Delhi's heritage Sunder Nursery

Sunder Nursery is a 16th-century heritage park complex next to the Humayun's Tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage site in New Delhi. Earlier known as Azim Bagh and built by the Mughals, the park lies on the Mughal-period Grand Trunk Road, and extends over 90 acres. The 'Sunder' part of the name comes from the Sunder Burj tomb located inside the premises.

Earlier a famous plant nursery of the British times, Sunder Nursery is now being used for quasi-agricultural purposes. 

Today Sunder Nursery encloses 20 heritage monuments of which six are UNESCO World Heritage sites including Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Sundarwala Mahal, Sundarwala Burj and Lakkarwala Burj.

In fact, Sunder Nursery is part of the larger Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project of the Aha Khan Trust, masterplan which involves restoration work on 30 nearby heritage structures. Once complete, the park and resorted monuments will cover 900 acres (3.64 km sq). 

Future plans aim to run the area as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between various government authorities in India and the Agha Khan Trust. 

The Agha Khan Trust for Culture has, in the last 10 years, transformed the nursery into a city park with spaces like none other in terms of tranquillity, water, traditional flora and so on.

The Trust planted many tree species to create a micro-habitat zone, home to about 80 bird species. It also serves as a buffer zone for Humayun Tomb.

Commonly, Delhi nurseries and parks have a dozen odd types of tree species but Sunder Nursery has about 300 tree species and 4500 trees.

 

The essential features of a Mughal Garden include running water and a pool to reflect the beauties of sky and garden; trees of various sorts, some to provide shade merely, and others to produce fruits; flowers, colourful and sweet-smelling; grass, usually growing wild under the trees; birds to fill the garden with song; the whole is cooled by a pleasant breeze.

An amphitheatre, with a capacity of about 300 people, has also been built inside the complex for cultural events. 

“The challenge at the moment is to make this garden a hub for culture, nature, ecology and heritage in Delhi akin to the Central Park. So we are still building facilities that would allow that to happen. The other big challenge would be to make these facilities self-sustainable so that revenue may be generated to be ploughed back to maintenance to match international standards,” says Ratish Nanda, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Agha Khan Trust for Culture.