BADA BAGH

Conserving the typology of bagh as a heritage

Aarushi Sharma
Diksha Anand
The old walled city of Bhopal, with its rich heritage, presents a plethora of typologies as a

result of planning by the powerful begums of Bhopal. The Baghs (gardens) are one such

typology. While some baghs get attention and upkeep, others exist. The following is the

case of Bada Bagh, the garden with a social and heritage value so substantial in the past

that its deterioration gives away direct implication of social factors and issues.

BADA BAGH

Figure 1: Bada Bagh and surrounding mono-cultural structures (Author)

With its lakes, nawabs, and begums, the capital city of Bhopal has been historically

deemed the jewel of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Like most cities, the old city of Bhopal

sprawled to weave the new city, linking the old and the new. Mono-cultural typologies like

landmarks such as Upper Lake, the largest artificial lake in India, bind the people of the

old city to the new, while the minarets of Taj-ul-Masajid, one of the largest mosques in

India, act as a cultural beacon to the people in the new city. Such powerful cultural

markers witness the mutual influx of people to Bhopal.

Visiting the old city is a story-telling experience for the new city folk, whereas the

attachment in the memory of the residents of this area cannot be emphasized enough-

owing to the tangible prominent built entities and the intangible impact of its history. The

powerful begums planned the walled city of old Bhopal to provide for a religious precinct

(Taj-ul-Masajid), lakes that controlled the micro-climate, bazaar (market place)

exclusively for women numerous palaces that basked in the glory of their modest

surrounding. The six majestic darwaza (gates) of Bhopal stand testimony to the heritage

of the city. Though dilapidated, the structures serve a different purpose today, acting as a

gateway for modern vehicles to pass through the significant transit roads. The royal

streets of Bhopal are now home to shiny building facades and the noise of a developing

city. However, once one delves deeper into the city's streets, the character bares itself to

the spectator. Narrow lanes mutually shaded by one and two-storey structures, echoing

the unmistakable sound of the azaan (the Islamic call to worship - five times a day)

maintaining their impeccable timing, the reverberation of temple bells in the area, the

aroma of home-made itr (traditional organic perfume) floating in the air that can be
smelled from two lanes away, flocks of people crowded around street savory stalls;

unabashedly glorify its past enunciating the passing of the time, architecture being a

silent observer.

Probing through one such street led to the encounter with Bada Bagh. Standing in patient

silence, Bada Bagh (big garden), built by Qudsiya Begum of Bhopal in 1816 as

conservation of tomb of her father-in-law, is a flourishing royal family burial ground.

Planned to provide the public with lusting flora, the garden houses royal tombs, domed

mausoleums, and a baoli - a stepwell with other small stone wells, which catered to the

garden.

Location

Numerous mono-cultural buildings and landmarks dictate the location of Bada Bagh —

 Bohra Qabristan (cemetery) is a site sacred to the Islamic population of the area

and one of the oldest burial grounds of the city.

 Putli Ghar ki Minar (minaret) was the chimney of the Sultania cotton mill, one of the

first industries set up in the old Bhopal region.

 Christian Cemetery was once part of the cotton mill land, now stands as an

isolated burial ground.

 Taj-ul-masjid is one of the largest mosques in Asia and is a significant religious

precinct in Bhopal.

 The Taj Mahal Palace was the largest palace of its time.

 The Benazir Palace and the three (cascading) lakes were a pleasure pavilion for

the Royal Family.

 The Bab-e-Ali stadium was once an open play-ground is now transformed into a

commercial stadium.

 Gov. Hamidia Hospital and Gandhi Medical College, one of the oldest and largest

medical colleges in the state, is located at the edge of Upper Lake, a prominent

cultural landmark.

The site is adjacent to a low-income group settlement; some households have

encroached upon the site to build temporary shops. The main arterial road on one of the

edges leads to Nadra bus-stand, a crucial transition node. The straight edge of the

garden leads to Durga Mata Mandir (temple), which has developed as a religious node

over time. The neighborhood surrounds a busy crowd bulging out from the central railway

station and old market area.

The site necessitates the need to gain perspective on the historical impact dulled by the

incoherent hive of activities on the impact area and the sides.

Site and History

The Bada Bagh, a mono-cultural precinct, a part of the massive ecological network of

Bhopal framed in the past, reveals itself as an expanse of land covering an area of 28

acres — the royal structures bequeathing a monumental value to the site. The Bada Bagh

was only one of the many existing gardens of ancient time, built by the prosperous

majority; the vicinity of the bagh housed multi-fold such gardens creating an almost

continuous green patch — most of these contained tombs of their owners baolis (step

wells). These baolis are part of a complex waterworks network, maintaining water level
balance in the three cascading

lakes near Taj-ul-Masajid. An

elaborate system of brick-lined

vaulted drains exited to collect

water and bring it to the lake. These

channels passed through important

buildings before delivering water to

the Talab. The channels were

transformed into splashing

fountains, gurgling cascades, and

silent ‘chadars’ (sheets of water) or

passed through beautifully carved

stone streams. Rosewater or

‘kewda’ was added to this water to Figure 2: Map of Bhopal (1923), National Archives of India

cool and freshen the air. The repetitive typology of the bagh with tombs and baoli was in

widespread physical presence in the region in olden times; however, today, the green

patch domain has shrunk to a vulnerable extent and exists as an object of memory. The

actual site of Bada Bagh, the largest of all surrounding baghs due to the royal tombs,

stems from an Islamic cemetery- Bohra Qabristan and culminates at a Christian

cemetery. The Islamic cemetery- a forested tract of land with graves and their

tombstones, extends to the vast land of the bagh, continuing to the minaret of Putli Ghar

and the cotton mill, concluding at the Christian cemetery of Putli Ghar. Bada Bagh, more

than a garden, has been stimulating the cultural values of different communities. Over
time, the integrated order of Bada Bagh started fracturing, leading to the eruption of

isolated functional patterns. Religious beliefs, prejudices, and social stigma were

underlying propagators that led to the bagh's breaking up, creating a sense of

placeless-ness.

Figure 3: Map of Bhopal (1923), National Archives of India (Author)

Present condition

Presently bustling with activity, the periphery of Bada Bagh draws a bleak picture of the

scene inside the garden. Even as the bagh is grossly embedded in the lives of the
civilians who revere it, the Bada Bagh has lost itself to time and ignorance by the same

people who also take it for granted. The developed bustling city around the bagh involves

the public around the edges in activities related to religion and marketing. Though the

Bada Bagh shows minimal traces of human occupation, it now stands as a spectator to

anti-social activities, modern reticence, and eerie petrified muteness.

Figure 4: Land use and surrounding activities (Author)

The current picture of bagh represents successive tangible and intangible layers of the
past that have manipulated the purpose and relation of the space. Whether political or

social, factors have shaped the fabric and texture of this open space in the urban context.

In the past, conversion of enemy property with the shifting of development considerations

to the newer section and negligence of the intoxicated portions of the older city has led to

unplanned encroachment of Baghs of Bhopal. The primary lagging for exclusion of Bada

Bagh in the Master Plan of Bhopal is mainly due to its private ownership under the

descendants of Nawabs.

On the micro-scale, bagh is constantly decaying, and in no timeless, it may dilute the

urban fabric. Obstruction in visual connectivity from the main road with a lack of walkways

and pathways makes bagh an uninviting place for the public, especially as the sun starts

getting down due to lack of lighting. The historical monuments within bagh have degraded

to the worse, where baoli, once a part of the water network system of the city, now acts as

a home to bats and infesting ground to rats. Once a bagh is now just a piece of land with

no-look over to its historical context, catering to activities like parking, informal market on

edge, storage space of repair parts and playground, spoiling its ecological, historical, and

spatial flavor. In the past, Bhopal Municipal Corporation has actively documented Bada

Bagh and its monuments, but there has not been any further action to conserve its glory

other than the placement of a rusted board describing the monument. Architecture and

conservation often visit the heritage, but it does not draw the general public into it.

What can be done?

There is a need for a cultural heritage conservation program to be implemented to save

the fragile reminders and markers of the past, preserved for future generations to learn
from and enjoy. To react to the current picture of such an immense cultural heritage,

tentative actions can be incorporated on a micro and macro level.

 Local planning departments and local disaster management agencies should

implement the actions to preserve the monuments and Bagh space in urban

development scenarios.

 Urban planners and designers to consider theories such as actor-network theory

to regenerate the link between public and space.

 Conservation professionals in the city of Bhopal should look at history more than

monuments and act to preserve the main link of history by giving life to the dead

space of bagh, which has its cultural sentiments.

 On the micro-scale, studies can be made to design for a ‘culture led space’ to

accommodate the integrity of bagh with history and culture and regenerate the

space to set into a dense fabric.

 Landscaping of Bagh and restoration of monuments can revive the city's breathing

space, where people look forward to its rich heritage and have a sense of

ownership.

 The actions must consider the current fabric around and take initiatives to

inculcate the user patterns at the edges.

 Actions related to visual and structural reintegration need to be taken.

 The process should involve public participation, which can immensely help the

revival of the culture and awareness of the history to make the city a better place

for the present and future.

Conclusion

Dilution and loss of integrity of the space have led to its disability in portraying history,

culture, and breathing space to the ever-growing contextual dense fabric. Being one of

the smart cities, Bhopal needs to look for an answer to how we want the city to look into its

history. Furthermore, to look into its history, there is a need for conservation of history.

Attempts have been made to conserve significant monuments like Taj-ul-masajid, Sadar

manzil, Shaukat Mahal, etc. In the historic precinct, but there is a lack of consideration of
the binding space of Bagh, which pictures the historical landscape.

The actions of legislation and policies will help protect heritage value and substantially

contribute to the spatial planning goals. The conservation will influence the character of

the environment and give the area a sense of place. It can act as a catalyst for the

regeneration of the area, mainly through leisure, tourism, and economic development.

The evolution of this urban space will inspire new development of an imaginative and

high-quality design. Such potential space will revive the urban context and provide life to

the whole city and its growth.

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