A stroll in the Bagh e Jinnah, on a quiet and misty April evening, with not a soul around, can’t not stir the poet in you. Its orange-red gul mohar trees, maple leaves strewn across the rain-washed benches; lilting fountains, water lily ponds… everything is a sight for sore eyes and a balm for frayed nerves. While the calm is frequently broken by the chirping of birds and the squeaking of insects, you can’t help lose yourself in reveries of all the lovely things you ever experienced in the past.

The Bagh is also a place that inspires historians and botanists. Originally a botanical garden, it was modelled on London’s Kew Gardens and, some argue, Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. It is home to 150-odd varieties of trees, almost 140 kinds of shrubs, 50 types of creepers, 30 palms and many varieties of annual flowers that include chrysanthemum.

The Bagh was formerly called Lawrence Gardens after Sir John Lawrence, the first chief commissioner of the Punjab who rose to become the Viceroy of India after successfully suppressing the mutiny of 1857. This beautifully landscaped park boasts two hills, a cricket pavilion, two clubs, and an Open Air Theatre. A British-era building — the Montgomery Hall — which has been annexed with the Quaid-e-Azam Library, occupies the pride of place in Bagh e Jinnah.

Note: All parks are currently closed to public