Nishad Bagh re-opens for walkers after months of lockdown

Mysore/Mysuru: Kuppanna Park at Nazarbad has become a beehive of activity now with Dasara fast approaching. On the one hand, the 12-acre Park has been thrown open for walkers after months of lockdown; on the other, hectic preparation is on to open the Park for visitors during Dasara sans the attractive Flower Show. 

Till now, only limited activities used to be conducted at Kuppanna Park, that too only during Dasara. Of the 365 days, there would be activity only for over 40 days with the main attraction Dasara Flower Show being held for over 12 days.

Deciding to keep the Park open for all days, the Horticulture Department has firstly opened the gates for morning and evening walkers. Walkers till now used to stroll in the surroundings of Kuppanna Park, Mysuru Zoo, Hardinge Circle, Thandi Sadak Road, Shalivahana Road, Lok Ranjan Mahal Road and Dasara Exhibition Road opposite Palace and the nearby areas. 

Usually walkers hear music through headphones and this led to accidents as all the above roads are busy stretches. Henceforth, walkers can shift to the vast Kuppanna Park for their daily routine. As of now, over 50 people are coming to the Park daily to walk and the numbers are set to rise with the relaxation of lockdown rules.

“Since it is a convenient and a safe place to walk, we have proposed a nominal entry fee to the Park. When compared to risky walking on the main road by the side of speeding vehicles, walking inside the sprawling Park amidst fresh air is safe and healthy,” Horticulture Department Assistant Director Rudresh told SOM. He added that entry pass system like the Karanji Lake can be worked out.

In June this year, Minister for Horticulture K.C. Narayanagowda had announced that Kuppanna Park would be developed as a tourist hotspot.

Education-focussed display inside Glass House

Kuppanna Park is also called Nishad Bagh and a beautiful Glass House has been constructed inside. The vast Glass House constructed 1.5 metre above the ground spans 2,419 square metres including corridor and is round in shape with a diameter of 36 meters and has four entry points. Its dome, based on the Indo-Saracenic style and Mysuru style, is 18 metres wide and has an outer wall of 6 metres.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, there will be no Dasara Flower Show this year. To compensate, the Horticulture Department has come up with plans to organise photo exhibition inside the Glass House. Also, as the Musical Fountain inside the Park is in good working condition, there are plans to open it for visitors after dark where there will be an attractive display of illuminated fountains. 

Rose Garden with 6,000 pots

There are plans to develop a 400-metre Rose Garden inside the Park near Vani Vilas College entrance of the Park where over 80 varieties of roses — 6,000 pots — will be on display this Dasara. “Usually, during Flower Show, we display over 80,000 pots of flowers. This time due to contagion, we have decided to display 6,000 pots after following strict social distancing measures. The existing Rock Garden and Topiaries will be made more attractive and will be on display,” Horticulture Assistant Director Rudresh revealed.

“We want to make Kuppanna Park a year-round activity venue with many educative items. We have sought permission from the Deputy Commissioner for a meeting to discuss the year-round activities. We do not want to keep the Park gates locked and we will come up with various educational-focussed activities,” he explained.