A visit to the Garden City would be incomplete without spending some time at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden, which has a rich history and boasts of a number of ornamental and horticultural plant species both of exotic and indigenous origin. Lalbagh was developed by Hyder Ali, the famous ruler of Mysore as a private garden in 1760 on 40 acres of land. His son Tipu Sultan has major role in developing the garden.
Lalbagh, now under the Directorate of Horticulture, was accorded the status of Government Botanical Garden in 1856 by the British regime and has been since then, an internationally renowned centre for scientific study of plants and botanical artwork and also conservation of plants
Great spread
Lalbagh, spread over an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city, has about 1800 species of plants. Students, can explore the rich fauna of the garden.
A tree which is 200 ft. tall and 130 years old and silk cotton tree (buruga in Kannada), which is 200 years old, will make them appreciate the beauty of nature.
For children below 12 years, there is no entry fee and those students interested in visiting the garden in a group, would get assistance from the officials of the Department of Horticulture in exploring the lush green paradise.
Lalbagh, known for its unique achievement in nurturing the concept of horticulture and aiding the development of horticulture, conducts regular courses on fruit and vegetable processing, mushroom cultivation and ornamental gardening and horticulture.
Lalbagh also houses the Glass House. The structure, which is in the form of a diamond, was built in 1889 to commemorate the visit of Prince of Wales. Kempe Gowda Tower is another artistic structure, while the Dr. M. H. Marigowda National Horticulture Library is a reference library with a good collection of books on horticulture and allied subjects.
The flower shows held during August and January are a huge draw.
