Ram Bagh (Aram Bagh), Agra

Ram Bagh is the riverside garden Babur laid out in 1528, the oldest Mughal garden in Agra. Here are its timings, fees and history.

Ram Bagh, also known as Aram Bagh (garden of rest), is regarded as one of the earliest Mughal gardens in India. UP Tourism and the official Taj Mahal site say it was laid out by Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty, in 1528, making it Agra's oldest garden. It stands on the left (east) bank of the Yamuna, about 3 km from Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb and 500 m from Chini Ka Rauza.

According to tradition, Babur's body was temporarily buried here after his death in 1530, before being taken to Kabul, where his tomb now stands. The garden was later renovated by Nur Jahan. It follows the Persian charbagh idea of a garden divided by raised walkways and water channels, adapted to a riverside terrace. Stone terraces, walkways and chhatri pavilions survive, along with traces of the water channels that once watered the garden.

The garden today is an oasis in a busy market area. It is little visited compared with the Taj, which makes it a calm stop on an east-bank loop with Itimad-ud-Daulah, Chini Ka Rauza and Mehtab Bagh. It is maintained by ASI as a ticketed monument. Allow 30–45 minutes.