Lalbagh Botanical Garden

Lalbagh was laid out in the eighteenth century as a private garden and expanded by later administrations into a botanical collection, which is still what it is: labelled trees from several continents, a bamboo section, a lake at the lower end and long avenues that give central Bengaluru most of its remaining quiet. The centrepiece is the Glass House, a cast-iron and glass hall that carries two large flower shows a year. At the highest point sits a bare granite outcrop, part of the ancient peninsular rock the city is built on, with a small stone watchtower on top and a view out over the treetops in every direction.

History

Hyder Ali commissioned the garden in 1760 on the lines of the Mughal gardens, and his son Tipu Sultan completed it. After the British conquest of Mysore in 1799 it was placed under Major Gilbert Waugh, in 1814 it passed to the Government of Mysore, and in 1855 the botanist Hugh Cleghorn chose it for a horticultural garden; over the years it gained India's first lawn clock and the subcontinent's largest collection of rare plants (Wikipedia, Lal Bagh).

What to look for

• The Glass House - a cast-iron and glass hall used for two large flower shows each year.
• The rock outcrop - bare granite with a small watchtower and a view across the whole canopy.
• Tree avenues - labelled specimens from several continents, a good number well over a century old.
• The lake and bamboo grove - the quieter lower end, busiest with birds early in the morning.

When to go

Early morning, from around six, is the garden at its best and busiest with walkers; by midday it empties out and heats up. The two big flower shows, in January and August, fill the Glass House and bring very large crowds. October to March is the pleasant half of the year, though Bengaluru's climate is mild throughout.

What to expect

It is a city park under pressure: paths are worn, litter accumulates at weekends and the lake is not clean. Flower show weeks mean queues at every gate and no chance of a quiet walk. Metro construction and road widening have taken bites out of the edges over the years. Labels are missing or wrong on plenty of trees.

Nearby

The Bull Temple, the streets of Basavanagudi and the shops of Jayanagar are all a short ride away.

Key facts