Name: Chandigarh
Rating: 4.5

Pinjore Gardens, Chandigarh Overview

Pinjore Gardens is a beautiful Mughal Garden made in 17th Century India located in the city of Pinjore, in the district of Panchkula, Haryana. The garden expands over a massive area of 100 acres and is a beautiful place to unwind with nature in the ever-growing concrete city. The Pinjore garden is also known as Yadvinder Garden which is famous all over the world for its well-maintained greenery, refreshing fountains and mesmerising water bodies. Tourists from all over the world visit the Pinjore gardens to experience this Mughal creation that India has very proudly and carefully maintained.

Pinjore Gardens are a good illustration of terrace gardens in India. During Baisakhi, between April and June, the Garden serves as the venue of the annual Mango Festival. It doesn't just have a vast expanse of beautiful flora but also houses a mini zoo, an area dedicated to historic places, a serene Japanese garden, a splendid nursery and some areas that serve as picnic spots. So, the Gardens have enough for everyone, be it kids or adults. Many believe that the Pandava brothers rested her for a while during their exile. The best time to explore the gardens is in the evening time. The entire garden is lit up after sunset in such a way that the ambience of the garden changes completely.

History of Pinjore Gardens

Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and his cousin Nawab Fidai Khan, who was a famous architect during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, together made a design for the garden. Nawab Fidai Khan was also serving as a Governor during that time, and his responsibilities took him to various places. Once he was visiting the valley of Pinjore, and he was utterly enchanted with its mesmerising natural beauty. He decided to implement the design of the garden he made with Emperor Aurangzeb at this place. While work for building the garden was in progress, the women were struck by Goitre, and everybody has to quit the work and return. In 1775, the province was ruled by the King of Patiala, Maharaja Amar Singh. On acquiring Pinjore, he decided to resume work on the garden and improve it much more. After Haryana was declared an Independent state in 1966, the Pinjore Garden was handed over and is open to the public ever since.

Structure of Pinjore Gardens

The Pinjore Garden has the Charbagh Pattern and is built in traditional Mughal style. The area is cleverly designed to have terrace gardens, grand pavilions and beautiful fountains. There are a total of seven terraces in the garden that are built descending into a distance. This feature adds a magical touch to the entire stretch of 100 acres of the garden. The flora consists of a variety of aromatic flowering plants, Mango orchards, shrubs and other trees. The lined tall trees provide cool shade for visitors walking on the pathways. There is also an open-air theatre at the end of the garden. Pinjore Garden is also adorned by a central watercourse that flows in the middle of every level, shimmering fountains, several other pools and arched balconies amidst colourful and fragrant flowerbeds and lush green lawns.

Architecture of Pinjore Gardens

The seven terraces have several architectural structures that have been built on each level. The first terrace is the highest that has a palace built in the Mughal-Rajasthan style of architecture called the Shish Mahal. There is also a Hawa Mahal on this level. The second level has arched doorways along with the painted palace or the Rang Mahal. The third level only has flower beds and cypress trees leading to the orchards. The fourth level has the palace of water, the Jal Mahal, with a platform to rest and a fountain bed. The next two levels have more trees and fountains, and the last level has the open-air theatre.

Things To Do at Pinjore Gardens

Mini Zoo: A mini zoo with various species of animals and birds is maintained inside the 100 acres garden area. Kids and adults can both explore the zoo at no extra cost.
Nursery: The nursery at the garden has a plethora of flowering and other plants. You can also purchase potting plants for your own garden from here.
Japanese Garden: An area of the garden has been developed as a serene Japanese garden with a pleasant water body, a bridge, a beautiful structure with a tiered tower and statues of Japanese mythological creatures.
Street Food: There are some vendors who sell delicious, mouth-watering local street food.
Camel rides: Camel rides are available outside the garden area.

Fairs and Festivals at Pinjore Gardens

Pinjore Heritage Festival
The Pinjore Heritage Festival is celebrated every year in December as a tribute to the Mughal Gardens. The gardens are illuminated with lights and evening performances are arranged for the entertainment of the visitors. Various competitions are held during the festival like drawing, rangoli, folk dance, and Mehendi competition. The venue also has a Food Bazaar for visitors to indulge in scrumptious local food and a craft bazaar selling beautiful handicrafts which can be purchased as souvenirs.

Baisakhi Festival
Celebrated in April every year, it is one of the grandest festivals celebrated in Pinjore Gardens with eclectic daytime performances, food bazaar, crafts bazaar, music and competitions.

Mango Festival
The Mango Festival or Mango Mela is celebrated in July every year. The most important aspect of this festival is the Mango Exhibition where one can find a variety of Mangoes grown all over India. There are also various competitions, performances, programmes, and bazaars at the venue.

Best Time To Visit Pinjore Gardens

The best time to visit Pinjore Gardens is from February to April and September to December as the weather stays pleasant making it apt to explore the gardens. Also, it is filled with fragrant blooming flowers and lush green trees & shrubs. A majority of the festivals are also held at the gardens during these months that the tourists can make the most of.

How To Reach Pinjore Gardens

Pinjore Gardens are accessible from Chandigarh which is about 22 kilometres away. There are buses that regularly ply from Chandigarh. Tourists can also choose to hail Taxi services.
If travelling by private vehicles, tourists can drive through Chandigarh-Panchkula road to get to NH5 and follow the route through Ambala-Shimla Highway to reach Pinjore Gardens.