Brindavan Gardens
Amidst the spectacle of the setting sun, a cool breeze wafts in as one gets past the gates of Brindavan Gardens in Mysore, leading one to spot the imposing the Krishnaraja Sagara Dam, fondly known as the KRS Dam, built across the river Kaveri. With an imposing height of 8600 feet and a height of 130 feet above the river, the Krishnaraja Sagara Dam stands tall at the confluence of three rivers: Kaveri, Hemavati and Lakshmanateertha since 1924. Named after Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar-IV, who ruled Mysore from 1894 until his death in 1940, the dam was built by India's best known engineer, Sir M. Visweswaraya, then the chief engineer of Mysore, using 'surkhi', a mixture of limestone and brick powder instead of cement. Operational since 1924, the KRS Dam is one of the earliest dams in the world to use automatic sluice gates. The Krishnaraja Sagara Dam is an outstanding example of civil engineering and the Brindavan Gardens below it is a major crowd-puller.
Mysore's Brindavan Gardens is one of the best known public gardens of India. It is a botanical park which also has some interesting musical fountains and also offers short boat rides to tourists. Mysore, being the seat of royalty, had planned and got the gardens built simultaneously along with the dam. The layout process for the gardens began in 1927 and was completed in 1932. Laid out in three terraces, it contains fig trees, foliage plants such as sky flowers and euphorbia along with flowering plants such as celosia, marigold and bougainvilleas. Situated in the garden premises are a horticultural farm and nursery, a pond with fisheries and a hydraulic research station. In addition to these is also a statue of Goddess Kaveri.
The crowd-puller at the Brindavan Gardens is the dancing fountains in which bursts of water are wonderfully synchronised to the music of popular songs. The dancing fountains have a harmonic blend of water, colours and music. With lakhs of visitors annually, the Brindavan Gardens of Mysore, located 24 kilometres from Mysore, is the best illuminated terrace garden in India. Spread across 150 acres of land, the dam provides irrigation facilities to a supply range of more than 1,20,000 acres.
The statue of Goddess Kaveri |
Musical Fountains-II |
Musical Fountain |
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