Brindavan Gardens

The gardens were laid out from 1927 below the Krishnarajasagara dam on the Kaveri, built to a Mughal-influenced terraced plan with symmetrical parterres, water channels, fountains and cypresses running down the slope, covering around sixty acres in three terraces. A musical fountain, among the earliest in India, plays in the evening with the water lit and choreographed to recorded music, and the gardens are illuminated after dark, which is when nearly all visitors come. The dam above was engineered by M Visvesvaraya and was one of the largest reservoirs in Asia when completed.

What you actually see

• The terraced parterres - symmetrical beds and channels down three levels.
• The musical fountain - an evening show of lit and choreographed water.
• The dam - the KRS reservoir wall above the gardens.
• The night lighting - the whole garden illuminated after dusk.

When to go

October to March; the fountain show runs in the evening and the gardens are busiest then. Water levels in the reservoir vary with the monsoon and affect the display.

Honest expectations

Evening crowds are heavy and the fountain show is short and dated. Maintenance of the planting has been inconsistent. The dam itself cannot be walked on for security reasons.

Nearby

Mysore lies southeast; Srirangapatna is between.