A STUDY OF REGIONAL GARDEN STYLE: A CASE OF 18TH CENTURY GARDENS IN BUNDELKHAND

Abstract

Bundelkhand lies in the central part of India including seven districts in northern Madhya Pradesh and seven districts in southern Uttar Pradesh (14 Districts in total). The Bundelkhand region is identified based on its peculiar socio-cultural values. During the sixteenth to the nineteenth century, Bundelkhand was under the reign of the Bundela kings. Other than the palaces, forts and temples, Bundela rulers created many gardens. During the 18th century, a peculiar produce garden typology developed in Bundelkhand and several produce gardens created during this period, survive in the region. These gardens not only possess similar landscape elements but also have built structures of a particular architectural style. Rajnagar is a small village, only 3 km north of the World Heritage Site of Khajuraho, in the Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh. The village was a prominent administrative centre during the eighteenth and the nineteenth century, under the Chhatarpur princely state. As many as sixteen Bundeli gardens exist in Rajnagar. Similar gardens were found all over Bundelkhand during research visits by the Author. There is no previous research available about the typology and characteristics of these gardens. The current research is a first attempt to describe the architecture of the Bundeli gardens and its extent in the region, citing examples in the Chhatarpur District. Most importantly, the present research aims to establish the typology, including the period of construction of these eighteenth-century Bundeli gardens.