Lalbagh Flower Show
In the 18th century Lalbagh Botanical Garden foundation was laid down by one of the most famous emperor of Mysore, Hyder Ali in the year 1760. Initially Lalbagh Botanical garden was a private orchard of the royal origin covering an area of 40 acres which later extended to an area of 240 acres. It was designed in the elegance of a traditional Mughal Garden whose aesthetics were a depiction of Paradise on earth; this garden was further developed by Hyder Ali’s son Tipu Sultan by adding horticulture wealth. By importing trees, plants, seeds and saplings from different countries like Persia, Afghanistan, Cape Town, Turkey, Mauritius and France, the Lalbagh botanical garden was completed and which has a collection of almost 1000 different and rare species of flora and fauna. This garden also has a variety of trees that are over hundred years old.
Till the year 1856 Lal Bagh garden was known as Mango Tope and the Cypress Garden. Later the Garden was named Lal Bagh because of a collection of red roses that remain blooming all through the year in this garden. Hyder Ali deployed traditional gardening families known as thigalars, a Tamil speaking community, to implement his plan. The botanical garden is enriched with exotic or indigenous flora of wide ranging diversity from different parts of the world. The first lawn clock of India was set up by Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Lalbagh garden itself. After the death of Tipu sultan in the year 1799, the East India Company took Lalbagh into its possession.
The golden era of Lalbagh can be marked as the year 1874, when the then Superintendent of Government gardens James Cameron proposed the construction of Glass house (also called the Albert Victor Conservatory) on the lines of Crystal Palace in London. The construction was started in the year 1888 and the Glass house was completed in the year 1890 at a cost of Rs 75,000.The Lalbagh Botanical garden hold the distinction of having the largest collection of rare and exotic plants in India. Earlier Lalbagh not only held the collections of flora but also wild animals like Lion, Tigers, bears, deer, panther, peacocks, swans and a variety of monkey species, these animals were shifted on the year 1920 to Mysore zoo. Lalbagh is now under the Directorate of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka. From the year 1856 Lalbagh has remained a Government Botanical Garden and has been worldwide famous as a centre for scientific study of plants and their conservation. Lalbagh Botanical Garden is regarded as one of the best gardens in the world for its layout, maintenance, scientific treasures and scenic beauty.
