The Garden in The Garden City

Bangalore is known as "The Garden City". Although unrestrained and uplanned development have taken much of the "Garden" out of the city there are still hundreds of small gardens throughout the city. There is also one large central garden. Lal Bagh (Red Garden) is a 220 acre garden in the center of Bangalore. I am told that 30 or 40 yrs before Bangalore became the silicon valley of India large open areas like Lal Bagh were common. I can only hope that Bangalore will see the value of this area and like Central Park in NYC or Lincoln Park in Chicago ensure it is always a place for all Bangaloreans to enjoy a break from the city.

The entrance is a glimpse into the color and variety to come.


The brightly colored bushes are Boganvilla. I bought some seeds and received an 80% gurantee they would grow and look like this. My balcony is going to be pretty cool.

The friends I went with. I'm pretty sure the flower looks better on me than Andy.

Inside the North entrance is a large granite hill. From the top the view of downtown Bangalore is pretty cool.

Many of the trees were in Spring bloom. The colors are amazing. Orange, Yellow, Red, Pink, Purple



The petals that fall from the trees give the paths a temporary splash of color











A number of avenues and paths lead through the park. I decided to call this one Red Flower Avenue. I can't be creative all the time.

Palm Tree Avenue

The Avenue of the Purple Tree

The Avenue with the 200 Year Old Tree. Named after the 200 year old tree on the left.

I quickly made friends with the 200 yr old tree. It was planted by the Tipu Sultan; the ruler of Bangalore before (and during a part of) British rule.

One of the large open spaces



The gate to the rose gardens. A worker was watering the roses when we were there. His bike is leaning on the arch.





A couple water lilies from the water garden area



Probably my favorit wall

A section of a petrified tree from the state of Tamilnadu thought to be about 20 million years old (the tree that is, not the state). Our guide phrased it as 200 lakh years old. Lakh (pronounced "lack") is the term for 100,000 of something.

Ever climb and 800 year old tree? I have. It is immense!

I have seen the Trash Rabbits at other places around Bangalore but never had my camera. They are interesting, funny, cool and disturbing all at the same time. Are rabbits known for collecting trash?

I have to admit, the Trash Monkey makes more sense to me after seeing the monkeys here.

One more just to complete the set...

The topiary garden has a lot of very uniquely trimmed bushes. Some of them are more like modern art than recognizable shapes. I'm not sure but the one in the center looks a little like a penguin.

There are also a lot of other creatures that call the topiary garden home









These are some of the workers who keep the garden beautiful. Today they were in the topiary garden spreading dirt that is brighter red than any I've ever seen. Even the dirt here is vivid.

Without people; families, children, couples, enjoying it the garden would not be nearly as nice.

The Glass House in the middle of the Garden



This group of little kids were by the water gardens when I saw them. I just held up my camera and said "Photo?" and they all lined up in about 10 seconds. Kids here (and adults too) love to have their pictures taken particularly with digital cameras so they can see themselves immediately.

This could be Central Park, Lincoln Park or the Minneapolis lakes. A beautiful day surrounded by nature has a great way of removing a lot of superficial differences.