Located between Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort, Hazuri Bagh is a historic Mughal garden that carries deep political and cultural significance. Built in 1818 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, this garden was designed as a royal space to celebrate important victories and events. At its center stands the Hazuri Bagh Baradari, a beautiful white marble pavilion that once displayed the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond before it was taken by the British. The garden once bloomed with symmetrical flowerbeds and fountains, offering a peaceful retreat for royal gatherings. Today, although the flowers have faded, Hazuri Bagh remains a living symbol of Lahore’s glorious past, standing between two great monuments like a bridge connecting history and power.
The quadrangle now occupied by the garden called Hazuri Bagh with a marble Baradari (1818 AD) in its centre, was originally a serai built by Aurangzeb, where during the Mughal rule thronged the imperial cavalcades and armed retainers. The two storeyed building adjoining the southern gateway (Hazuri Bagh gate) was also originall built in the time of Aurangzeb as a boarding house for scholars. Later on it was used as Abdar- khana or place for keeping refreshing drinks. During the reign of Ranjit Singh it came to be called as Gulabkhana or ‘’Rose-water House’’ , literally rose –house. During the British period it was again used as a boarding house for students. The Hazuri Bagh garden was reconstructed in 1818 by Maharajah Ranjit Singh to commemorate the capture of the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shah Shujah of Afghanistan. The major monument in the garden is the baradari at its center. It is primarily constructed of marble stripped from numerous Mughal monuments in Lahore, many of which remain standing despite the removal of their marble cladding. Ranjit Singh used the pavilion as a place to hold court, and the mirrored ceiling in the central chamber is a testament to this function.
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