Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore

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The Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Bangalore is of royal origin and was started initially as a private garden in an area of 40 acres by Hyder Ali, one of the most famous rulers of old Mysore in 1760. Initially designed in Mughal style, on the model of an extensive garden at Sira in Tumkur near Bangalore, this garden was further developed by Hyder Ali’s son Tipu Sultan and subsequently by the British and Indian doyens of horticulture by extension of area and addition of a number of plant species.
Lalbagh is currently under the Directorate of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka. The Directorate is housed amidst the splendid environs of the botanical garden. Lalbagh was given the status of a Government Botanical Garden in 1856, and since then, it has been an internationally renowned centre for scientific study of plants and botanical artwork and also conservation of plants. Formal and informal styles dominate the garden in perfect harmony, which is a testimony to the beauty of nature. Today, the garden is a lush green paradise with an area of 240 acres in the heart of the city.
This garden houses a Glass House, built during the British Raj and is said to be modelled on London's Crystal Palace. This now serves as a venue for all Horticultural Shows put up in lalbagh. Bi-annual flower shows are popular here and start a week prior to our Independence day (15th Aug) and our Republic Day (26th Jan) every year. Expect hoardes of visitors during the same!
HMT(Hindusthn Machine Tools) gifted Lalbagh a huge floral clock, said to be one of the most accurate such clocks in the world!
The Lalbagh Rock is one of the oldest rocks in the world and is over 3000 million years old!
All in all, Lalbagh is a must visit when in Bangalore

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Lal Bagh Botanical Garden is a well known botanical garden in Bangalore, India The garden was commissioned by the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali.
Background
Hyder Ali commissioned the building of this garden in 1760 but his son, Tipu Sultan, completed it. Lalbagh is a 240 acre (971,000 sq.m. - almost 1 sq.km.) garden and is located on the southern part of Bangalore. It holds a number of flower shows, especially on the Republic Day (26th January). The garden has over 1,000 species of flora. The Glass House, modeled on London's Crystal Palace (now re-modelled with a different layout), is the center of attraction. Hyder Ali laid out these famous botanical gardens and his son added horticultural wealth to them by importing trees and plants from several countries. The Lalbagh 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. The garden also has trees that are over 100 years old.


The Glass House at Lal BaghThe garden surrounds one of the towers erected by the founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda. Hyder Ali decided to create this garden on the lines of the Mughal Gardens that were gaining popularity during his time. The park has some rare species of plants brought from Persia, Afghanistan and 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 labeled for easy identification. The Lal Bagh Rock, one of the oldest rock formations on earth, dating back to 3000 million years, is another attraction that brings the crowds.

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Excellent value. There's no foreign quota, everyone pays a ridiculous 5 or 15.- Rs. entrance fee. Can't remember correctly but it was damn cheap. The botanical garden covers a very large area so you can spend a lot of time (we spent 4 hours) walking and seeing different subtropical plants, artificial lakes, etc. There are some wild monkeys, squirrels and other animals as well. A very nice place if you like nature. You can relax on the benches which is refreshing after spending some hours in the overcrowded and smoke-filled streets crawling in the chaotic traffic. The only drawback is that Indians seem to keep their nasty habit of littering, even in this beautiful garden.
Moreover, we didn't see any other western tourists. It means that there were no self-appointed guides, souvenir sellers and it was possible to ask an Indian to make a photo of the 2 of us without having to give some baksheesh. Refreshing experience.

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In the southern part of Bangalore is 240 acres of well laid out botanical gardens chock full of both native species of plants and a wide variety of exotic plants. The greenhouse is supposedly based on London's Crystal Palace, although the grounds keeper I chatted with said it preceeded that landmark. Whatever the case, the gardens are well worth an afternoon of your time.

If you go in the early morning to Lalabagh Park it is packed with morning walkers and there is no charge to get in.After 9:00AM it is five Rupees entry fee. It is worth it at any time.

The 240 acre Lalbagh Gardens were laid out in 1760 by HyderAli.

The Park has the Glass House, inspired by the Crystal Palace in London and hosts the colorful Flower show during August.

Spread over 240 acres of flowering glory, Lal Bagh has rare collection of tropical and sub-tropical trees, plants and herbs to quench the thirst of search for scenic beauty by both layman and horticulturist. Hyder Ali was the force behind laying out the park in 17th century. But Tipu Sultan was responsible for enriching the vast collection by importing several specimens from Afghanistan, France and Persia. Lal Bagh is artistically landscaped with expansive lush lawns, flowerbeds, lotus pools and fountains. In 1840, Lal Bagh had a magnificent glass house built in line of London's Crystal Palace. January and August are the best time to visit to see the garden bursting with full bloom.

The gardens were originally laid out in 1760 and are amongst the most famous in India.

The gardens cover over 240 acres, and are home to more than 1,000 tropical plants, some of which are not found anywhere else in India.

There is also a 19th century pavilion, fountains and lamp stands.

Bangalore is rich of flowers and cool weather. Lalbaugh is very beautiful gardens, with variety of flowers, glass house, memorials.
The photo is of a tree, believed to be more than 2,000,000 years old.
Open:9 a.m.-7p.m.
Entry fee per car: Rs30.