LALBAGH SULTANS' GARDEN TO PUBLIC PARK V.R. Thiruvady Bangalore Environment Trust LALBAGH Sultans' Garden to Public Park 1st Edition November 2020 Published by Bangalore Environment Trust (BET) No.10, Sirur Park 'B' Street, Seshadripuram, Bangalore 560020 Email: [email protected]. Bangalore Environment Trusf © Vijay Thiruvady Email: [email protected] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the specific written, dated and signed permission from the author. Author: V.R.Thiruvady ISBN fil-ñTLSO-TM-? ISBN: 81-89650-94-7 b 5 o m 5 Printed In India Grafiprint Pvt Ltd. (Division of W. Q. Judge Press) 97, Residency Road, Bangalore 560025 Phone: 080 22211168 Dedicated to the memory of Zafar Rashid Futehally (1920-2013) Ecologist, Conservationist and Founder of Bangalore Environment Trust. Room No. 301-301A Dr. NARAYANA GOWDA 3rd Floor, Vidhana Soudha Minister for Municipal Bengaluru-01 Administration, Horticulture and Ph: 080-22253747 Sericulture 22033273 No. MAHS/M/130^2020 Date: Message I have come to know that Bangalore Environment Trust in association with Department of Horticulture, Government of Karnataka is bringing out a book on History of Laibagh. • Sri Tiruwadi, Trustee, Bangalore Environment Trust has undertaken the research project to trace the Laibagh history, which took him more than five years to compile the documents right from 15lh century, i.e from Kempe Gowda’s regime till date. The book brings out the immense contribution of every eminent scientist during British rule that developed rapport with world famous “Kew garden,” London and other botanical gardens across the world. Their effort for enriching the botanical features in Laibagh is very unique in the country. It is a privilege that during my tenure as Minister for Horticulture Department, such an invaluable book on the history of Laibagh is coming out for the use of people from all walks of life especially for scientists of life sciences. The contribution of various officers in establishing gardens all over the state on Horticulture farms and gardens reveal their vision to promote vegetables, fruits floriculture and various other scientific activities. The efforts of the Department of Horticulture, GOK and Bangalore Environment Trust in bringing out the history of Laibagh is highly appreciated. I am sure that this well documented book will inspire the present and future generation to preserve nature’s gift to mankind. (Dr. NARAYANA GOWDA) Contents Preface vii Introduction ix Acknowledgements xii Chapter 1: Genesis — Geology, Archaeology, Fossils and Artefacts 1 Chapter 2: Early Times — From Kemputhota to Sultans' Pleasure Garden 12 Chapter 3: European Entry — Advent of Modem Botany 24 Chapter 4: Benjamin Heyne — Changes Under a German Missionary 31 Chapter 5: Major General Gilbert Waugh — Under the Keep of an Army Paymaster 39 Chapter 6: General William Munro — Beginning the Study of the Flora of Bangalore 43 Chapter 7: Dr. H.F.C. Cleghorn — Devout Surgeon from Scotland 49 Chapter 8: Exhibitions — Platforms for Educating and Delighting the Public 59 Chapter 9: Botanical Illustrations — Capturing the Features and Beauty of Plants 64 Chapter lOrWhat's in a Name? — Many Names Before Lalbagh Emerges 91 Chapter 11: Structures in Lalbagh — Catering to Different Needs 96 Chapter 12: William New — The First of the Kew Gardeners 115 Chapter 13: Allan Adamson Black — Addition of Aviary and Menagerie 120 Chapter 14: John Cameron — Laying the Foundation of Modem Lalbagh 125 Chapter 15: Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel — A Versatile Genius 144 Chapter 16: H. C. Javaraya — The First Indian Kew Gardener 181 Chapter 17: M.H. Marigowda — Nodal Role for Lalbagh 197 Chapter 18: The Future — A Vision for Lalbagh 215 Addendum I — Chapter 4 refers 218 Addendum II — Chapter 14 refers 223 Addendum III — Chapter 15 refers 228 Addendum IV — Chapter 16 refers 234 Map of Mysore — 1831 236 Glossary 237 Bibliography 239 Index 243 Preface Commencing 2005, I have been conducting walks on Sunday mornings in Lalbagh for interested visitors. Five years into conducting these walks, I had written a book on Heritage Trees... with most of the trees being from Lalbagh itself. Emboldened, I found myself giving talks in different institutions in Bangalore on Lalbagh, greening of Bangalore and related subjects. Given that the walks and talks were well-received, I felt that the story of Lalbagh in full detail needs to be told: a chronicle of 250 years which should interest botanists, pomologists, horticulturalists and the general public. Not that there are no published accounts of Lalbagh but none, as far as I know, covering its origins, transformations and evolution into what it is today. In "Deccan Traverses" by Anuradha Mathur and Dilip Da Cunha (2006), the authors devote only one chapter to trace the history of Lalbagh briefly with the aim of showing how the garden has had a continuous existence as part of the changing terrain of the city. In 1991, The Glass House: The Jewel of Lalbagh was published by The Mysore Horticulture Society, commemorating the centenary of the Glass House. In this volume, there was a very short paper - The Early Long History of Lalbagh - written by Dr. Suryanath U. Kamath. This again serves as a good introduction for the history of Lalbagh but is inadequate in its scope and coverage. Another book titled, 'Whatever he touched he adorned', was published by Suresh Jayaram in 2010 wherein a number of articles by different authors paid tribute to the legacy of G.H. Krumbiegel who was Superintendent of Lalbagh in the first half of the 20th century. Expectedly, its scope is limited because the focus is essentially on Krumbiegel. Thus with no substantial material available to the public on the history of Lalbagh, I began delving into the evolution of Labagh over the years. An important source for my research was a series of letters written by East India Company officials which detail the earliest British plans for this garden. Other important sources include documents in the India Office Records and British Library, the Royal Botanic Garden (Kew) library and archives, Karnataka State archives and various contemporary accounts of Mysore state. My intention was to produce a text which meets an acceptable standard of scholarship for the botanist community while at the same time holds the interest of the general reader. Creating awareness of Lalbagh's heritage will hopefully make people aware of how blessed they are to have such a magnificent park in their midst and how important it is to preserve it from despoliation in the face of relentless urban spread. I am grateful to Dr A.N. Yellappa Reddy, Chairman, Bangalore Environment Trust and other Trustees for their support and encouragement. V.R. Thiruvady viii