Lal Bagh

Lal Bagh Botanical Garden - Places to Visit in Bangalore, India

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• published: 06 Apr 2013
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Lal Bagh or Lal Bagh 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 an annual flower show. Lal Bagh houses India's largest collection of tropical plants, has an aquarium and a lake, and is one of the main tourist attractions in Bangalore. Hyder Ali commissioned the building of this garden in 1760 but his son, Tipu Sultan, completed it. Hyder Ali decided to create this garden on the lines of the Mughal Gardens that were gaining popularity during his time. Hyder Ali laid out these famous botanical gardens and his son added horticultural wealth to them by importing trees and plants from several countries. Hyder Ali deployed people from Thigala Community who were extremely good in gardening. The Lal Bagh Gardens were commissioned by the 18th century and over the years it acquired India's first lawn-clock and the subcontinent's largest collection of rare plants. In 1874, Lal bagh had an area of 45 acres (180,000 m2). In 1889, 30 acres were added to the eastern side, followed by 13 acres in 1891 including the rock with Kempegowda tower and 94 acres more in 1894 on the eastern side just below the rock bringing it to a total of 188 acres (760,000 m2). The foundation stone for the Glass House, modelled on London's Crystal Palace was laid on 30 November '1898?' by Prince Albert Victor and was built by James Cameron, the then superintendent of Lalbagh. Lal Bagh is a 240-acre (971,000 sq.m. - almost 1 km².) garden and is located in south Bangalore. It holds a number of flower shows, especially on the Republic Day (26 January). The garden has over 1,000 species of flora. The garden also has trees that are over 100 years old. The garden surrounds one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda. The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan and France. With an intricate watering system for irrigation, this garden is aesthetically designed, with lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools and fountains. Most of the centuries old trees are labelled for easy identification. The Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3,000 million years, is another attraction that attracts the crowds. The Lal Bagh 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. More details on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Bagh