Shahi Bagh
| Shahi Bagh (The Royal Garden) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Public recreational park |
| Location | Peshawar, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan |
| Area | 100 acres |
| Operated by | Government of KPK, Pakistan |
| Open | All year |
Shahi Bagh (Pashto, Urdu: شاهي باغ) is one of the oldest and largest gardens in Peshawar, Pakistan. It is a Mughal-era park located in the Peshawar city near the Arbab Niaz International Cricket Stadium. The area which the stadium is built on, once used to be a part of the Shahi Bagh itself.
The total area of the park is almost 100 acres and was built during the rule of the Mughals. It holds a significant recreational as well as historical value for the city and its residents.
The meaning of "Shahi Bagh" literally is "The Royal Park", referring to the Mughal ruler who built it.
Recently the United States government through its USAID funded the restoration and rehabilitation of the park to its original shape of the Mughal era. The project was formally inaugurated on Earth Day by Senior Minister of Pukhtunkhwa province Bashir Ahmed Bilour and the Senior Deputy Mission Director for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Denise Herbol.[1]
Through applications from social activists and citizens of Peshawar, the Peshawar High Court Chief Justice recently has taken notice of the park's condition and government of the province was ordered to remove all the newly illegally built structures and buildings in the garden to restore it to its original old shape.[2]
Students used to go and sit in the park and study even in the old times. Sant Kirpal Singh, who used to study in Edwardes Church Mission High School, Peshawar, writes that he used to take his book along with himself and study in the Shahi Bagh.[3]