JHARNA

The Jharna is located to the east of Jahaz Mahal and Hauz-e-Shamsi within the Archaeological Park. The name literally means ‘waterfall’, and this was for long a cascade of water going down the slope from the Hauz-e-Shamsi tank overflow during the rains. The overflow which cascaded down was made an integral part of a pleasure garden along the char bagh concept during the late Mughal period. The Jharna complex has two gateways at the north and east side. The complex can be approached from a perpendicular street opposite the Jahaz Mahal or through a flight of steps through a paved courtyard that lies directly above the garden. There are several structures in the garden. Around 1700, Nawab Ghaziuddin Khan Firoz Jang built a colonnaded dalan containing the waterfall and a tank in front of it. This pavilion or baradari at the cascade is rectangular in plan and punctuated with three cusped arches at the centre. The cascade of water was designed to fall behind the baradari and fl ow into a tank which is immediately in front of it. This tank is linked by a channel of water to another tank. In this tank is a pavilion built by the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar (r. 1837–57).  The pavilion to the north of the enclosure was built by the Mughal emperor Akbar II (r.1806–37). It is set against the wall of the enclosure. Water no longer fl ows through the garden as it has been diverted to a stream to the south-east of the complex.

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