Bada Bagh

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.

History of Bada Bagh
Maharaja Maharawal Jai Singh was the one who originally commissioned the construction of Bada Bagh. He initiated the creation of a dam in the desert as a water tank, during his reign to service the subjects in his kingdom. The presence of the dam brought life to the entire periphery with flora and fauna booming with joy and brought into existence a green patch of natural beauty in the orange desert. Maharawal Jai Singh was delighted with the unexpected success of this venture.

When he passed away on September 21, 1743, his son Lunkaran built a 'chattri' in his memory next to the lake. This marked the beginning of a new tradition for the rulers of the Bhatti Dynasty, and a new cenotaph was added to this garden to commemorate the memory of each king of this dynasty. However, in 1947 when one of the princes passed away due to a mysterious disease in the first year of his succession, the tradition was discontinued because it was believed to be a bad omen.