Advent of Hammam in the Mughal Art & Architecture of Lahore, its zenith at the Shalimar Garden and a need to preserve its splendour for the future Hammam, an Arabic word taken into Persian and Urdu, means a bathing place or a bath consisting of cold and hot rooms. In general terms, it is used to describe both private and public bath houses**.**

The earliest known bath facility is located in Mohenjodaro, a significant metropolis from the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 3000 B.C- 1500 B.C.) in the Punjab and Sindh areas of Pakistan. Though baths were constructed everywhere and in all periods of history, it was the collective genius and luxuriant lifestyle of the Romans that inspired the fine art of bathing for the first time. Mughals (1526-1858), one of the most astounding patrons of Art and Architecture brought the bathing customs to Asia. The Royal bath structures were mainly for the usage of the Royal family, hence they were matchlessly built in the context of utility, mechanism, elegance and beauty.

Lahore, the infallible centre of the land of five rivers, witnessed a zenith in culture and architecture during the Mughal establishment. The imperial architects built five hammams in the city of Lahore, out of which three were attached to the residential quarters of the emperors at the Lahore Fort. A hammam was built on the public scale for the comfort of travellers and locals at the Wazir Khan complex and the fourth was erected adjacent to the Shalimar Garden Lahore.

The hammams under discussion are sumptuous, some well-known, some now derelict and sinking into obscurity. From their proper documentation, we can learn something of the culture and design of this limited group of structures and could make an effort to preserve their identity. In order to make an attempt, first we must comprehend that these sites are not static. They have a rhythm of their own, manifested by change and decay. Some are now entirely lost while some have been partially restored. Out of the five hammams made during Mughal era, the Shalimar hammam at the Shalimar Garden Lahore is the only example with lesser interventions. The murals in the bath had been left untouched and neglected for many decades but at the same time due to lesser intrusion are raw and beautiful.

While examining the Mughal Hammams in Asia, my research question aims to focus on the need to document these dying structures witnessing decay on the day to day basis. Furthermore, I stress upon the importance to restore these frescos.The process will include various stages of visual and written documentation of the present-state of the murals. The research conducted would be helpful in restoring these beautiful but decaying frescos at the Shalimar Garden and hence be able to contribute something toward this highly prized heritage walls of the Shalimar Garden Hammam.