5/5 Ranjini K. 4 years ago on Google
Cubbon
Park,
officially
called Sri
Chamarajendra
Park[1] is
a
landmark
'lung'
area
of Bengaluru city,
located
(12.97°N
77.6°E)
within
the
heart
of
the
city
in
the
Central
Administrative
Area.
Originally
created
in
1870,
when
Major
General Richard
Sankey was
the
then
British
Chief
Engineer
of Mysore
state,
it
covered
an
area
of
100
acres
(0.40 km2)
and
subsequent
expansion
has
taken
place
and
the
area
reported
now
is
about
300
acres
(1.2 km2).[2] It
has
a
rich
recorded
history
of
abundant
flora
and
fauna
plantations
coupled
with
numerous
impressive
and
aesthetically
located
buildings
and
statues
of
famous
personages,
in
its
precincts.This
public
park
was
first
named
as
Meade’s
Park
after
Sir
John
Meade,
the
acting
Commissioner
of
Mysuru
in
1870
and
subsequently
renamed
as
Cubbon
Park
after
the
longest-serving
commissioner
of
the
time,
Sir Mark
Cubbon.
To
commemorate
the
Silver
Jubilee
of
Sri
Krishnaraja
Wodeyar’s
rule
in
Mysore
State,
in
1927,
the
park
was
again
renamed
as
Sri.
Chamarajendra
Park,
in
memory
of
the
19th-century
ruler
of
the
state
Sri Chamarajendra
Wodeyar (1868–94),
during
whose
rule
the
park
came
into
existence.[5]
The
landscaping
in
the
park
creatively
integrates
natural
rock
outcrops
with
thickets
of
trees,
massive
bamboos,
with
grassy
expanse
and
flowerbeds
and
the
monuments
within
its
limits,
regulated
by
the
Horticulture
Department
of
the Government
of
Karnataka.
The
predominantly
green
area
of
the
park
has
many
motorable
roads,
and
the
well-laid-out
walking
paths
running
through
the
park
are
frequented
by
early
morning
walkers
and
the
naturalists
who
study
plants
in
the
tranquil
natural
environment.[5] Tourists
visiting
this
park
in
the
city
of
Bengaluru
have
nicknamed
the
city
itself
as
'Garden
City'.[6]
The
importance
of
the
park
to
the
city's
environment
is
best
stated
by
two
urban
architects
who
have
won
the
national
competition
to
design
'Freedom
Park'.
The
park
is
accessible
from
M.G.
Road,
Kasturba
road,
Hudson
Circle
and Ambedkar Veedhi
(Road).
The
motorable
roads
which
run
through
the
park
are
allowed
for
light
motor
vehicles
only.
All
locations
of
the
park
are
accessible
through
walking
paths.
The
Park
is
open
to
the
public
at
all
times
but
the
roads
around
the
park
are
closed
for
traffic
from
5:00
to
8:00
am
every
day
to
provide
more
safety
and
fresh
environment
for
morning
walkers
and
exercisers.Indigenous
and
exotic
botanical
species
found
in
the
park
are
about
68
genera
and
96
species
with
a
total
of
around
6000
plants/trees.
Indigenous
species
found
in
the
park
are:[8]artocarpus, cassia
fistula, ficus, polyalthias etc.,
and
exotic
species
such
as araucaria, bamboo, castanospermum
australe, grevillea
robusta, millettia, peltophorum, schinus
molle, swietenia
mahagoni, tabebuia.
sp
etc.
Amongst
the
ornamental
and
flowering
exotic
trees
lining
the
roads
in
the
park
are
the Grevillea
robusta (silver
oak)—the
first
oaks
introduced
to
Bangalore
from Australia[5]—and
the delonix or
the gulmohar tree
(bright
red
flowers
with
long
petals)
along
the
Cubbon
road
in
the
park,
which
is
a
widely
cultivated tropical ornamental
tree
around
the
world.The
formal
gardens,
from
the
central
hall
of
the
original Attara
Kacheri (means
18
government
offices)
now
the Karnataka
High
Court,
extends
along
the
ceal
promenade
developed
symmetrically
with
avenues,
to
the
Museum
building.
Another
impressive
artistic
structure
is
Iyer
Hall,
which
houses
the
Central
Library
with
a
rose
garden
as
a
frontage.
It
is
undisputedly
the
largest
public
library
in
the
state
as
evidenced
by
the
college
students
thronging
to
read
here,
and
has
the
world's
most
extensive
collection
of
Braille
books.
Other
buildings
located
within
or
at
the
periphery
of
the
park
are
1)
the
Indira
Priyadarshini
Children’s
Library,
2)
the
Venkatappa
Art
Gallery,
3)
the
Aquarium
(stated
to
be
the
second
largest
in
India),
4)
the
YMCA,
5)
Yuvanika
—
the
State
Youth
Centre,
6)
Century
Club,
7)
Press
Club,
8)
Jawahar
Bal
Bhavan,
9)
Tennis
Pavilion,
10)
the
Cheshire
Dyer
Memorial
Hall
and
11)
the
Ottawa
Chatter.
The
Preservation
Act,
1979
passed
by
the
Go
14 people found this review helpful 👍