Garden of Dreams

The Garden of Dreams (Nepali: स्वप्न बगैंचा), also known as the Garden of Six Seasons, stands as an enduring legacy of Late Field Marshall Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1892-1964). This neo-classical garden in Kaiser Mahal, Kathmandu, was built in 1920 and represents one of the great and unique landscaping monuments of South Asia.

Kaiser Shumsher was no ordinary nobleman—a statesman, scholar, linguist, and connoisseur of horticulture, art, and literature, he created a masterpiece inextricably linked to his impressive library collections on gardening, architecture, and literature. The garden featured a design inspired by Edwardian style and was considered one of the most sophisticated private gardens of that era.

Landscape architect Kishore Narshingh, designer of Singha Durbar and architect to Shumsher's father the Maharaja, designed and supervised construction. Within the garden walls, Kaiser Shumsher created an exquisite ensemble of pavilions, fountains, decorative furniture, and European-inspired pergolas, balustrades, urns, and statues. He erected six impressive freestanding pavilions, each dedicated to one of Nepal's six seasons.

Neoclassicism, the style drawing from ancient Greek and Roman architecture, can be seen in the garden's structures adorned with elegant columns, pediments, and symmetrical designs. While similar European-style gardens exist in India, Kaiser Shumsher's extreme refinement, personal adaptations, and connection to a historically significant figure make this monument unique.

After decades of neglect resulting in crumbling pavilions, overgrown paths, and loss of subtropical flora, restoration was undertaken between 2000 and 2007 with support from Austrian Development Aid in collaboration with Nepal's Ministry of Education. Implemented by Eco Himal, the renovation became a model project for sustainable development of historic sites.

Today the garden spans 6,895 square meters with three restored pavilions, an amphitheater, ponds, pergolas, and urns—a peaceful retreat from the chaos of adjacent Thamel.