Bada Bagh is a Hindi word which means Big Garden. This garden is located in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, a state in India. Various royal cenotaphs (Empty Tomb Monument) were built over the years and now more than 100 cenotaphs are present in the Bada Bagh. There used to be a mango groove located in front of the Cenotaphs but over the years and lack of maintenance, only a few remain.
Tourists can also view the sand dunes and the drylands from these cenotaphs. This garden was originally built for Jait Singh III, for his cenotaph, by his son Rawal Jait Singh III. But over the years, cenotaphs of the royal family members were also added to the original cenotaph. The Bada Bagh cenotaphs of the royal family were built with the help of sandstones and the design was carved into it.
According to history, Jait Singh was the Maharaja of the Jaisalmer state and his son built a dam across his cenotaph. Therefore heavy greenery could be seen across the Bada Bagh. Garden and Cenotaphs were later built beside the artificial lake near the Bada Bagh. There is an incomplete Cenotaph present at the Bada Bagh, it was meant for Maharaja Jawahar Singh. Post the Independence of India, the construction of cenotaph stopped and has not been finished till date. The Bada Bagh is located on top of a hill and tourists travelling from Jaisalmer to Ramgarh can view this garden on the way. Therefore, tourists who are visiting Jaisalmer and Ramgarh should definitely visit this garden.
Bada Bagh Jaisalmer History:
The Bada Bagh is famous for its cenotaphs. Cenotaphs are empty tombs which are built for people who died elsewhere and their remains cannot be procured. These cenotaphs are also often called ‘Chhatris’ owing to their umbrella-like shape on the top that shades the area. The word ‘Chhatri’ means a canopy or an Umbrella. According to history, the first cenotaph in Bada Bagh was made for Maharaja Jai Singh in the 18th century. His son Lankaran made a cenotaph to commemorate him, and henceforth it became a tradition to build cenotaphs in Bada Bagh after the death of a king. The last cenotaph was that of Maharaja Jahawar Singh in the 20th century. This cenotaph was incomplete, following which his son died shortly after a very short ruling period, due to which the cenotaph came to be considered a bad omen. The area contains many cenotaphs of various different sizes, the largest ones being dedicated to the kings, followed by slightly smaller ones for Queens. Then comes the size for princes and princesses and lastly the smallest ones for other members of the royal family.