Yadavindra Gardens, also known as Pinjore Gardens, is a historic 17th century garden located in Pinjore city of Panchkula district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is an examples of the Mughal Gardens architectural style, which was renovated by the Patiala Dynasty Sikh Rulers. It was built by Fadai Khan. History It was built in the foothills of Himalayas as one of the Mughal gardens summer retreat for the Aurangzeb (r. 1658-1707), who then had his capital at Lahore, by his foster brother architect Muzaffar Hussain, known as Nawab Fidai Khan Koka, who as Aurangzeb's master of ordnance had also supervised the construction of Badshahi Mosque (1671-73) of Lahore. It was built during the early days of Aurangzeb's rule but the accurate date is not known. Since the time of Shahjahan, mughals reserved the pavilions with Balustered columns supporting the cusped arches only for the use of emperor and his immediate family, hence, it was likely built for Aurangzeb's personal use as summer retreat. In 1775, the Maharaja of Patiala Amar Singh bought it from the King of Sirmur State Jagat Prakash. English author-painter C.M. Villiers-Stuart, who resided in the gardens for a time, included a description in her book on "Gardens of the Great Mughals" (1913). She wrote: "A quaint story still survives, how, when at length the work was finished, and Fadai came in state to spend his first summer there, his enjoyment of the garden and its beauties was short-lived; for the Rajas quickly frightened him away. In the districts round Pinjor, and in fact all along the foot of the Himalayas, occasional cases of goitre are to be seen; so from far and wide these poor people were collected by the wily Brahmins, and produced as the ordinary inhabitants of the place. The gardeners all suffered from goitre; every coolie had this dreadful complaint; even the countrywomen carrying up the big flat baskets of fruits and flowers to the zenana terraces were equally disfigured. The ladies of the harem naturally were horrified; it was bad enough to be brought into these wild outlandish jungles, without this new and added terror. For the poor coolie women, well instructed beforehand, had told how the air and water of Pinjor caused this disease, which no one who lived there long ever escaped. A panic reigned in the zenana; its inmates implored to be removed at once from such a danger; and finally, Fadai Khan had to give way, and take his ladies to some other place less threatening to their beauty. Had it been the terrible Emperor himself instead of his foster-brother, the cunning Rajas would have met their match. But Fadai Khan, thoroughly deceived, rarely came back to visit his lovely gardens, and the Rajas and their fields were left in peace for a time." This stratagem led to the abandonment of the garden by Mughals. Part of the walled outer enclosure of the abandoned garden was demolished in 1793 to build a road. The garden, covered with wild overgrowth, came under the territory ruled by the Maharaja of Patiala during the 19th century British Raj, who used the garden terraces to grow roses for making Ittar perfume for the maharaja. The Maharaja Yadavindra Singh (1914-74) of the princely state of Patiala restored the garden to its former splendour. In recent times, it has been renamed as Yadavindra Garden in his memory.

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