Cubbon Park, officially known as ''Sri Chamarajendra Park'', is a landmark 'lung' area of Bengaluru city, located () within the heart of the city in the Central Administrative Area. Originally created in 1870 under Major General Richard Sankey, then British Chief Engineer of

Mysore State Mysore State, colloquially Old Mysore, was a state within the Dominion of India and the later Republic of India from 1947 until 1956. The state was formed by renaming the Kingdom of Mysore, and Bangalore replaced Mysore as the state's capital. ...

, it covered an area of . Subsequent expansion has since taken place and the park's area is now reported to be . 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. Urban green spaces: Lungs of the city and centres of biodiversity education 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 Mark Cubbon may refer to: * Mark Cubbon (army officer), British army officer with the East India Company * Mark Cubbon (administrator), chief executive of the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust See also * Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born ...

. 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.http://www.horticulture.kar.nic.in/ Gardens Cubbon Park 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 Government of Karnataka, abbreviated as, GoK, or simply Karnataka Government, is a democratically-elected state body with the governor as the ceremonial head to govern the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. The governor who is appointed ...

. 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 The natural environment or natural world encompasses all life, living and non-living things occurring nature, naturally, meaning in this case not Artificiality, artificial. The term is most often applied to the Earth or some parts of Earth. Th ...

. Tourists visiting this park in the city of Bengaluru have nicknamed the city itself as 'Garden City'. 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'.

Access

The park is accessible from

M.G. Road This is a list of roads across the world named after the Indian anti-colonial nationalist and lawyer, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( Mahatma Gandhi), known for his nonviolent resistance to lead a successful campaign for India's independence from ...

Kasturba road Kasturba Road is a street in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, India, which is connected to M G Road to the north and J C Road to the south. Some important landmarks situated along Kasturba Road are Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Kanteerava Indoor ...

, 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 and also this park will be closed on every Sundays

Botanical assets

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:

artocarpus ''Artocarpus'' is a genus of approximately 60 trees and shrubs of Southeast Asian and Pacific origin, belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. Most species of ''Artocarpus'' are restricted to Southeast Asia; a few cultivated species are more w ...

cassia fistula ''Cassia fistula'', commonly known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, or pudding-pipe tree,U. S. Department of Agriculture, William Saunders; Catalogue of Economic Plants in the Collection of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; ...

ficus ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

polyalthia ''Polyalthia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. There are approximately 90 species distributed from Africa to Asia and the Pacific.

s etc., and exotic species such as araucaria,

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

castanospermum australe ''Castanospermum australe'' (Moreton Bay chestnut or blackbean), the only species in the genus ''Castanospermum'', is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the east coast of Australia in Queensland and New South Wales, and to the ...

grevillea robusta ''Grevillea robusta'', commonly known as the southern silky oak, silk oak or silky oak, silver oak or Australian silver oak, is a flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is a tree, the largest species in its genus but is not closely rela ...

millettia ''Millettia'' is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae. It consists of about 150 species, which are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The genus was formerly known by the name ''Pongamia'', but that name was r ...

, peltophorum,

schinus molle ''Schinus molle'' (Peruvian pepper, also known as American pepper, Peruvian peppertree, escobilla, false pepper, rosé pepper, molle del Peru, pepper tree, (Archived bWebCite peppercorn tree, California pepper tree, pirul (in Mexican Spanish si ...

swietenia mahagoni ''Swietenia mahagoni'', commonly known as American mahogany, Cuban mahogany, small-leaved mahogany, and West Indian mahogany, is a species of ''Swietenia'' native to South Florida in the United States and islands in the Caribbean including the Ba ...

tabebuia ''Tabebuia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae.Eberhard Fischer, Inge Theisen, and Lúcia G. Lohmann. 2004. "Bignoniaceae". pages 9-38. In: Klaus Kubitzki (editor) and Joachim W. Kadereit (volume editor). ''The Families ...

. sp etc. Amongst the ornamental and flowering exotic trees lining the roads in the park are the

Grevillea robusta ''Grevillea robusta'', commonly known as the southern silky oak, silk oak or silky oak, silver oak or Australian silver oak, is a flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is a tree, the largest species in its genus but is not closely rela ...

(silver oak)—the first oaks introduced to Bangalore from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

—and the delonix or the

gulmohar ''Delonix regia'' is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical par ...

tree (bright red flowers with long petals) along the Cubbon road in the park, which is a widely cultivated

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

ornamental tree around the world.

Avenues

The avenue of araucarias along with canna beds on either sides of the road from the Central Public Library to Hudson circle, avenue of Swieteninas in the Northern side of the park, the Java

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

avenue along the road leading to the Government Museum, polyalthia avenue along the road from Queen Victoria's statue to King Edward VII's statue and the

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

tree avenue from the Chamarajendra statue to Siddalingaiah circle are testimony to the botanical richness of the park. Other attractions at the park are the Ringwood circle, lotus pond and bamboo grove nook.

Historical buildings and monuments integral to the park

The formal gardens, from the central hall of the original

Attara Kacheri Attara Kacheri in Bangalore, India is the seat of the principal bench of the Karnataka High Court, the highest judicial authority in the state of Karnataka. It is a neoclassical red-painted stone and brick building in Cubbon Park, located on ...

(means 18 government offices) now the

Karnataka High Court Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, 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. File:St_Marks_Church_From_Cubbon_Park_Bangalore.jpg, St Mark's Church, From Cubbon Park, Bengaluru File:St. Mark's Church and Band Stand, Bangalore (1870). 'Views in Bangalore', of the Vibart Collection, by Albert Thomas.jpg, St. Mark's Church and Band Stand, Bangalore (1870). 'Views in Bangalore', of the Vibart Collection, by Albert ThomasAlt URL
/ref> File:Inauguration_of_the_statue_of_Sir_Mark_Cubbon.jpg, Inauguration of the statue of Sir Mark Cubbon, Bengaluru India. Illustrated London News, 5 May 1866 File:Cubbon Park, Bangalore (1890). Curzon Collection's 'Souvenir of Mysore Album'.jpg, Cubbon Park, Bengaluru (1890). Curzon Collection's 'Souvenir of Mysore Album' A bandstand, in an octagonal shape made with cast-iron, was built in the early part of the 1900s. Before India's Independence, the British Royal Air Force used to play western band music at the band stand every Saturday evening. An attraction for children is the well planned children's amusement park as part of Jawahar Bal Bhavan, which has the toy train, Puttani Express that runs (0.75 miles or 1.2 km) within the park, the Doll museum and a boating facility. A 20-million-year-old fossilized tree — a gift from the Geological Survey of India, is also reported at the park.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/country/india/bangalore About Bangalore Memorials in the form of marble statues in honour of Queen Victoria (installed in 1906), King Edward VII (installed in 1919), Major General Sir Mark Cubbon, Sri Chamarajendra Wodeyar (installed in 1927) and Sir K. Sheshadri Iyer (installed (in 1913) are seen located in front of the historical buildings within the park.

Attara Kacheri

, built in 1864 A.D during British rule, is a stone structure in an intense red hue, a two storied building with

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

columns in

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

Style of architecture and is located at the entrance to the park. The Public offices (Secretariat of the Government of Karnataka) were located here from 1868 AD to 1956 AD, which were later moved to the Vidhana Soudha, opposite to it. The building now accommodates the

. In the Central Hall a portrait of Sir Mark Cubbon decorates the ceiling. An equestrian statue of Cubbon by Baron Marochetti is located at the back of the building.http://www.bangaloreindia.org.uk/tourist-attractions/attara-kacheri.html Attara Kacheri (High Court)

Museum

The State Archeological Museum, one of the oldest in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, built in 1876 by Colonel Sankey, located within the park, is similar in design to the Attara Kacheri in its architectural style and hue. While the original collection in the museum belonged to Benjamin L. Rice of the

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

Gazetteer A gazetteer is a geographical index or directory used in conjunction with a map or atlas.Aurousseau, 61. It typically contains information concerning the geographical makeup, social statistics and physical features of a country, region, or con ...

, antiquities from

Mohenjodaro Mohenjo-daro (; sd, موئن جو دڙو'', ''meaning 'Mound of the Dead Men';Vijaynagara Vijayanagara () was the capital city of the historic Vijayanagara Empire. Located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, it spread over a large area and included the modern era Group of Monuments at Hampi site in Vijayanagara district, Bell ...

and

Halebid Halebidu (IAST: Haḷēbīḍ, literally "old capital, city, encampment" or "ruined city") is a town located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Historically known as Dorasamudra (also Dwarasamudra), Halebidu became the regal capital of the H ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, ancient coins and stone inscriptions as old as 5000 years.

Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall

Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall, built in 1915 in a classic European style with Tuscan and

columns, in honour of Sir K. Seshadri Iyer who was

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

from 1883 to 1901, is an impressive red building with gables. It houses the Seshadri Memorial Library. The memorial building is ensconced in the middle of the park, framed by the greenery of the park and fronted by the rose garden. The library has an area of 300 km and functions as the apex of the Karnataka Public Libraries system, which is governed by State Library Authority. In 2000, the library was awarded the Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation Award for the best state central library in India in recognition of its outstanding contribution to meritorious services rendered in the spread of knowledge and gearing up of library movement in the city of Bengaluru in particular and in the state of Karnataka in general. The library has presently a collection of 2.65 lakh books and also a braille section. File:Library Cubbon Park.jpg, Seshadri Iyer Memorial Library in Cubbon Park (Front) File:Bangalore City Central Library.jpg, Seshadri Iyer Memorial Library in Cubbon Park (Back)

Preservation Act, 1979

The Preservation Act, 1979, passed by the Government of Karnataka to preserve the uniqueness of the park is under the provision of Karnataka Government Park (Preservation) Act, 1975, which states:

''Accordingly, it is directed that neither any land should be granted to nor any further constructions be permitted whether temporary or permanent by any organization or individuals in the Cubbon Park and Lalbagh areas except the constructions taken up by the Horticulture Department in furtherance of the objectives of the department.''

Awareness campaign

The Centre for Environment Education (CEE), India, in the year 2006, embarked on a project to develop a brochure on the park and involve the youth in several activities to help them to explore the park and through it, learn more about the wider environment. The brochure brought out as a joint effort of CEE and the Department of Horticulture.

Honoring Mark Cubbon

After being largely ignored since Indian independence in 1947, a large number of people have slowly started to acknowledge the pioneering work done by

and other British administrators. On 23 August 2013, the statue of Mark Cubbon was garlanded for the first time since 1947, by Advocate S Umesh of the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association. The occasion was to mark the 238th birth anniversary of Sir Mark Cubbon. Special permission was obtained from the

, and police protection was provided. The group credited Mark for being one of the chief architects of Bengaluru and Mysuru. The move was however opposed by Vatal Nagaraj, infamous for vandalizing the Cenotaph Memorial near the Hudson Memorial Church. However, the association defended their move of honoring Mark Cubbon, as his contribution to Bengaluru was undeniable. Cubbon Park was renamed as Sri Chamarajendra Park way back in 1927, but the name was never popular, and people continued to call it Cubbon Park. Further, according to historians, it would be foolish to erase history, by trying to remove all symbols of British rule, and mere symbolism cannot lead to development. On 28 June 2020, the equestrian statue of Mark Cubbon was moved to the park grounds from the premises of

Gallery

File:Cubbon Park View W.jpg, Cubbon Park File:K.Sheshadri Iyer Statue, Cubbon Park, Bangalore.JPG, Statue of Sir K.Sheshadri Iyer File:Cubbon Park - Bamboo green..JPG, Bamboos and other trees in Cubbon Park File:Cubbon Park Avenues.JPG, Avenues and road within the park File:Moulmein rosewood.jpg, Peguensis/ovalifolia or Moulmein Rosewood tree File:Pongamia pinnata (1).jpg, Pongam or Honge (Pongamia pinnata) planted as avenue trees File:Cassia javanica flowers.jpg, The Java Pink Cassia or Cassia javanica File:Tree in new leaves I IMG 6222.jpg, Spanish Mahogany tree found in Cubbon Park File:Grevillea robusta flowering 05.jpg, Grevillea robusta (silver oak) File:Flowers delhi.jpg, Gulmohar tree File:Cubbon Park Road.jpg, Cubbon Park Road File:Queen Victoria Statue At cubbon Park 5-31-2008 4-23-07 PM.JPG, Statue of Queen Victoria, near Cubbon Park File:Delonix regia flower.JPG, Delonix or ornamental Gulmohar flower seen in profusion in the Cubbon Park File:State Central Library, Bangalore.jpg, State Central Library or Sheshadri Memorial Hall

Location in context

References

External links

the Cubbon Park

on Cubbon Park history
Cubbon GamiFYI'd : "Play treasure hunt using mobile"
on Events in Cubbon Park {{Bangalore topics Kingdom of Mysore History of Bangalore Parks in Bangalore 1870 establishments in India Protected areas established in 1870