Lalbagh or
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, meaning
The Red Garden in
English, is a well known botanical garden in southern
Bangalore, India. The garden was originally commissioned by
Hyder Ali, the ruler of
Mysore, and later finished by his son
Tipu Sultan. It has a famous glass house which hosts two annual flower shows (
January 26th &
August 15th). Lalbagh houses
India's largest collection of tropical plants, has a lake, and is one of the main tourist attractions in
Bangalore.
Lal Bagh is also home to a few species of birds. The commonly sighted birds include
Myna, parakeets, crows, Brahmini
Kite,
Pond Heron,
Common Egret,
Purple Moor Hen etc.
Hyder Ali commissioned the building of this garden in 1760 but his son, Tipu Sultan, completed it.The Lalbagh gardens are based on the design of the
Mughal Gardens that once stood at
Sira, at a distance of
120 km from
Bengaluru on the main
NH4 at
Tumkur District in
Karnataka. This is amply supported by
ASI (
Archaeological Survey of India) and other historical records. At that time, Sira was the headquarters of the strategically important southernmost
Mughal "suba" (province) of the
Deccan before the
British Raj.
Lalbagh has four gates. The western gate is situated near Siddapur
Circle and One can enter this gate and enjoy the silvan atmosphere of the garden.
Outside, touching the compound gate, is Krumbigal
Road.
The other side of the road touches the compound wall of
R.V.School.
The National College, Rashtraya Vidyalaya, Chikkamavalli and Doddamavalli are nearby. The other side of the road goes to '
Krishna Rao road', where you can see The
Indian Institute of
World Culture, a beautiful library and a fine auditorium, which hosts a programme every week. Farther south,
Model House street and the
Yediyur Terminus are the main points.
The eastern gate has a wide road with Jayanagar close by. The southern gate is often referred to as the main gate and is near Lalbagh Road. The northern gate is a fairly wide and big road leading to the
Glass House and serves as the primary exit.
Lalbagh remains open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. throughout the year. For the benefit of joggers, tourists and fitness enthusiasts, entry is free from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. At other times, a fee of Rs.10/- is charged.
Entry for school children and the disabled is free all day.
As part of the ongoing development of the
Bangalore metro rail, the
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd has acquired a section of Lal Bagh of around 1,135 m2 where tree felling is taking place. On April 13 and 14, 2009,
500 feet of Lalbagh's wall was broken down and a number of eucalyptus trees were cut.
Citizens protests started almost immediately and have been continuing on a weekly basis. Protests are being made against illegal tree felling and land acquisition by the government without paying heed to various acts put into place to protect Bangalore's greenery and public park spaces.
Lalbagh is well connected by
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses from
Kempegowda Bus Station/
Shivaji Nagar. All buses towards Jayanagar/
Banashankari areas pass through one of the four gates of Lalbagh.
- published: 12 Jun 2016
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