What is the history of Lalbagh Botanical Garden?

Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru, Karnataka, was commissioned by Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, in 1760 and later completed by his son Tipu Sultan, who imported rare plants from Persia, Afghanistan, and France to build its botanical wealth. After the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799, the garden passed into British hands and was formally declared a Government Botanical Garden in 1856. Under John Cameron, who served as superintendent from 1874 to 1909, the garden expanded from 45 acres to nearly 100 acres and gained the Glass House modelled after London’s Crystal Palace. Today, Lalbagh spans 240 acres in southern Bengaluru and holds over 1,800 plant species, ancient rock formations dating back 3,000 million years, and a 20-million-year-old tree fossil, making it one of the most historically layered green spaces in South Asia.

Hyder Ali and the Mughal-Style Garden

When Hyder Ali decided to build Lalbagh in 1760, he was not simply laying out a garden. He was making a political and cultural statement. Mughal-style gardens were gaining enormous prestige across the subcontinent during this period, and Hyder Ali modelled his creation on the gardens of Sira, a town about 120 kilometres from Bengaluru that had once served as the southernmost Mughal provincial headquarters in the Deccan.

The name “Lalbagh” itself carries layers of meaning. In Hindustani, “bagh” means garden, while “lal” can refer to the colour red, possibly reflecting the original red roses that filled the garden, or it can mean “beloved,” pointing to the personal significance the rulers attached to this space. The garden was initially laid out across 40 to 45 acres and managed by Mohammed Ali and his son Abdul Khader, who oversaw its early Mughal-inspired design with structured planting beds, fountains, and an irrigation system that channelled water to every corner of the estate.

Hyder Ali’s father had worked for Dilawar Khan, a Mughal viceroy, and that family connection to Mughal culture shaped Hyder Ali’s idea of what a grand garden should look like. The Thigala community, skilled gardeners by tradition, were among those deployed to maintain the grounds during this founding period.

How Tipu Sultan Expanded the Garden

When Hyder Ali died in 1782, his son Tipu Sultan inherited both the kingdom and the garden. Tipu expanded Lalbagh’s scope considerably by importing trees and plants from Persia, Afghanistan, France, and other parts of the world. Several of the oldest trees standing in Lalbagh today are identified as specimens from Tipu Sultan’s era. His approach to the garden went beyond aesthetics. He treated it as a living collection of useful and rare plants, many of which had never been cultivated in this region before.

Exotic species introduced during and after Tipu’s time include Amherstia nobilis, Araucaria species, Couroupita guianensis (the cannonball tree), Swietenia mahagoni (mahogany), Magnolia, and various bamboo species. Indigenous species such as Artocarpus heterophyllus (jackfruit), Butea monosperma (flame of the forest), Cassia fistula (golden shower), and Michelia champaca (champak) were also cultivated and documented.

By the time Captain S. S. Flower made observations around 1850 to 1860, Lalbagh had grown into a space that also housed animals including tigers, an orangutan, chital deer, sambhur, peacocks, rhinos, emus, and barking deer, reflecting its early character as a royal pleasure ground that combined botany with a menagerie.

Lalbagh Under British Rule

Tipu Sultan’s defeat and death at the Battle of Srirangapatna in 1799 handed Lalbagh to the British. The garden’s transition from royal pleasure ground to scientific botanical institution began immediately, though it was far from smooth.

Major Gilbert Waugh, a company paymaster with an interest in botany, took initial charge. He held the garden until 1819, after which it was transferred to the East India Company’s broader network. The Governor General accepted Waugh’s recommendation and placed Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, superintendent of the Royal Botanical Garden in Calcutta, in charge of supervising Lalbagh from April 1819. This arrangement lasted until 1831, when the garden passed to Sir Mark Cubbon, the Chief Commissioner of Mysore.

The situation remained unsettled for years. In 1839, administration moved to the Agri-Horticultural Society in Calcutta, but the Society dissolved in 1842, and the garden returned once again to the Chief Commissioner’s oversight until 1856.

A turning point came in 1855 when Hugh Cleghorn was appointed as botanical advisor to the Commissioner of Mysore. Cleghorn and Jaffrey, superintendent of the Madras Agri-Horticultural Society, surveyed the garden and recommended its formal development as a public botanical institution. Cleghorn was particularly clear that Lalbagh should not be used for commercial gain. His vision was for it to improve the study of native plants, introduce useful exotic species, and facilitate the exchange of plant material with gardens in Madras, Calcutta, and Ooty.

In August 1856, Lalbagh was officially made the Government Botanical Garden, a status that fundamentally changed its purpose and management. The garden was now entirely a government institution, and a professionally trained horticulturist was sought from Kew Gardens in London.

The Kew Connection

Sir William Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, selected William New for the role. New arrived in Bengaluru on 10 April 1858. During his tenure, the garden shifted further toward systematic botanical study. New’s contract ended in 1863 to 1864 and he was replaced by Allan Adamson Black, who had worked at the Kew Herbarium and continued the work of formally cataloguing and expanding the collection.

This Kew connection was significant. It gave Lalbagh access to global networks of plant exchange and ensured that the garden’s development followed the scientific standards of the time. Plants arrived from botanical gardens in different parts of the British Empire, steadily filling Lalbagh’s expanding grounds with documented species from around the world.

John Cameron and the Making of Modern Lalbagh

Among all the superintendents who shaped Lalbagh, John Cameron’s contribution stands apart. He took charge in 1874 and held the position for 35 years, until 1909. During this period, Lalbagh was transformed from a 45-acre garden into a 100-acre institution. Cameron introduced numerous tropical and subtropical species, raised the total plant varieties to over 1,800, and oversaw the construction of the Glass House, Lalbagh’s most recognisable structure.

The Glass House was designed by William MacFarlane and Company of Glasgow and constructed in 1889. Its design was directly inspired by London’s Crystal Palace, the iconic iron-and-glass structure built for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Cameron proposed the project, and the foundation stone was formally laid in 1898. The Glass House became the permanent venue for flower shows that had been organised by the Mysore Horticulture Society since around 1820. It was also restored and revamped in 2004 to address structural wear from over a century of use.

Cameron also introduced India’s first lawn clock to Lalbagh during this period, a floral timepiece that remains one of the garden’s distinctive attractions.

Geological Heritage Inside the Garden

One of the less immediately obvious but remarkable features of Lalbagh is its geological heritage. The Lalbagh Rock, a prominent formation at the southern part of the garden, is composed of peninsular gneiss estimated to be 3,000 million years old. This makes it one of the oldest exposed rock formations on the planet. The Geological Survey of India has designated the site as a geological monument.

Alongside this ancient rock sits one of the cardinal towers erected by Kempegowda II, the founder of Bengaluru, providing a view of the city from its summit. The garden also contains a 20-million-year-old tree fossil, adding a third layer of time to what is already a historically dense space.

How the Garden Grew Over Time

The growth of Lalbagh’s physical footprint mirrors its evolving importance. The original garden under Hyder Ali covered around 40 to 45 acres. By 1874, when Cameron took over, it had not changed much. The major additions came in 1889 when 30 acres were added, followed by 13 acres in 1891 and 94 acres in 1894, which also brought in the rock area with the Kempegowda Tower. By the turn of the twentieth century, the garden had grown to nearly 100 acres. It now covers 240 acres in the Mavalli area of southern Bengaluru.

After Independence

Following Indian independence, the responsibility for Lalbagh was handed to the Government of Karnataka and placed under the Directorate of Horticulture, which continues to manage the garden today. The Directorate itself is housed within the garden’s boundaries.

The biannual flower shows that take place around Republic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August) have become the garden’s most widely attended public events. The shows are organised jointly by the Department of Horticulture and the Mysore Horticulture Society. The tradition of these shows stretches back over a century. Inside the Glass House, flowers are arranged into elaborate representations of monuments like the Red Fort and India Gate, or into tributes to significant figures in Karnataka’s horticultural history. The shows routinely draw visitors from across India and internationally, with weekend footfall on ordinary days already exceeding 50,000 visitors.

The garden also hosts an annual mango fair every June, which attracts gardeners and food enthusiasts who come to buy and sample different mango varieties. Birdwatchers are drawn by species including pond heron, purple moorhen, Brahmini kite, common egret, parakeet, and myna that are found around the lake.

What Makes Lalbagh Different

Most botanical gardens in India are significant for one or two reasons, usually their plant collections or their colonial architecture. Lalbagh holds significance across at least four distinct areas: botanical, geological, historical, and ecological.

The plant collection includes over 1,800 documented species ranging from centuries-old canopy trees to rare African Baobab specimens. The geological features include one of the oldest rock formations accessible to the urban public anywhere in South Asia. The historical layers stretch from an 18th-century Mughal-inspired royal garden through British scientific administration and into the post-independence state government era. The ecological value is significant for a city that has urbanised rapidly, with Lalbagh serving alongside Cubbon Park as one of Bengaluru’s main green corridors for birds and other wildlife.

There is also a bonsai garden, an aquarium, a lake, walking trails along the Lalbagh Heritage Trail, and the floral clock gifted by Hindustan Machine Tools that still functions today, with gardeners arranging flowers by hand across a seven-metre dial to indicate the time.

Challenges the Garden Faces Now

Lalbagh is no longer a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, which reflects a shift in its primary role away from strict botanical conservation toward serving as a public park and recreational space. The pressure of urban visitors has led to many trees being trimmed or removed to create walking paths and lawns, and some infrastructure has not been adequately maintained.

In 2009, around 500 feet of the garden’s boundary wall was demolished and eucalyptus trees were cut to accommodate Bangalore Metro Rail construction. Citizens and environmental groups organised weekly protests that placed significant public pressure on metro authorities, eventually leading to a deferment of further land acquisition from the garden.