Elegant and beautiful, the Rambagh Gardens is situated within the confines of the summer palace of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh which has now been converted into a museum. The whole Ram Bagh complex including Palace is declared as protected monument vide Punjab Government notification number 1/14/97- TS /2051, dated October 10, 1997.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji conquered Amritsar in 1802. Although his capital was located at Lahore he spent considerable time in Amritsar, especially in summer.  He constructed a garden in the northern part of the city and named it after the fourth sikh guru. Guru Ram Das ji. Consequently, the garden began to be known as Ram Bagh. A two storied house located in the middle of this garden became his summer palace.

Ram Bagh was modeled after the Shalimar Garden constructed in Lahore by Emperor Shah Jahan. It was completed in 1831 and thereafter used as the residence of Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji during his stay at Amritsar. The whole project was spread over an area of 84 acres and was built at the cost of one lakh twenty five thousand Nanaksahi rupees. The Maharaja had many rare trees and shrubs planted in this garden.

Today Ram Bagh is not only a must-see place for the tourists, but also a favourite place for the locals.  It has a huge collection of plants and trees, some of them very rarely found anywhere else. It is rich in natural beauty, with the splendors untarnished by any outside factor. It stands out for its collection of rare coniferous trees, herbal plants and water channels set with fountains and golden fish. At one end of the garden, one can see a lively statue of the king seated on a horse.

The garden has a panorama of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which is the joint venture of The National Council of Science and Museums and the State Government of Punjab. This panorama depicts the important events in the life of the Great Maharaja through three-dimensional montages. Today, the summer palace of Ranjit Singh has been converted into a museum, which is rich with traditional items.

The museum boats of an exclusive display of antique weapons dating back to the Mughal times, portraits of ruling houses of Punjab and a replica of diamond “Kohinoor”. In the earlier days, the garden was approached by a huge fortified gate, which exists even today. However, it is placed on the periphery of the garden today. There is just a nominal charge to enter into the garden.

Source

http://www.bharatonline.com/punjab/amritsar/ram-bagh-garden.html

http://www.amritsaronline.in/city-guide/ram-bagh-garden-in-amritsar