The parks of Bangalore

Till a few years ago, Bangalore was known as Garden City but not anymore. There is garbage and filth everywhere and the civic body has failed its people in keeping the City clean.

What is more shocking is that even 65 years after Independence. Civic fathers and the Government which is headquartered in Bangalore have failed to add big parks of the size of  Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. What is more shocking is that they have even failed to protect the existing greenery of Bangalore.

Yet, the existing few green spots in Bangalore continue to excite people and many of them are on the tourist map. Here are some of the major parks and gardens.

Cubbon Park

One of the best known parks in Bangalore and also popular with tourists and Bangaloreans alike because of its nearness to several other landmarks such as Vidhan Soudha, Raj Bhavan, Indira Gandhi Fountain Park, High Court, GPO, MG Road, Chinnaswamy cricket stadium, UB Mall and UB City, Lavelle Road and the Kanteerava Indoor stadia.
The Cubbon Park is also among the two largest parks of Bangalore-the other being Lalbagh. It is spread out over 300 acres. The park is a green haven in the otherwise traffic ridden central Bangalore. It houses historical monuments, government buildings, cultural institutions, scientific institutions around it.

The uniqueness of the park is that it has several entrances and it is approachable from Corporation side, MG Road, Minsk Square, Ambedkar Veedhi and Lavelle Road, Kasturba Road.

It houses an acquarium, Visvesvaraiah Technological Museum, Venkatappa art Gallery and a children;s plat area which is easily accessible from MG Road-Kasturba Road side.

The Puttani Express-train for children, is a major draw. The Bala Bhavan within the park hosts several activities for children.

Thos park is named after Sir Mark Cubbon. The statue of Cubbon is located behind the High Court facing the Cubbon park.

There are several other statues in the park.    

Coles Park

This park is named after C H Cole, the then Resident of  Mysore State. It is also one of the oldest park and one of the biggest in Bangalore East area.

It is located on Promenade Road in Frazer Town which is just off Shivajinagar.

The park today is the lifeline of people living nearby and there is a jogger’s track. The Bandstand is impressive and several decades ago, the band of Bangalore Rifle Volunteers performed for the visitors.

Coles Park has been recently renovated. This is one of the few gardens in Bangalore which are disabled friendly.

Bugle Rock Park

This is more of a park surrounding natural rocks and huge boulders. It is off Bull Temple road and near the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi.

The name Bugle Rock is because it houses a watch tower built during the period of  Kempe Gowda. The tower was constructed of rock and a bugler blew the bugle to warn people of enemy attacks.

The huge rock here is approximately three thousand years old. There is a huge water tank in the park and just close to that is the statue of D V Gundappa or DVG who lived on DVG Road which is nearby.

M.N. Krishna Rao Park

Situated at Basavanagudi area of Bangalore city, this garden is bound by KR Road on one side and M N Krishna Rao Road on the other.

This park has several old trees and it has a beautiful garden with a jogger’s park. Lots of people come here for jogging and morning walk. The Basavanagudi police station is situated at the periphery of the park.

It is named after M. N. Krishna Rao, the then Dewan of Mysore state. The park is spread over a huge area of 69825 sq metres.

Jayamahal Park

This is s small park and it is known for its beautiful landscaping and mural works. There are several statues and they are made of plaster of paris. The park occupies just 1436 square meters.

It is located near Bangalore One Centre in Jayamahal.

Cariappa Memorial Park

This beautiful park is just off MG Road (Anil Kumble Circle) and it is approachable from Central Street. It is spread over 22 acres and it is part of the Cariappa Parade Grounds.

The park is named after Field Marshall K. M. Cariappa, the legendary chief of the Indian Army.

You can see a seven feet tall statue of Cariappa at the entrance of the park. This park was opened to the public in 1996 and unlike other parks it is maintained by the Defence forces.

Six military bands perform at the band stand here every fortnight. The bandstand is surrounded by green lawns where viewers can sit and enjoy the performance comfortably.

Waterfalls, Tarzan swing, Burma bridge, Zigzag tunnels, Spider webs, Sand pits, Ponds, Balance bars are some of the attractions of the park.

Indira Gandhi Fountain Park

This park is just across the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium. It has a fountain which is bigger than the one installed at KRS, Mysore. The dancing fountain is a visual treat. There is ample space for parking.

The National War Memorial is coming up on part of the sprawling grounds.

Freedom Park

This was once the Central Jail of Bangalore. Some of the old structure of the jail has been retained and the rest of the area is beautifully landscapped.

The park is the newest green space of Bangalore and it is worth a visit.

  

Lalbagh

Lalbagh is one the largest botanical gardens in India. The garden was started by Hyder Ali and Tipu and developed further by the British.

It has a huge variety of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers. Hyder initially started Lalbagh on a 40-acre plot. Tipu developed it and the British looked after it after 1799.

The mango and silk cotton trees planted by Tipu can still be seen. The Kempe Gowda tower, single rock, two fossils, pigeon stall, Rose Gardens, Lake, Lotus Garden, nursery, bamboo shoots, Glass house and library are worth seeing.

The gardens are spread over 240 acres  and the flowers shows during Independence day and Republic Day are superb.  

Apart from these gardens and parks, almost each ward has its won park and playground. There are also parks around the lakes and tanks. Several institutions such as the Indian Institute of Science, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore University, Indian Institute of Astrophysics, UAS, Jawarhalal Nehru Institute of Advanced Research, GKVK, CRPF and CISF campuses, have all huge green spaces which play host to a bewildering variety of  birds, butterflies and even small animals.