Lalbagh, which started out as a fruit trees jungle, now sprawls
across 240 acres and is every botanist's delight.
The Lalbagh Botanical Garden has been described as a pendant in
the Garden City's necklace of gardens and is regarded as one of
the best in the East for its layout, maintenance, rare flora and
scenic beauty.
It all began in 1760, when, emboldened by his success with royal
parks in Srirangapatna and Malavalli, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore,
decided to set up a similar park in Bangalore. Hyder identified
a 40-acre patch about a mile east of his fort and a short distance
west of Kempe Gowda's tower, and set up a royal orchard. The area
was called the fruit trees jungle!
At first, Hyder was confronted with problems arising from the city's
undulating landscape, but he refused to give up. Instead, he sent
delegations to Multan, Lahore, Arcot and Delhi to import rare species
of plants. He also brought in traditional gardening families known
as Thigalars, a Tamilspeaking community, to execute his plan and
gave importance to fruit-bearing trees.
While Hyder laid the foundation, it was his son, Tipu Sultan, who
took it forward. He established a garden department headed by the
'daroga' (chief gardener) and used leather drums and bullockcarts
to transport water from Lalbagh's lake for irrigation. He later
divided the park into different sections and laid a walking path
lined with cypress trees. He also enlarged the park by acquiring
adjoining bits of land. Tipu also used his French connection to
enrich Lalbagh. He imported a variety of seeds and plants in 1780
from the Isle of France in Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, Kabul,
Persia, Turkey and Africa and successfully nurtured them in the
garden. He also converted Lalbagh into a plant distribution centre
for his farmers, but after his death in 1799, the park fell into
the hands of the East India Company.
Impressed by the floral richness of Lalbagh, the then Governor General
of India, Marquis of Hastings, urged the Botanical Establishment
at Calcutta to take over the park and develop it as its centre in
the South. The Company converted Lalbagh into an intermediate nursery
to introduce and acclimatise trees and plants imported from Europe
and China. The Company renamed it the Garden of Waugh in memory
of Major Waugh, its chief botanist. In 1831, it was transferred
to the Chief Commissioner of Mysore and in 1836, the agri-horticulture
society was set up under the aegis of Sir Mark Cubbon and the park
was made accessible to the public.
The golden era of Lalbagh began in 1874 with James Cameron taking
charge as the superintendent of government gardens. He proposed
the construction of the Glass House on the lines of the Crystal
Palace in London, to nurture exotic, imported plant species. Construction
began in 1888 and the Glass House was completed in 1890 at a cost
of Rs 75,000, in time to commemorate the visit of the Prince of
Wales. Today, as the jewel of Lalbagh, it is the centrestage for
the famous flower shows.
Cameron also introduced the concept of the zoo for the benefit of
foreign visitors. The earliest mention of an animal obatined by
Lalbagh was a black panther in 1862. Authorities bought a male orangutan
from Sumatra for Rs 1,000 and added a good collection of deer, birds
and other animals.
The park now sprawls across 240 acres and is every botanist's and
horticulturist's delight with 673 genera and 1,854 species of plants.
But it's also a tourist attraction owing to unique landmarks within
the garden area. The rock mound upon which the Kempe Gowda tower
is built dates back 3,000 million years, bearing testimony to the
name Gondwana Land. The lake on the eastern side was beautified
with artificial islands, while the pigeon stand, guards' room and
heritage structures like the bandstand are also a must-see.
You Must Know !
* The Lalbagh lake was originally a depression created by illegal
stone quarrying on the Siddapura village side.
* The famous Mysore zoo owes its origin to Lalbagh which housed
several animals before they were taken to set up a zoo in Mysore.
* Lalbagh is the only garden in the world to be visited by the princes
and princesses of almost all British colonies.
* Paddy and sugar varieties now grown in south India were first
experimented with in Lalbagh.
It all began in 1760, when, emboldened by his success with royal
parks in Srirangapatna and Malavalli, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore,
decided to set up a similar park in Bangalore. Hyder identified
a 40-acre patch about a mile east of his fort and a short distance
west of Kempe Gowda's tower, and set up a royal orchard. The area
was called the fruit trees jungle! 
While Hyder laid the foundation, it was his son, Tipu Sultan, who
took it forward. He established a garden department headed by the
'daroga' (chief gardener) and used leather drums and bullockcarts
to transport water from Lalbagh's lake for irrigation. He later
divided the park into different sections and laid a walking path
lined with cypress trees. He also enlarged the park by acquiring
adjoining bits of land. Tipu also used his French connection to
enrich Lalbagh. He imported a variety of seeds and plants in 1780
from the Isle of France in Mauritius, Cape of Good Hope, Kabul,
Persia, Turkey and Africa and successfully nurtured them in the
garden. He also converted Lalbagh into a plant distribution centre
for his farmers, but after his death in 1799, the park fell into
the hands of the East India Company.
Impressed by the floral richness of Lalbagh, the then Governor General
of India, Marquis of Hastings, urged the Botanical Establishment
at Calcutta to take over the park and develop it as its centre in
the South. The Company converted Lalbagh into an intermediate nursery
to introduce and acclimatise trees and plants imported from Europe
and China. The Company renamed it the Garden of Waugh in memory
of Major Waugh, its chief botanist. In 1831, it was transferred
to the Chief Commissioner of Mysore and in 1836, the agri-horticulture
society was set up under the aegis of Sir Mark Cubbon and the park
was made accessible to the public.
The golden era of Lalbagh began in 1874 with James Cameron taking
charge as the superintendent of government gardens. He proposed
the construction of the Glass House on the lines of the Crystal
Palace in London, to nurture exotic, imported plant species. Construction
began in 1888 and the Glass House was completed in 1890 at a cost
of Rs 75,000, in time to commemorate the visit of the Prince of
Wales. Today, as the jewel of Lalbagh, it is the centrestage for
the famous flower shows.
