Born in Kathmandu, Nepal
Karna Shakya
कर्ण शाक्य
Hotel entrepreneur and conservationist who helped establish Nepal's first national park and saved the Garden of Dreams from demolition
Currently Founder, KGH Group of Hotels, Resorts & Spa
About
Karna Shakya trained as a forester in India. He worked as a government wildlife officer. In this role, he helped establish Nepal’s first national park. In 1970, he resigned and entered the tourism business.
He went on to build the KGH Group into a chain of eco-friendly hotels. These hotels are located in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, and Lumbini.
In 1998, a historic garden at Keshar Mahal, built in a neoclassical style based on ancient Greek and Roman design, was planned to be torn down to make way for a commercial centre. Shakya’s public campaign persuaded the government to stop the work instead. The garden was preserved and reopened to the public as the Garden of Dreams. Today, it is one of Kathmandu’s most cherished green spaces.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1943-04-02
- Birthplace
- Kathmandu, Nepal
- Profession
- Hotel entrepreneur, Conservationist, Writer, Philanthropist
- Current role
- Founder, KGH Group of Hotels, Resorts & Spa
- Nationality
- Nepal
- Status
- Alive
Current roles
Founder
KGH Group of Hotels, Resorts & Spa
Previous roles
Wildlife Officer
Government of Nepal
Education
Indian Forestry Institute, Dehradun
Forestry
Career & life timeline
- 1943-04-02
- 1970
Resigned from government forestry service and entered the tourism business
- 1998
His advocacy helped preserve the neoclassical Keshar Mahal garden, later reopened to the public as the Garden of Dreams
Achievements
Helped establish Nepal's first national park
Advocated successfully to save Kathmandu's Garden of Dreams from demolition
1998
Organizations & affiliations
- KGH Group of Hotels, Resorts & Spa
Last updated: 2026-09-06