Located in the center of Aarey Colony, Chhota Kashmir in Mumbai is a beautiful and colorful garden developed near the Aarey Dairy and opposite Aarey Police Station. This garden is filled with various flowers that blossom all year round. It has a beautiful lake where you can go boating and enjoy the closeness to Nature.
The garden lawns are evergreen with impressive palm and tall coconut trees, a perfect replica of Kashmir’s natural beauty. The Aarey Colony belt is located far from the busy city of Mumbai between the concrete and steel high rises.
The most popular attraction is the Chhota Kashmir garden, a lake on opposite sides of the road with plenty of sights. People come here for peace, tranquility, and serenity. It has one of the best picnic spots in India.
The garden has a lovely lotus pond. Chhota Kashmir is a perfect getaway spot for all age groups. You can visit it with your friends, family, and partner and enjoy nature.
Mumbai, the city of dreams, has many unique places to visit, and when at the Chhota Kashmir gardens, you can see many accessible and famous spots around it. It is a perfect place to be when searching for peaceful and quality time.
Here are some famous spots you can visit as you enjoy nature within the garden:
1. The Kashmir Lake
Chhota Kashmir has a robust Kashmir connection. The Kashmir lake occupies over 4 acres of land just over the street opposite Chhota Kashmir. It is famous for boat rides and has an incredible view.
Birds chirp all day long, the environment is quiet, and the fresh air makes visiting the lake worthwhile.
2. Chhota Kashmir Boat Club
The only boating location in Mumbai is Chhota Kashmir, which its citizens and tourists love to visit. It has a small lake with greenery and colorful birds like parrots, sunbirds, and the cuckoo.
As you approach it, the few kilometers of the green belt of the road allow you to enjoy nature as it is quiet with no cars honking around.
3. Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari
Also known as Film City or Dadasaheb Phalke Chitra Nagari, this famous spot is known for its film studio complex near Sanjay Gandhi National Park, east of Mumbai. It comprises a lake, recording rooms, a garden, and theatres.
The grounds have made many Bollywood and Marathi films for years.
4. Kanheri Caves
This group of caves and rock-cut monuments sit in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park forest, formerly the island of Salsette on the western outskirts of Mumbai. It contains paintings, Buddhist sculptures, carvings, and inscriptions from the first century.
Things to do at Chhota Kashmir
This is a hidden treasure amid Mumbai, where you will find greenery, forest land, animals, and fresh air. It is a perfect place to experience nature and click many pictures.
1. Boating
The vast Kashmir Lake is the only lake within Mumbai with rainforests surrounding it where you can enjoy boating. They offer raw boating and paddle boating. The lake is very peaceful and open to the public every day of the week.
Paddleboats are available in two, four, and six-sitter fittings, and you can choose any according to your numbers. You get no disturbance as you enjoy your ride. There are about 20 paddling boats and one motorboat available.
2. Have a picnic
The Chhota Kashmir garden is a popular tourist attraction offering the perfect picnic spot. The tree-lined vistas and the surrounding forest make it ideal for sitting down and enjoying snacks with your loved ones in the garden.
There are a variety of flowers, and it is evergreen. As you relax on your picnic, you also get a lake view. There are a few shops to shop from within the vicinity, and the tranquillity makes it perfect for you to enjoy your day.
3. Enjoy nature
The Chhota Kashmir garden is ideally located on the other side of Kashmir Lake. You can enjoy the beautiful view as you interact with nature away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city.
Timing and Entry Fees For Chhota Kashmir Garden
• Timing
The garden is open every day of the week from 10 am to 6 am. However, the boat timings are different; 11 am to 3 pm.
• Ticket rates
The garden has an entry fee of INR 20 for each person, and when you go boating, the tickets are INR 20 per person.
How to Reach Chhota Kashmir
Chhota Kashmir is accessible as it is connected to all the suburbs and significant parts of Mumbai city through the road.
Road: You can access it from the eastern suburbs via the Jogeshwari- Vikhroli link road. The western suburbs are through the western express highway, and you can access it from the central suburbs through the Marol Depot Road.
Train: You can use the train to reach this garden. It is 3.6 kilometers from the Goregaon East Railway station. You can reach the train station by road 17 minutes from the city.
Air: If you are a tourist outside the country, you can also fly to the gardens. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport in Mumbai is close to the park. A cab will only take you 30 minutes to reach the garden.
How is Chhota Kashmir Connected to Bollywood?
Even without visiting Chhota Kashmir, you may have seen it in many Bollywood movies or songs. The garden’s location, 4 kilometers from the Goregaon side door and on the highest point of a small mountain, makes it perfect for shooting incredible films.
When Bollywood could no longer shoot in Shimla and Kashmir, they chose to shoot their scenes in this fantastic garden still within India. It is a perfect spot if you love to see where these incredible films are shot.
It is known for the famous songs sung for shy Sharmila Tagore in Aradhana by the legendary actor, the late Rajesh Khanna.
The Aarey Colony
The Aarey Colony, also known as the Aarey Forest or the Aarey Milk Colony, is located within the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
This forest was established in 1949 to revolutionize the city’s processing and marketing of dairy products. It is an urban forest with a mixed moist deciduous type of forest.
It is one of the few green areas surviving within Mumbai, occupying over 2000 acres of land. The Maharashtra government declared approximately 600 acres of this land a forest reserve on 3 September 2020.
You will find the Aarey Colony in Goregaon, a popular suburb of Mumbai. At its center is the beautiful and peaceful Chhota Kashmir garden.
FAQs About Chhota Kashmir in Mumbai
Frequently asked questions on Chhota Kashmir
Is there parking at Chhota Kashmir?
Yes, parking is available. You can drive your car to the destination and park it safely.
Is Chota Kashmir open after the lockdown?
Even after the pandemic, the garden is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. You can also enjoy boat riding from 11 am to 3 pm.
Are there hotels near Chhota Kashmir?
Within minutes, you can reach several hotels while enjoying the garden, including Prego, Kangan, Seasonal Tasting, and Aarey garden restaurant.
What attractions can you find near Chhota Kashmir?
There are many attractions within the Chhota Kashmir garden, including Oberoi Mall, Shreeji Tours n Travels, Enfield Riders, Be The Local Tours, and Travel and India Boats.
What is the closing time at Chhota Kashmir?
As it gets darker, people are advised to vacate the place. By 7 pm, the garden is usually closed off to the public. It is known to have wild animals moving around at night. Therefore it’s best to leave by 7 pm.
Is Chota Kashmir in Mumbai suitable for couples?
Yes, Chota Kashmir is a romantic place preferred by most couples. With the combination of a Garden, Paddle Boat, Flower filled green Garden, a lotus pond, and plenty of places to sit and relax, Chotta Kashmir is a perfect place to spend a romantic time with couples. However, since families and children also visit this place, ensure to dress modestly and behave well.
Why is it called Chotta Kashmir?
Chotta Kashmir Garden is in the center of the Aarey colony and very close to the Aarey Diary. The location has a garden full of colorful flowers that blossom throughout the year. The beautiful green lawns of the garden, the magnificent coconut and palm trees, the Lotus Pond, and the Boating in the lake would remind you of the natural beauty of Kashmir. It is called ‘Chhota Kashmir’ (Mini Kashmir).
