The Sunder Nursery - Delhi’s Secret Garden
After a few days in India’s hectic and chaotic capital, it’s inevitable that you’ll want to seek out some peace and quiet from the frenetic streets. Located in south east Delhi and opposite the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Humayun’s Tomb, the Sunder Nursery is a perfect place to unwind, relax and breathe a breath of fresh air!
What is the Sunder Nursery?
The Sunder Nursery is a large park that was known as the Azimuth Bagh or “Great Garden” in Mughal times. Renovated in the 20th century, the nursery was used, under British rule, to propagate new plants and trees for the new capital, New Delhi.
Nowadays the Sunder Nursery is a manicured landscape garden and nursery, popular with locals and tourists alike, who wish to escape the dusty streets and unwind in a beautiful green oasis.
How much does the Sunder Nursery cost to visit?
Entry tickets for the Sunder Nursery cost 200 rupees each (£1.94 or $2.43) for non Indians.
Our experience of the Sunder Nursery
We visited the Sunder Nursery after a morning being baked by the sun at Humayun’s Tomb. The temperature was nearing the 40 degrees celsius mark and we were eager to find some shade.
We brought our tickets, along with two ice creams (we highly recommend the butterscotch Cornettos) and headed into the nursery. We had visited a few of Delhi’s parks including the lovely Lodhi Gardens and the calm Deer Park at Hauz Khas, but what we found at Sunder Nursery really was on another level.
Straight out of the entrance a long, ornamental water garden stretched away from us. With rivulets of water running through carved canals, that spiralled and curved through calligraphy and shapes. Next to the running water were hidden benches set amongst flowering green plants and jasmine trees. It really was a cool oasis, far away from the hustle of the surrounding city. When we looked at a map later, it seemed incredible that this peaceful garden effectively backed onto one of the busiest train stations in the country!
As we led away from the long water garden, the water canal expanded into an ornamental lake with fountains and overhanging trees. Dotted around the lake were little picnic spots, and not for the first time in Delhi, we wished we’d brought a packed lunch.
The whole garden was full of these secret nooks, and hidden surprises. From formal gardens, to semi wild areas, wooded dells to ruins and rose gardens, the Sunder Nursery was a treasure trove. As we explored, we felt that any turn we made could have led us straight into Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Secret Garden.
As we left the more formal gardens, and vast nurseries behind, we stumbled upon the wild gardens. The Sunder Nurseries wild garden was one of our favourite parts of the whole nursery. Artfully planted to look natural, with large trees creating shade over vast flowing brooks it was a world away from the baking, noisy maelstrom of Delhi. The path followed alongside the bubbling brook, and wound its way through foliage that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Welsh Valleys.
In amongst the colourful flower beds and elegant walkways, are strewn a host of ruins. Many of these ruins are UNESCO World Heritage monuments in their own right, but set within the gardens they blend perfectly in with the landscaped greenery. The ruins are not cordoned off, and you were free to wander in and out of their shaded and dilapidated rooms. We saw many families using their shade to have picnics in their ruined halls.
In the grounds, butterflies whiled and peacocks wandered around, whilst cheeky chipmunks scampered from branch to branch. We even spotted a Grey Hornbill in a tree. We like to think that he was a slightly drabber cousin to the more vibrant Thai Hornbills we spotted on Koh Yao Noi.
The Sunder Nursery was unexpectedly brilliant. Perhaps we didn’t do the research, but we were utterly blown away by the gardens. They were bigger than we expected, more interesting and far, far more beautiful! As a stop we had made just to get out of the sun, the Sunder Nursery was fantastic, well worth a visit, and should certainly be included on any Delhi itinerary.
How to get to the Sunder Nursery?
For those combining a trip to the Sunder Nursery with Humayun’s Tomb, the Sunder Nursery is located within walking distance of the entrance to Humayun’s Tomb. Both the tomb and the nursery could easily be combined in one trip.
The easiest way to get to the Sunder Nursery (or Humayun’s Tomb) is via rickshaw or taxi. In Delhi, auto rickshaws can be flagged down on the street, or pre-booked online via Uber or Ola. When we visited, we booked an auto-rickshaw via Uber from our hostel, JHouse in Mohammadpur and the journey took us just twenty minutes to reach the gates of the Sunder Nursery.
The Sunder Nursery is located a short drive from Nizamuddin Railway Station. You can walk for around twenty minutes from the station, however, the walk will not be the nicest so we would recommend getting an auto rickshaw from the station to drop you off.
For those travelling by metro, the closest stations are Jawahar Lal Nehru (Violet Line) and Supreme Court Station (Blue Line). Once you have arrived at these stations you will need to hop in an auto rickshaw to get you to the entrance. We would say in support of lazy people that the auto rickshaws, at least when booked through Uber, are super cheap. The twenty minute journey from our hostel in Mohammadpur cost under £2 so would hardly break the bank.
There are bus stops just outside Humayun’s Tomb that can take you to Nizamuddin Railway Station, further south, or up north to connect you with Old Delhi.
There is also car parking available at the site.
Is there food and drink available?
Yes, there are several cafes and snack vans dotted around the nursery, however the water on sale is extremely expensive. As no plastic is allowed to be sold within the nursery, the water is all in fancy glass bottles and the price reflects this. Shamefully, the Coca Cola in a can is far cheaper!
If you’re visiting on the weekend you can also catch an organic and lifestyle market held in the grounds.
Are there toilet facilities to use?
Yes, there are toilets in the nursery, however we didn’t use them so can’t comment on how they were.
Is this a good place to bring children?
Definitely! In addition to the lawns and open spaces, there is a large adventure playground for children. We think there was a small charge for admission, but being India this was not expensive.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
After you have finished exploring the Sunder Nursery, why not head just over the road and explore the incredible Humayun’s Tomb!
*Prices correct at time of visiting - May 2023
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