Ahead of the 88th Mahamastakabhisheka at Shravanabelagola, the legend of Bahubali will be brought to life by way of a floral tribute at the 207th flower show at Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. The 10-day show beginning January 19, will be centred on Bahubali and showcase his life and teachings.
Highlighting the attractions during the Republic Day flower show, Prabhash Chandra Rai, Commissioner for Horticulture and chairman of Mysore Horticulture Society, said the Glass House in Lalbagh will be transformed into a mini Shravanabelagola.
A floral replica of the Indragiri Hill will be created, on which a 15-ft statue of Bahubali will be kept. Selected lines from literary works and books on Bahubali, known to be a messenger of peace, will be exhibited in Kannada, along with his portraits, pictures and paintings.
Coinciding with the Organics and Millet 2018 Millet Fair, the flower show will also promote the importance of millets. A bust of Bahubali using millets will be created at the venue. “A State-level drawing competition will be held and over 75 artists are expected to participate,” Mr. Rai said.
Over two lakh flowers will be used to recreate the scenes from Gommatagiri and Mahamastakabhisheka. “Several flower species such as hypericum, waxflower, anthurium, oriental lilies, and protea among others will be used for the replicas. In addition to this, 500 varieties of frigid zone flowers from Sikkim and Darjeeling will be on display,” said M. Jagadeesh, Deputy Director, Horticulture, Lalbagh.
Apart from this, the show will have floral pyramids, a flower pot exhibition, vegetable and mini-landscape demonstration, wood carving on 200-year-old fallen trees, and over 100 stalls selling plants.
Entry fees
The entry fee for the Republic Day Flower Show will be ₹60 for adults and ₹20 for children. “The winter flower show is generally not profitable, as the number of visitors are fewer. We get no special grant for organising the show. The money from the entrance fee just about meets the expense,” he said. The show is being organised at a cost of ₹1.63 crore.
Entry will be free for schoolchildren from January 22 to 25 and on January 27.
The restored Dr. M.H. Marigowda National Horticulture Library will be inaugurated on January 19. The over 150-year-old structure had has been repaired at a cost of ₹95 lakh. According to the Horticulture Department, materials used in the British era have been used to conserve the building and retain its old-world charm.
The waterfall, which is part of the Lalbagh lake water purification engineering system, will be formally inaugurated during the show. The waterfall will be operated four times a day for half an hour.
Vehicles will not be allowed inside Lalbagh during the show. Cars can be parked at the multi-storey parking at Shantinagar bus stand and J.C. Road BBMP car parking. Two-wheeler parking has been arranged at Al-Ameen College grounds. Senior citizens and differently-abled can make use of the five battery-operated vehicles at the Double Road entrance.
Use of plastic inside Lalbagh has been banned. Shops using plastic will be penalised. Volunteers from Hasirudala and Lions’ Club will be roped in to assist in garbage management.
Security measures
CCTVs have been installed at a hundred locations within Lalbagh. Fire engines and five ambulances will be stationed at the entrances of the garden.
On weekdays, over 200 policemen will be manning the garden, while on the weekend over 400 policemen will be deployed.
