The Chinar, the Oriental (Eastern) Plane tree (Platanus orientalis), is living heritage of Kashmir. It is a majestic tree that can be found throughout the landscape of the valley, hillsides and cities. The oldest found Chinar is thought to have been planted in the year 1374. Their number has since the 1970s been in a steady decline with over 25,000 trees …
The International Seminar on ‘Mughal Gardens of Kashmir: Towards the UNESCO World Heritage Nomination’ was held in Srinagar at the University of Kashmir from 14 to 16 May 2011 and was the first international seminar on these famed gardens. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Jammu and Kashmir Chapter (INTACH J&K), in …
With the cherry blossoms in full bloom it is a good moment to point out that the standard reference book on Japanese Flowering Cherries by Wybe Kuitert, with Arie Peterse, with a foreword by Roy Lancaster, is now free and authorized available online. Japanese flowering cherries have inspired gardeners for more than twelve centuries. They are closely …
The Landscapes Research Record journal published the article on ‘Paradise in Conflict: Reexamining and Safeguarding the Genius of the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir’ by Jan Haenraets, Melissa Hollingsworth and Alyssa Schwann. To read the full abstract on a full-width page, see this LINK. The pdf of the full article as published in the Landscape Research Record …
Jill of ‘A Landscape Lover’s Blog’ invited me for an interview about how I got involved in the conservation of the Mughal Gardens of Kashmir. The article has some beautiful historic images and photos from LandscapeLover’s recent visit to the gardens, that illustrate ongoing work. For the interview see this LINK.
In this article by Wybe Kuitert, the author reminds us that many historic gardens may at present appear like rather isolated green spaces, but that such gardens and parks were often laid-out as an integral part of a wider, continuous landscape. The author gives examples of historic gardens in Japan and The Netherlands to illustrate …
The Mughal gardens of Kashmir are, apart from being of exceptional beauty, important and irreplaceable physical evidence to the understanding of Mughal and Kashmiri history and Mughal Garden history. Different periods of history have created historical layers in the gardens with distinct markings. The most recognized and renowned representation of the Mughal Period of Kashmir …
