Lal Bagh
Encyclopedia
- For the Mughal fort in DhakaDhakaDhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
, BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. see Lalbagh Fort.
Lal Bagh (Kannada: ಲಾಲ್ ಬಾಗ್) or Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, translated literally into English as; "The Red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
Garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
", is a well-known botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The garden was commissioned by the ruler of Mysore
Mysore State
The Kingdom of Mysore was one of the three largest princely states within the erstwhile British Empire of India. Upon India gaining its independence in 1947, the Maharaja of Mysore merged his realm with the Union of India...
, Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
. It has a famous glass house
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
which hosts a yearly flower show. It also has an aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
and a lake, and is one of the tourist attractions in Bangalore
Tourist attractions in Bangalore
Bangalore , officially Bengaluru , is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as the "Garden City of India"...
.
History
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
commissioned the building of this garden in 1760 but his son, Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
, completed it. Hyder Ali decided to create this garden on the lines of the Mughal Gardens
Mughal Gardens
Mughal gardens are a group of gardens built by the Mughals in the Islamic style of architecture. This style was heavily influenced by the Persian gardens particularly the Charbagh structure. Significant use of rectilinear layouts are made within the walled enclosures...
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 acre. 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 acre. The foundation stone for the Glass House, modelled on London's
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
was laid on 30 November '1898?' by Prince Albert Victor and was built by James Cameron, the then superintendent of Lalbagh.
Overview
Lal Bagh is a 240-acre (971,000 sq.m. - almost 1 km².) garden and is located in south BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. It holds a number of flower shows, especially on the Republic Day (26 January
Republic Day (India)
The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950....
). 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
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Kempe Gowda. The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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 brings the crowds.
Basis for modelling of Lal Bagh Gardens:
The Lal Bagh Gardens are based on the design of the Mughal Gardens that once stood at Sira
Sira, India
Sira is a town and taluk headquarters of Sira Taluk of Tumkur district in the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the National Highway NH-4 and NH-234 .-Geography:...
, 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
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India is a department of the Government of India, attached to the Ministry of Culture . The ASI is responsible for archaeological studies and the preservation of archaeological heritage of the country in accordance with the various acts of the Indian Parliament...
) 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.
Tourism and eco-development
Flower shows are conducted every year to educate people about the variety of flora and develop public interest in plant conservation and cultivation.
The government of Karnataka organizes "Janapada Jaatre" in Lal Bagh on the second and fourth weekends (both Saturday and Sunday) of every month. Janapada Jaatre, which translates to Folk Fair, features folk dance, music and plays performed by troupes from all parts of Karnataka. The show mainly depicts the cultural folklore of Karnataka, the traditional costumes and musical instruments.
A geological monument for the peninsular gneiss
Peninsular Gneiss
Peninsular Gneiss is a term coined to highlight the older gneissic complex of the abundant rock type found all over the Indian Peninsula. This term was first fashioned by W.F.Smeeth of the Mysore Geological Department in 1916 based on the first scientific study of this rare rock exposure...
formation is also a tourist attraction at the gardens. This monument has been designated by the Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India , established in 1851 is a government organization in India which is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines of Union Government of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. It is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and the second oldest...
on the Lal Bagh hill which is made up of 3,000 million-year-old peninsular gneissic rocks. One of the four cardinal towers erected by Kemepgowda II, also a major tourist attraction, is seen above this hillock. This tower gives the full view of Bangalore from the top.
Save Lal Bagh Protests
As part of the ongoing development of the Bangalore metro rail, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) 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.
Connectivity
Lal Bagh is well connected by BMTC buses from Majestic/Shivaji Nagar. All buses towards Jaya Nagar/Banashankari areas pass through one of the four gates of Lal Bagh.The Western Gate
Lal BaghLal Bagh
- History :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...
has four gates. The western gate is situated near Siddapur Circle. 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.College. The National College, Maharashtra Vidyalay, Chikkamavalli and Doddamavalli are nearby. The other side road goes to 'Krishna rao road', where you can see The Indian Institute of World Culture, a beautiful library and a fine auditorium, where there will be a programme every week. Farther south Model House street, and the Yediyur Terminus are the points.