Top 10 Gardens in India
India's garden tradition is one of the richest in Asia. The Mughal char-bagh, introduced from Persia in the sixteenth century, overlaid an existing Hindu and South Indian tradition of temple tanks and palace gardens. The result is unusually diverse: Persian formal geometry in the north, water-led traditions in Rajasthan, and lush tropical collections in the south.
1. Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, Kashmir
Built in 1619 by Emperor Jahangir for his wife Nur Jahan, Shalimar Bagh on Dal Lake is the most romantic of the Mughal gardens. The central channel descends through three terraces and the Diwan-i-Khas pavilion, with chinar trees framing the view. Fountains and chadar water chutes work best from May to September.
2. Nishat Bagh, Srinagar, Kashmir
Built in 1633 by Asaf Khan on the eastern shore of Dal Lake. Twelve terraces (the signs of the zodiac), magnificent chinar trees and the axial view back across the lake to the Pir Panjal range make this the architecturally most complete Mughal garden in India.
3. Mughal Gardens, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi
Designed by Edwin Lutyens in the 1920s for the Viceroy's House, these gardens fuse Mughal geometry with English planting. Rectangular, Long and Circular Gardens open to the public a few weeks each spring (Udyanotsav). Recently renamed Amrit Udyan.
4. Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore
Started by Hyder Ali in 1760 and expanded by Tipu Sultan, Lalbagh now covers 96 hectares with over 1,800 plant species. The cast-iron Glass House (1889, inspired by Crystal Palace) hosts biannual flower shows. The Lalbagh Rock is a three-billion-year-old gneiss outcrop.
5. Brindavan Gardens, Mysore
Laid out in 1932 below the Krishna Raja Sagara Dam, Brindavan is India's interpretation of the Versailles formal garden: terraced parterres, illuminated musical fountains and broad water vistas. Sixty hectares at their dramatic peak at dusk.
6. Mehtab Bagh, Agra
The Moonlight Garden directly across the Yamuna from the Taj Mahal, originally laid out by Babur and rediscovered in the 1990s. The view of the Taj from the riverbank is the most photographed in India; sunset is the moment to be there.
7. Saheliyon-ki-Bari, Udaipur
The Garden of the Maidens, laid out by Maharana Sangram Singh in the early eighteenth century as a retreat for the queen and her ladies. Lotus pools, marble elephants and Mewar's gravity hydraulics make this the most intact Rajasthani princely garden.
8. Pinjore (Yadavindra) Gardens, Haryana
A seven-terraced Mughal char-bagh built by Fidai Khan in the seventeenth century, with the Shivalik foothills as backdrop. Sheesh Mahal, Rang Mahal and Jal Mahal pavilions punctuate the terraces.
9. Hanging Gardens of Mumbai
Built in 1881 atop the Malabar Hill water reservoir, these are a key piece of Mumbai's colonial-era public landscape. Topiary animals, formal flower beds and Arabian Sea panoramas in the city's most expensive neighbourhood.
10. Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah, Kolkata
Founded in 1787, one of the oldest botanic gardens in Asia, with 1,200 species across 109 hectares. The Great Banyan Tree is over 250 years old with a canopy spread of 1.5 hectares — one of the largest trees on earth by canopy area.
Where will you go first?
All of the gardens mentioned in this article are pinned on the interactive map. Use it to plan a route, group nearby sites into a single trip, or compare gardens by style and season.