(This month, each day, except the four Sundays, I will be blogging about interesting features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, as part of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge)
Lalbagh was set up in 1760 by the ruler of Mysore Hyder Ali as a private garden on the lines of Delhi's Mughal Gardens. His son Tipu Sultan developed it further by bringing in seeds and saplings from abroad.
It was named Lalbagh in 1856. From the next year, flower shows began to be held. Even now, there two, one on Independence Day (on Aug 15) and the other on Republic Day (on Jan 26), to showcase the large diversity of flora that the garden boasts of.
It's said two mango trees that are over 250 years old, planted during the time of Hyder Ali, are the oldest in Lalbagh today. There are now 2,150 species of plants belonging to 673 genera and 140 families.
I will let some photos speak. Here are some that I took during a visit in 2016.
 |
| This is the famous Glasshouse erected in 1889-90, apparently modelled on the lines of London's Crystal Palace. |
 |
| The lawn clock. |
 |
| The tree fossil. Description below |
REFERENCES:
Karntaka Government's Horticultural Department
(Tomorrow we head to Bengaluru's city centre and look at a 19th century building.)
Beautiful and serene garden. Mango trees can be high and big, I guess these ones 250 years old are huge!
ReplyDeleteHari Om
ReplyDeleteIt is so wonderful to have such places available to spend time in and receive the respite of the natural world! YAM xx
Hi Yamini - Yes, indeed. :-)
DeleteThanks for introducing Lalbagh and sharing these wonderful pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Pradeep - gorgeous gardens and so serene. I'd love to have a stroll through the site. Congrats on tackling another AtoZ - you're so much better at it than me (3 was my limit - and this April has been a busy one for me, so even less time to check out other blogs!) I scrolled few a few of your other posts - all really interesting and a bit of a cultural experience for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Leanne - Thanks. I do understand it's not easy when we have a lot of other commitments that take greater priority.
DeleteI'm happy to see these actual photos of the Lalbagh, and to know that it is maintained so beautifully. When my son was little he had a children's book called The Sheep of the Lal Bagh; I didn't even know that this park was so old or that it was in Bengaluru.
ReplyDeleteMy question is: is it free and open to the public, or does one have to pay to enter? Unless is was restricted in some way, I can't imagine how it could be kept so pristine.
Now I have one more reason (of many) to go to Bengaluru next time I go to India. Would absolutely love to go to a flower show there.
Hi Josna - There is an entry fee. Rs 30 for adults and Rs 10 children. And parking free for vehicles. For cars, Rs 40 on weekdays and Rs 50 on holidays. For two-wheelers Rs 30 on weekdays and Rs 35 on holidays.
DeleteDefinitely a place worth visiting.
Oooh. That looks like a great place to take a long walk.
ReplyDeleteThe Lal bagh garden looks much more enticing and colourful when one visits the garden than what photos can depict especially during some months.
ReplyDeleteHi KP - Yes. Nothing like being there in person.
DeleteThank you for the virtual and historical tour of Lal Bagh Pradeep. I've never been.
ReplyDeleteWonder if those 250 years old mango trees still bear fruit?
Hi Arti - Thank you. I have no clue whether that mango tree bear bear fruit!
DeleteLove the pictures! I'm afraid I knew nothing about Bengaluru before, so thank you so much for opening my eyes!
ReplyDeleteOver on SASiety, we're also blogging about a place today: London.
Hi Sasiety - Thank you for stopping by :-) When you get the time, please go through the other posts in the A to Z series as well.
DeleteI am hopping on to your blog right away.
I have visited Lalbagh twice.
ReplyDeletePeaceful place. Hope all the trees continue standing forever.
Hi Anita - Glad to know you have been here. Well, the horticulture department is taking good care of the flora.
DeleteI have gone here with picnic baskets and we would put our blanket on the ground and have good fun. I remember buying tickets to go to a movie in Urvasi, coming here till it was time to go and then walk to the theatre! The small hillock inside the park was a great place to sit in the evening
ReplyDeleteHi Meena - Yes, indeed. It's one of the those peaceful enclaves in the city.
DeleteThat looks like a beautiful place to visit. Too bad it's on the other side of the world from me.
ReplyDeleteYes, there are so many beautiful places in the world, and unfortunately, they all aren't nearby!
DeleteI have been to the US quite a few times, and I have been lucky to see some extraordinarily beautiful places and meet wonderful people.
What a lovely place. I'm glad you got to visit. Thanks for sharing photos.
ReplyDeleteHi Darla - Thank you. :-)
DeleteIt has been almost three years since my last visit to Lalbagh (and to Bangalore) now.. hoping we can make it again..
ReplyDeleteWalking to and in Lalbagh as well as the Independence Day Flower show is one of our highlights each time we visit..
The Lake Poets and Their “Lake Poems”
Hi Lady in Read - Thank you for stopping by :-) I guess the place is getting better by the day. And now with the metro connectivity, it's much easily accessible.
DeleteHi Pradeep - this must be wonderful to see ... loved the photos - thank you ... Hilary
ReplyDelete