engineering University, and VJTI in Mumbai. In 1989–2013, 1,236 publications of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute were assessed. The institute technique for enrichment of ilmenite with titanium dioxide has been evaluated externally. The institute has national and international patents for
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#1733084465686384-544: The Mehtab Bagh site have been described as "setting new archaeological standards for Mughal garden research", using paleobotanical and excavations techniques. Excavations to the extent of 90,000 cubic metres of earth, were carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in 1994. The excavations unearthed a large octagonal tank with 25 fountains, and a garden, divided into four compartments. Mumtaz Mahal 's tomb
416-723: The Ministries of Culture, Tourism, and Planning. Restoration began in the 1990s, aided by the Americans, during which barbed-wire fencing was added to the Mehtab Bagh site. The garden's original ambiance was restored as ASI insisted on having plants that the Mughals had used in their gardens. Though the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) had suggested planting of 25 pollution-mitigating plant species every 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in
448-488: The Taj Mahal next to Shah Jahan's wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The site for the Black Taj Mahal was converted into the Mehtab Bagh. Charbagh A charbagh or chaharbagh ( Persian : چهارباغ , romanized : chahārbāgh , lit. 'four gardens'; Hindi : चारबाग़ chārbāgh , Urdu : چار باغ chār bāgh , Bengali : চারবাঘ ) is a Persian and Indo-Persian quadrilateral garden with
480-410: The Taj Mahal. It was then created as "a moonlit pleasure garden called Mehtab Bagh." White plaster walkways, airy pavilions, pools and fountains were also created as part of the garden, with fruit trees and narcissus . The garden was designed as an integral part of the Taj Mahal complex in the riverfront terrace pattern. Its width was identical to that of the rest of the Taj Mahal. Legends attributed to
512-505: The charbagh of the Taj Mahal, each of the four parts contains sixteen flower beds. Other Mughal charbagh gardens were built for leisure, without any mausoleum, such as the Shalamar Gardens (also known as the "Shahla Bagh"), in Lahore , Pakistan, which were also laid out by Shah Jahan. The Shalamar Gardens comprise two charbagh gardens separated by a gigantic pool. A charbagh is located on
544-442: The east and west. There is a gate at the northern wall. The foundations of two structures remain immediately north and south of the large pond, which were probably garden pavilions. From the northern structure a stepped waterfall would have fed the pool. The garden to the north has the typical square, cross-axial plan with a square pool in its centre. To the west, an aqueduct fed the garden. Other structures which are not in keeping with
576-632: The first Mughal charbagh gardens of monumental scale belonged to imperial mausoleums , such as the Bagh-e Babur at Babur's Tomb, in Kabul , Afghanistan (honoring the first Mughal emperor, Babur ); the charbagh at Humayun's Tomb in Delhi , India (honoring Humayun , son of Babur); and the charbagh at the Tomb of Jahangir (honoring the fourth Mughal emperor Jahangir , son of Akbar ) in Lahore , Pakistan. The charbagh of
608-403: The garden were in a ruinous state. By the 1990s, the garden's existence was almost forgotten and it had degraded to little more than an enormous mound of sand, covered with wild vegetation and alluvial silt. Inscriptions on the site of Mehtab Bagh mention that it adjoins other gardens to the west; these are called "Chahar Bagh Padshahi" and "Second Chahar Bagh Padshahi". A compound wall surrounded
640-405: The garden; it was made of brick, lime plaster, and red sandstone cladding. Measuring about 289 metres (948 ft) in length, the river wall is partially intact. Built on platforms, there were domed towers of red sandstone in an octagonal shape, which may have stood at the corners. A 2–2.5 metres (6 ft 7 in – 8 ft 2 in) wide pathway made of brick edged the western boundary of
672-492: The grounds, covering the remains of the boundary wall to the west. Near the entrance is a small Dalit shrine on the riverside. Of the four sandstone towers, which marked the corners of the garden, only the one on the southeast remains. A large octagonal pond on the southern periphery reflects the image of the Mausoleum . There is a small central tank on the eastern side. Water channels enrich the landscape and there are baradaris on
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#1733084465686704-599: The location of a new municipal solid waste landfill site in Kolkata used the institute's 2005 guidelines. During the COVID-19 crisis, the institute developed a saline gargling sample method to trace the disease. Since 1978, the institute has operated a nationwide air quality monitoring network. Sponsored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) since 1990. Receptor modelling techniques are used. CSIR-NEERI
736-474: The measurement of particulate matter in air. The institute has been entrusted by the courts to provide an inspection of the current environmental and legal framework. The institute has set up a Centre for Skill Development, offering certificate courses in the areas of environmental impact and water quality assessment. Prof. V. Rajagopalan (1993 Vice President of the World Bank ) had in his time (1955–65) with
768-535: The organization and domestication of the landscape, itself a symbol of political territory. After the Muslim conquest of Persia , the chaharbagh was considered to represent the four gardens of Paradise mentioned in the Quran 's 55th Chapter (Surah), Ar-Rahman ('The Beneficient'): And for him, who fears to stand before his Lord, are two gardens. (Chapter 55: Verse 46) And beside them are two other gardens. (Chapter 55: Verse 62) The waterways were considered to represent
800-608: The original landscape plan include nurseries owned by private individuals, a temple in place of a gazebo, a statue of B. R. Ambedkar holding the Constitution of India in the courtyard, and relics of a water supply network to the park. Restoration of the Mehtab Bagh began after the ASI survey, setting new standards for Mughal garden research. This included a surface survey, historical documentation, paleobotanical assessment, archaeological excavation techniques, and requirements coordination with
832-875: The proposed renovation of the garden, this was opposed by the ASI. The Supreme Court intervened in the matter in favour of ASI who wanted the garden to only have plants that the Mughals used in their gardens. A common list of plants was suggested. ASI landscape artists meticulously planned the replanting of trees, plants and herbage to match the original Mughal gardens, replicating the riverside gardens brought to India from Central Asia in Shalimar Bagh in Kashmir . Some 81 plants adopted in Mughal horticulture were planted, including guava , maulshri , Nerium , hibiscus , citrus fruit plants, neem , bauhinia , ashoka and jamun . The herbage
864-567: The rainy season, the ground becomes partially flooded . The Mehtab Bagh garden was the last of eleven Mughal -built gardens along the Yamuna opposite the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort. The garden was built by Emperor Babur (d. 1530). It is also noted that Emperor Shah Jahan had identified a site from the crescent-shaped, grass-covered floodplain across the Yamuna River as an ideal location for viewing
896-709: The roof top of the Ismaili Centre in South Kensington , London . National Environmental Engineering Research Institute The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute ( NEERI ) in Nagpur was originally established in 1958 as the Central Public Health Engineering Research Institute ( CPHERI ). It has been described as the "premier and oldest institute in India ." It
928-422: The site had mistaken it for the foundation of the fabled structure. Thus, Carlleyle became the first researcher to notice structural remains at the site, albeit blackened by moss and lichen. Mehtab Bagh was later owned by Raja Man Singh Kacchawa of Amber , who also owned the land around the Taj Mahal. Frequent floods and villagers extracting building materials nearly ruined the garden. Remaining structures within
960-401: The travelogue of the 17th century French traveler Jean Baptiste Tavernier mention Shah Jahan's wish to build a Black Taj Mahal for himself, as a twin to the Taj Mahal; however, this could not be achieved as he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb . This myth had been further fueled in 1871 by a British archaeologist, A. C. L. Carlleyle , who, while discovering the remnants of an old pond at
992-421: Was found to be situated halfway between the Taj Mahal complex's main entrance and the ends of the Mehtab Bagh site. This is corroborated by a letter from Aurangzeb addressed to Shah Jahan in which he referred to the condition of the garden after the flood event in 1652 AD. The Black Taj Mahal is a legendary black marble mausoleum that is said to have been planned to be built across the Yamuna River opposite
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1024-435: Was planted in such a way that tall trees follow the short ones, then shrubs, and lastly flowering plants. Some of these plants produce bright-coloured flowers that shine in the moonlight. The park has been reconstructed to its original grandeur and has now become a very good location to view the Taj Mahal. The Mehtab Bagh also supports an ecological zones attracting residential and migratory birds. Archaeological excavations in
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