Amritsar: Chahar Bagh restoration plan fails to fructify

The project to revive the historic Chahar Bagh around the Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Ram Bagh, popularly known as Company Bagh, remains incomplete even after several years. The Chahar Bagh, a traditional quadrilateral garden layout inspired by Persian and Mughal designs, was once the original structure of Ram Bagh before the British altered it.

Experts say that the Chahar Bagh represented the classic Mughal concept of garden design, where nature, water and symmetry came together to symbolise balance and divine harmony. Similar garden layouts were developed in Mughal cities such as Kashmir, Delhi and Lahore. The Summer Palace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was built at the centre of four such gardens, forming a perfect square, a reflection of the cultural and aesthetic excellence of the Sikh empire.

However, during the British period, the garden’s boundary walls were demolished, and new roads and buildings were constructed in its place. In 2018, the National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) launched a project to restore the original layout of the Chahar Bagh. During excavation, teams discovered traces of the old boundary walls, confirming the earlier structure of the garden.

The HRIDAY plan included constructing a 140 cm-wide wall connecting the original watchtowers to recreate the quadrilateral layout. But the project could not be completed because of encroachments inside the garden. The presence of clubs, concrete roads and other modern establishments has made it difficult to revive the original landscape.

A large portion of the heritage garden is now covered with concrete structures, which go against its historic character. The Archaeological Survey of India and the MC are required to remove these encroachments under their mutual agreement.

Despite the importance of the site, the project had ended without completion. Heritage lovers and historians have urged authorities to restore the Chahar Bagh which would not only preserve the city’s heritage but also enhance the cultural and environmental value of the most iconic green space in Amritsar.

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