Nepal is home of glorious mountains and is known to the world as the home of Himalayas. Along with the stunning mountains, Nepal also has the most amazing geography. Divided into the three main regions, Himalayan, where lies the stunning mountains, Hilly region, where lies the beautiful green hills and Terai where there are plain lands with delightful green forests. The diverse geographical feature has given a home to the many wildlife and vegetation providing a perfect inhabitant for them.

Along with the rich in geographic feature and biodiversity, Nepal is also a pool of cultural heritage. With the wide number of Hindu followers, Nepal has some of the most significant Hindu mythology. Also, Nepal is the home of Lord Buddha. Along with the birthplace of Lord Buddha, there are several cultural as well as natural heritages in Nepal. All those heritages are significant and is visited by millions of tourist around the globe and the Nepali as well.

However, these historical and natural monuments of Nepal are no match for anything; there are still several other places and heritages which are worth your time and visit. Garden of Dreams is one of such places you shouldn’t miss to pay a visit as it is located in the heart of Kathmandu.

Garden of Dreams

Garden of Dreams, also known as the Garden of Six Season is one of the beautiful places in the Kathmandu. In Nepali, Garden of Dreams is translated as Swapna Bagaicha. This garden was originally built in 1920. It is a neo-classical garden located in Kaiser Mahal of Kathmandu. The garden is spread in the area of 6,895 square meters/74,220 square feet.

Garden of Dreams remained neglected for several decades after the death of Kaiser Sumsher Rana in mid-1960s who was the patron of the garden. However, the garden got restored with the help of the Austrian government.

Where is the Garden of Dreams located?

Once you land in Kathmandu, Garden of Dream isn’t the very hard place to find. As this popular spot is located in the entrance of the famous tourist center of Nepal, Thamel, it will be hard to ignore this garden.

The Garden welcomes you all the seven days of a week. It charges a small amount of NPR.200/- for all the foreigners. However, a 50% discount is allowed for small children and older citizens. You can visit this beautiful garden from 9 AM to 10 PM.

Features of Garden of Dreams

You might find hard to get used to with the crowd of Kathmandu for the first few days. As all the facilities and infrastructure of Nepal is centralized in Kathmandu, there is an extreme crowd in every street of this place. To escape from the mass of people and breathe in some fresh air in complete peace, Garden of Dreams is the ideal place to do so.

The most significant feature of Garden of Dreams is the peaceful environment it offers. Although the garden is located in the middle of the city, the environment inside is of sheer tranquility.

The garden has the serene environment and is the perfect place to hang out with friends and family. It is also the best place to spend some time by yourself. If you are visiting the Garden of Dreams, do not forget to take your favorite book or headphone so that you can enjoy them in the complete silence and perfect environment.   

The garden is perfectly manicured and has a very intense design with excellent pavilions, amphitheater, pergolas, ponds, and fountains. Garden of Dreams has unique flora bought from the different nations. There are marble inscription, statues, historical palace and a large pond in the center, which highlights the beauty of the garden.

The Garden is very popular because of its exquisite design. The garden is very green and has special features like ponds and fountains. This garden is also much loved by the young couple inside the valley as they get to spend some quiet time with each other. Families also pay for a visit with their children to spend some time in their weekend as a little picnic. With no any smog and pollution, and no fear of children running in the roads, it is a perfect gateway for a family too.

There is enough place to sit in the garden. It is perfect to visit in any season. You can visit in summer and sit in pergolas and enjoy the beauty with a sip of the cold drink. In winter, it is even more perfect; you can sunbathe in the garden area for houses and have some power nap then and there. In a rainy day, you can enjoy with a sip of coffee which is inside the garden itself. And in the spring, you can enjoy the beauty of the garden.

Another feature of Garden is the café inside, Kaiser Café. The café is run by Nepal’s only boutique heritage group, the Dwarika group. The café meets your every need offering a wide choice in the menu, which includes continental as well. It will be more than perfect to have your favorite meal in a serene atmosphere surround by the absolute natural beauty.

What is the History of Garden of Dream?

The beautiful Garden of Dream is in Kaiser Mahal, across the street of the former Royal Palace of Nepal. The garden was built in 1920 and was famous as the Garden of Six Season. It was built for field Marshal Kaiser Sumsheer Rana. The Garden features an Edwardian style inspired design. During that time, this garden was considered one of the most sophisticated private gardens. It was designed by landscape architect Kishore Narshingh, who also supervised the construction of the whole garden. He was also the designer of Singha Durbar and was an architect to Sumsher’s father.

There were six pavilions in the garden each dedicated to the six seasons of Nepal, Basanta/Spring, Grishma/Summer, Barkha/Monsoon, Sharad/Early Autumn, Hemanta/Late Autumn, and Shishir/Winter. Also, there are European-inspired verandas, pergolas, urns, balustrades, birdhouses, and fountains.

When Kaiser Sumsheer Rana died, the garden was handed to the Government of Nepal and was neglected for decades.

How the Garden of Dream got reconstructed?

The Government of Nepal neglected Garden of Dream for many years until 1998. Nepal held a program “Visit Nepal Year 1998” in 1998 as a target to increase visitors in Nepal. Garden of Dreams came to the focus when structural disfigurement of the garden was seen by the national and international environmentalist and heritage conservation personalities. The plan to reconstruct the garden took place for the awareness of preservation of heritage within the metropolis until a million-dollar project took place which was funded by Austrian Development Aid/Austrian Government in 2001. The project was in collaboration with the Nepal Ministry of Education. After years of working, the project got completed in 2007 and opened for public.

Eco Himal conducted the renovation project of Garden of Dreams. And this project became a model for the sustainable development of other historic sites too. While in its reconstruction, the garden has been updated with other additional facilities.

Although the reconstruction of the garden turned out to be the head-turning, the area of the garden has cringed from its original make. Originally, the garden was spread in the area of about 10,000 square meters, and now it is 6,895 square meters only. There are several other modifications to the original one as well.

For making the garden self-sustaining, a small amount is charged to every visitor. The amount has aided in maintaining the standard of the garden. To maintain the architectural beauty of Garden of Dream, the area of the garden is declared as a non-commercial area, where no advertisement, banners, posters or pamphlets are allowed.