Hyderabad's botanical garden to preserve rare varieties of plants, trees

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad's botanical gardens is one of the biggest lung spaces in the City, spread over 274.11 acres, out of which it is proposed to create a botanical garden in 128.07 acres. The land comes under the Kothaguda Reserve Forest and lies in between the Old and new Bombay highways near HITEC city. The Botanical Gaden is developed by Telangana Forest Development Corporation with an objective of growing and preserving different varieties of plants and trees for future generations.

The garden hosts pleasant walking tracks and lush green trees, fully grown. Children and even adults actively participate in adventure activities in the gardens. Zipline, zip line cycle, commando tower, bungee jumping, trampoline and rope courses are a few of the several activities hosted in the gardens.

An interpretation center equipped with colourful pictures and 3D models of various types of forests, wildlife, national parks and sanctuaries is a visual treat for the visitors.

Fiber models of big elephants, giraffes, Indian gaur (bison), spotted dear and blackbck are displayed in the garden in an attractive manner.

The botanical gardens also nurse special gardens inside them such as herbal gardens, cactus gardens, butterfly parks, xerophyte gardens, nakshatra vanam, navagraha vanam, rasi vanam and many more. A play area has also been developed exclusively to entertain the children while the skating rink is another added feature that beautifies the garden and engages the kids. An open-air amphitheater has also been constructed for small gatherings amongst nature. The park is beautifully designed blending it with water bodies that complement the greenery of the place.

The Telangana State Forest Department Corporation (TSFDC) has also taken up the acupressure track in botanical gardens for morning walkers. The acupressure park is developed based on the five elements of nature (air, earth, water, fire and sky). The 'panchabutalu'-themed track is a circular path developed using eight components – 20mm stone, 10mm stone, river stone, 6mm chip, runoff sand, tree bark, black soil and water.

The TSFDC 6 has also dedicated a 1.7 hectors area to develop an arboretum. It contains more than 250 varieties of indigenous trees and rare shrub species. These were meticulously collected from various parts of India using a scientific method called taxonomic classification. The botanical gardens also welcome field trips and education trips from various schools and colleges. Special arrangements have also been undertaken to engage students from various backgrounds. Reportedly around 100 to 300 school children visit the gardens as part of their education every day.

TSFDC vice-chairman Dr. Chandrashekar Reddy said, "These gardens are beneficial for school, college and research students. It facilitates practical learning in a green and clean environment." He also said that the investors of the garden also planned to develop 3D-stone carvings and selfie points for the visitors. "Itinerary based on classes has also been curated by the eco-tourism project manager of TSFDC for field visits and research students," added Dr. Reddy