The Eighteenth-Century Gardens of Bundelkhand, India, compared to the Mughal, Rajput and Colonial Gardens

ABSTRACT

Bundelkhand is a region in central India demarcated on the basis of uniform socio-cultural practices. During the later eighteenth and early nineteenth century, a peculiar garden-style developed under the patronisation of the princely states in Bundelkhand. The gardens of Bundelkhand have a characteristic typology and identical gardens can be seen all across Bundelkhand. These walled gardens consist of an outhouse (kothi), a temple, well, stepwell (baoli/bawdi), irrigation channels (milai), and memorial structures. Their distinctiveness illustrates how regional styles flourished despite the influence of the Mughal, Rajput and Colonial styles which otherwise dominated the Indian garden landscape in this period. Following the authors’ previous papers on the typology of Bungali gardens, the present paper compares them with the other established garden types in India: Mughal, Rajput and Colonial. The comparison is helpful to understand the development of regional garden style, sometimes influenced by other typologies, yet which developed into an independent type.

KEYWORDS:

• Bundelkhand
• gardens of Bundelkhand
• eighteenth century
• vernacular landscape
• historical gardens
• landscape
• heritage

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support received from Mr Geert Robberechts, convener, INTACH Belgium. He has generously provided the archival information related to the ‘Lost Gardens of Khajuraho’project, which have been very helpful for the present research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).