Kota Barrage
A large barrage across the Chambal River, part of the Chambal Valley Project, best seen when its gates are opened during the monsoon.
Green riverside gardens along the Chambal canal country
The CAD Gardens take their name from the Chambal Command Area Development, the vast canal network that spread the Chambal's waters across the region after the barrage was built. In this green belt around the canals and waterworks, landscaped gardens and open spaces have grown up, offering residents and visitors a leafy, watery place to relax.
With their walking paths, lawns, shade trees and the calming presence of the canal waters, these gardens are a pleasant, low-key spot for a morning walk, a picnic or a quiet evening. The setting, where engineering meets greenery, is a reminder of how the Chambal's tamed waters have reshaped the land and life around Kota.
For travellers who enjoy relaxed green spaces over ticketed attractions, the CAD Gardens are a refreshing, everyday addition to the tourist places in Kota, best enjoyed in the cooler parts of the day.
The Chambal Command Area Development followed the construction of the Kota Barrage, creating an extensive canal system that transformed farming across the Hadoti plains.
Around this infrastructure, gardens and green spaces were developed, giving the canal belt a recreational as well as agricultural role and adding to Kota's stock of public greenery.
Locals say the Chambal, once wild and free, was persuaded to bless the fields through these canals, and that the gardens grown along them are her gift of shade and greenery to the city.


Your feedback helps us improve our Kota travel guides.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your experience!
A large barrage across the Chambal River, part of the Chambal Valley Project, best seen when its gates are opened during the monsoon.
A well-loved riverside garden on the banks of the Chambal, known for its pond, boating and glimpses of gharials and crocodiles.
A grand, kilometres-long riverfront along the Chambal, opened in 2022-23, celebrated as the world's largest and lined with monumental stone art.