Garden of Dreams

The Garden of Dreams, also, the Garden of Six Seasons, is a neo-classical garden in Kaiser Mahal Kathmandu, Nepal, built in 1920. Designed by Kishore Narshingh, it consists of 6,895sqm of gardens with three pavilions, an amphitheater, ponds, pergolas, and urns. From the mid-1960s, upon the death of its patron, Kaiser Sumsher Rana, it lay in neglect but was recently restored with the help of the Austrian government.DesignThe formal and axial arrangement of the architectural features stands in contrast to the more informal and natural planting – a juxtaposition consistent with that of the gardens created in England during the reign of Edward VII. Built in 1920, the garden was remarkably modern in its time, comparable to other garden designs in the first quarter of the 20th century. The architectural sophistication of the individual pavilions suggests that they were inspired by pattern books, with minor local adaptations. Surrounding the planting areas along the path's perimeter are sunken flower gardens with large ponds at their center.HistoryLocated in Kaiser Mahal which is across the street from the former Royal Palace at the entrance to the Thamel tourist area, the Garden was made famous as the Garden of Six Seasons created for Field Marshal Kaiser Sumsher Rana (1892–1964), in early 1920. The Garden, which featured a design inspired by the Edwardian style, was considered one of the most sophisticated private gardens of that time. Landscape architect Kishore Narshingh, designer of Singha Durbar and architect to Shumsher's father, the Maharaja, designed and supervised the construction of the Garden of Dreams.