German Horticulturist G.H. Krumbiegel’s great-granddaughter welcomes Karnataka government’s decision

Mysuru: Alyia Phelps Gardiner Krumbiegel, great-granddaughter of German Horticultural legend Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel who had designed the Brindavan Gardens at Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam, has welcomed the State government’s decision of not disturbing the Brindavan Gardens’ heritage value while implementing a Disneyland-like project in the lands surrounding KRS.

She was reacting to the recent announcement by State Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar that the existing Brindavan Gardens will not be disturbed. Only the Gardens will be beautified. During a visit to KRS on Dec. 8, Shivakumar had said, “Development will be only in the extra land that is available with various departments and some more land will be acquired. We will not change the shape and landscape of Brindavan Gardens. It will remain as-is and it will only be beautified as per international standards.”

Alyia Krumbiegel, who had in July this year written an open letter to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy opposing the Disneyland project, said that she welcomed the government decision.

Speaking to Star of Mysore from her home in London, Alyia Krumbiegel said, “I am happy to share with you and all the other citizens of Bengaluru and Mysuru our relief and optimism that the Disney-style plans have been shelved. The Brindavan Gardens is of heritage value and an iconic part of Mysuru. I am glad the government has realised this. It is a major relief and I’m happy too.”

She said that she was greatly interested to know what does international standards of beauty mean. “I’m sure other citizens would also be very interested in knowing the actual meaning and implications of international standards of beauty. The possible 25,000 jobs created by the project is also good news in this worldwide current climate,” she said.

Alyia Krumbiegel, however, took exception to Shivakumar’s statement about the design of Brindavan Gardens. Shivakumar had said during his KRS visit: “At present, the Brindavan Gardens has broken pathways, non-exotic horticulture, old technology fountains, old generation lighting, lack of amenities, bad parking facilities and bad arrival experience. All this will change once the development is completed.”

Alyia said, “What seems to be worrying is the mention of the fountains at Brindavan Gardens is non-exotic and unattractive! I can understand the need to upgrade the fountains but surely not to lose their intrinsic heritage value. I have a letter written by my great-grandfather Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel to Sir Mirza Ismail where he is designing some new gates and my great-grandfather says these must be of Indian style.”

She added that looking at the plans of the government in implementing the project worth over Rs. 1,500 crore, there will be a heavy casualty of green cover where hundreds of trees will be chopped. “A major reason why lakhs of tourists visit Brindavan Gardens is for the green environs. I am sure many trees will be lost if the project is implemented without proper planning and forethought.”

Apart from designing Brindavan Gardens, Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel is also credited with meticulous detailing of the greenscape and bringing many exotic plants to Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens in Bengaluru. Gustav Krumbiegel was appointed by Krishnaraja Wadiyar to work on developing the layouts of gardens in Mysuru and Bengaluru. Krumbiegel has worked on numerous gardens and structured a layout for a green belt in Bengaluru which was called ‘eco zone.’