Tuesday, July 26, 2011

The Green Tiger of Mysore

The Lalbagh gardens in Bangalore was started by Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali, who ruled Mysore 250 years ago. It is now one of the best botanical gardens in India, housing a large number of rare native and exotic plants.
A warrior par excellence, Tipu Sultan was a nightmare to the expansionist British East India Company. He was nicknamed 'the Tiger of Mysore'. His legendary sword has a solid gold hilt, and a wootz steel blade which could bend extraordinarily. The blade had tiger stripes built into the matrix of the material.
Tipu Sultan imposed a novel punishment upon petty criminals- they had to plant and look after trees till they grew to a stipulated height. His 230 year old palace in Bangalore is situated on a tree lined street.
He introduced many varieties of fruits and vegetables brought from foreign lands, and encouraged farmers to grow them. The tradition continues, and we enjoy fresh veggies every day now.
You can read more about Tipu Sultan in an interesting article by S.Tahsin Ahmed here.
I thank the team of My world.
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23 comments:

  1. VioletSkyJuly 26, 2011 at 7:38 AM

    I have read about Tipu Sultan and find him a most interesting man!
    Love the shot of the vegetables in the giant baskets!

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  2. MalarJuly 26, 2011 at 8:02 AM

    SO many information on Tipu Sultan!
    The vegetable basket is so full!

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  3. Sylvia KJuly 26, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    Marvelous, informative post for the day and your photos are superb! I do love the vegetables! Have a great day!

    Sylvia

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  4. Photo CacheJuly 26, 2011 at 8:20 AM

    very nice post.

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  5. magiceyeJuly 26, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    interesting post!

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  6. JoyfulJuly 26, 2011 at 12:12 PM

    I really enjoyed this interesting post about something I've never heard of before. Fabulous photos, especially of the very colourful produce.

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  7. EkiJuly 26, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    I particularly like this part of the story "Tipu Sultan imposed a novel punishment upon petty criminals- they had to plant and look after trees till they grew to a stipulated height. His 230 year old palace in Bangalore is situated on a tree lined street."

    I wish we had that kind of punishment now. The world would be greener.

    Thanks for visiting and commenting on MY WORLD post.

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  8. LifeRamblingsJuly 26, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    a beautiful post and nice photos. i love fruits and vegetables. i could almost smell them from here.

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  9. TaniaJuly 26, 2011 at 2:55 PM

    Great post! You have so much fruits we never see here in north.

    Thanks for caring about my country.
    Happy week to you!

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  10. MarleneJuly 26, 2011 at 4:28 PM

    Interesting story of the garden and Tipu Sultan. And those photos are wonderful. I miss some of those veggies.

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  11. DeniseinVAJuly 26, 2011 at 4:49 PM

    Well told. I enjoyed this fascinating lesson in history, especially learning of Tipu Sultan, a fascinating person. Great photos! Thank you!

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  12. AnonymousJuly 26, 2011 at 4:53 PM

    What a wonderful place!

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  13. SandyCarlsonJuly 26, 2011 at 8:51 PM

    He left a beautiful legacy in that garden!

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  14. UnknownJuly 26, 2011 at 11:11 PM

    what a visionary! this is a very interesting post. will read more about Tipu Sultan.

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  15. Carolina MountainsJuly 27, 2011 at 12:32 AM

    Great post - love botanical gardens like this.

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  16. NatureFootstepJuly 27, 2011 at 3:06 AM

    thanks for sharing this story. :)

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  17. Tatjana ParkachevaJuly 27, 2011 at 1:23 PM

    Beautiful post.

    Regards!

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  18. eileeninmdJuly 28, 2011 at 2:44 PM

    Great post and info. I love the flowers and the veggies are look beautiful.

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  19. radhaJuly 28, 2011 at 3:55 PM

    What a novel punishment! Great idea.

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  20. islandgal246July 28, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    WOW the veggies look scrumptious, and I am looking to get some seeds for those same aubergines. Lovely just lovely!

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  21. A.July 28, 2011 at 10:33 PM

    very nicely written. love the shot of the vegetables!

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  22. RNSANEJuly 29, 2011 at 2:33 AM

    This was a most delightful post on the history of the Lalbagh Gardens and Tipu Sultan. How nice that this warrior brought so many valued vegetables and plants to India!

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  23. Flowers Delivery MumbaiJuly 29, 2011 at 7:53 AM

    So luck to come across your excellent blog. Your blog brings me a great deal of fun.. Good luck with the site.

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