Үндістанның Тамилнад штатындағы ботаникалық бақша

Botanical garden in Tamil Nadu, India

There were very few horticulturists at that time. Seeds and saplings were not available locally, but were available in nearby jungles. It was proposed to establish a public garden. For this purpose, wood was selected between Lushington Hall (the present Hebron School) and General Sewell's Property (the present Raj Bhavan). Shortly after the formation of the society, the committee requested state aid for providing a scientific and practical gardener and funds to meet his salary. This suggestion was accepted, and Mr. W. G. McIvor from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, was sent to Ootacamund by the East India Company. He arrived in March 1848, converted the upper portion, which was a forest, and the lower portion, which was a swamp, into a beautiful garden. He submitted a report at the end of 1848 to the East India Company in London. He took ten years to complete the layout of the garden.

The gardens have around a thousand species, both exotic and indigenous, of plants, shrubs, ferns, trees, herbal and bonsai plants. In the centre of the gardens lie a fossilized tree trunk estimated to be 20 million years old. The gardens consist of several lawns with flowering plants, ponds with lilies, beds of flowers and ferns laid out in an Italian style, several plots of flowering plants, a variety of medicinal plants.

The present botanical gardens are divided into six sections: the Lower Garden, New Garden, Italian Garden, Conservatory, Fountain Terrace and Nurseries.

The lower garden comprises the entrance and the lower lawns. The entrance of the garden leads into an extensive lush green lawn of Kikiyu grass (Pennisetum Clandestinum) which is known for its springy vigour. A fern house with 127 species of ferns is situated on the left along the road leading to Raj Bhavan amidst another expanse of lawns and historic gatehouses. The prime attractions in this section are the carpet bet design of the map of the Indian Union laid out with selective plants and the fossil trunk of 20 million years old, erected on a pedestal.

The first flower show was first organised in the year 1896 by the chairman of the Nilgiris Agri Horticultural Society, Mr. J. H. Tremenhere, the then Collector of Nilgiris. The government took over the flower show from the Nilgiris Agri Horticultural Society in 1980 by forming a committee called the Nilgiris Flower and Fruit Show Committee. The flower show attracts about 150,000 tourists each year from all over the world. The flower show is held for two to five days. The inauguration of the show is held on the first day and on the second day, prizes are distributed to winners of various competitions held in connection with flower show. About 250 exhibitors participate in different categories on the day of flower show. Several government departments and voluntary agencies also display their activities for the benefits of the flower lovers and tourists. More than 50 varieties of potted plants, 150 varieties of cut flowers, various kinds of tropical and temperate vegetables and tropical and temperate fruits are exhibited by the competitors. The floral decorations, Indian and Japanese flower arrangements, vegetable carving, Flower Rangoli, Bonsai, etc., are the major attractions during the show days. The exclusive cut flower stalls from large private and public gardens are also an attraction during the show days. 59 rolling cups, 250 cups and cash prizes are awarded to the best competitors and exhibitors. A garden competition is also held involving Estate Gardens, Private Cottage Gardens, Public Gardens and various other categories of gardens, to create greater awareness among flower growers. Trees carried by rivers and deposited in inland lakes were transformed with replacement of the woody matter by silica give rise to fossil tree trunks (see Polystrate fossil). The fossil tree was presented by the Geological Survey of India, from the National Fossil Park, Tiruvakkarai, South Arcot district, Tamil Nadu.

Number of songs of Bollywood films have been filmed at the garden such as Suhaag (1979)'s "Teri rab ne banadi jodi" of Shashi Kapoor, Parveen Babi, Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan. Dilwale (1994)'s song "Sato janam me" of Ajay Devgn.