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| Statue of Chamaraja Wodeyar at the entrance |
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| Kempe Gowda's statue |
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| Three thousand million old rock |
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| Kempe Gowda Tower |
Lalbagh is one of the most visited sight-seeing spots in
Bangalore. This famous Botanical garden
was cultivated around the historic Kempe Gowda Tower built on a huge rocky
hillock. This garden was laid out in 1760’s by Hyder Ali modeled on the pattern
of Moghul Gardens in Sira laid out by the last Mughal SubhedarDilawar Khan
(1726-1756). Tipu Sultan completed the expansion of the garden by importing
many exotic trees and plants from Persia, Afghanistan and Paris. India’s first
lawn-clock is seen at the entrance here. This garden apart from having a largest
collection of tropical plants is surrounded by very big trees older than one
hundred years of age.
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| Trees older than one hundred years |
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| Japanese Decorative Monument |
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| Site Plan of Lalbagh Gardens |
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| Lalbagh Lake |
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| Statue of Bahubali with floral backdrop |
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| Statue of Lord Krishna facing his enemy |
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| Wooden artefacts |
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| Floral decorations in glass house |
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| Floral art |
In the initial stages this garden was spread over 45 acres
but later had been extended to cover a larger area of 240 acres. It has a very big lake and many kinds of birds
like mynas, parakeets, kites, crows, moor hens and common egrets are sighted here.
In 1860’s there used to be a menagerie with a few wild animals. The Lalbagh
Rock, a natural hillock like formation, is said to be more than 3000 million
years old. Another star attraction is the glass house constructed in 1898 by
John Cameron adopting the design of the Crystal Palace in London. There are four gateways to approach the
garden. The Southern Gate is the main gate on Lalbagh Road and the Northern Gate
leading to the Glass House is the exit gate. The Western Gate is near Siddapur
Circle and the Eastern Gate is on Jaya Nagar Road.
Every year flower
shows are organized in this place on 15th August and on 26th
January by the Department of Horticulture in collaboration with Mysore
Horticultural Society. This mega show
attracts lakhs of visitors from India and abroad. This year the theme of the 207th flower show
is the celebration 15-foot high Bahubali statue on Indra Giri built with five
lakhs of flowers of different kinds such as hypericum, lilies, wax flowers,
Protea etc. A bust of Bahu Bali made of
millets is also on display stressing the nutritious value of millets. The
floral figure of Lord Krishna facing his enemy is another example of floral
decorative art. In previous flower shows the floral replicas of Mysore Palace,
Gol Gumbaz (the famous dome in Bijapur) and the Red Fort were designed. Many
flower beds filled with orchids, chrysanthemums, hibiscus flowers, asters, and
lilies with cascading streams and pools create a colorful grand spectacle
revealing the wonderful variety of the floral world. Many flowers and plants
are trimmed in the shape of artistic vases and animals.
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| Bonsai Plant |
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| Bonsai Plant |
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| Cactus plants |
More than 500 varieties
of Frigid Zone flowers form Sikkim and Darjeeling are also beautifully arranged
in various patterns. Apart from this there is Bon Sai collection showing
various miniature trees bearing fruits. In the Cactus plant collection a wide
variety of desert plants are displayed. In the vegetable section many vegetable
plants like pumpkin, brinjal, snake gourd and Ram Phal in various colors and
sizes are seen. A separate exhibition of gardening tools, organic food
products, plant fertilizers, flower pots, herbal and Ayurvedic medicines was
also organized.
All along the way to glass house a long row of stalls selling
plastic decorative hangings, plastic flower pots, plastic flower bouquets and
sprinklers are seen. Somehow this does not seem to fit in with the motive and
message of this flower show which gives much importance to use of natural and
organic products. At the entrance of the flower show some volunteers were seen
showing placards against plastic pollution. The long line of stalls all kept at
one place created a congested atmosphere and visitors have to push their way
through narrow space.
These stalls would have been kept at the entrance itself
to avoid congestion and inconvenience to people on their way to glass house.
The entry fee for adults is Rs.60/- and Rs.20/- for kids. To attract more
people these rates may be slashed so that common people can also afford to make
use of this rare opportunity. There is facilty for carrying elderly and
disabled people in a battery-vehicle around up to glasshouse on payment of
Rs.100/- per head.
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| Organic Vegetable Plants |
Generally on other
days this garden is open from 6.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. For the sake of joggers
and health enthusiasts free entry is provided from 6.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. in
the morning and from 5.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. in the evening. During other
timings an amount of 20/- is charged as entry fee. On every second and fourth
weekend days of the month, Jana Jatre is organized when folk dances, folk songs
and plays are performed and many costumes and handicraft articles are held for
sale. To educate public about preservation of nature, many courses on Ikebana,
horticulture, mushroom and Bonsai cultivation are organized. In the Aquarium Museum
many interesting models and illustrations concerned with fish and aquatic
creatures are displayed. The wooden architecture in the middle of the garden is
meant for musical orchestra. The Japanese decorative monument is another worth
seeing spot.
The Lalbagh Gardens is a famous center for scientific study and
preservation of plants. At the same time it is a very attractive tourist spot
with many kinds of flora and fauna located in the scenic surroundings with
lotus pools, flower beds, huge trees and most primitive rocky hillock with the
historic tower from where one can have a panoramic view of Bangalore.
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28th March, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
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