Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden
Institution Code: CAL
BGCI Member: No
About the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden
The Indian Botanical Gardens are most famous for the Great Banyan Tree,which boasts of having the largest canopy in the world.
The official name of the Garden during the Company's rule was 'The Hon'ble Company's Botanic Garden, Calcutta', subsequently, it was renamed 'The Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta' in the early 1860s. At present, it is officially called 'Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah', but is known generally as the 'Calcutta Botanic Garden' in India and abroad. [source: Banglapedia]
The gardens were originally founded in 1786 by Colonel Kyd, containing about 12,000 living plants and over two and half million dried plant specimens in the herbarium collected from all over the world. This is the oldest of all the Botanical Gardens in India. It was from these gardens that the tea now grown in Assam and Darjeeling was first developed. Trees of the rarest kinds, from Nepal, Brazil, Penang, Java and Sumatra can be found here. There are towering Mahogany trees, an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid House. Mango and Tamarind trees shade the grassy lawns. Col. Alexander Kyd of the East India Company developed it for the collection of plants, indigenous to the country and for the introduction and acclimatization of plants from foreign parts. It remains opened from sunrise to sunset. This ethereal ambience is ideal for fun, fiesta and frolics.There is a serpentine lake where boating is possible. Botanics posseses a priceless collection of books in its library.
Main Address:
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden
Botanical Survey of India
Shibpur
Howrah
West Bengal 711 103 India