A Mesmerising Walk Amid Ancient Trees Of The French Era
It was not a planned visit but roaming around the quaint colonial city of Pondicherry. I thought of taking a peek into a garden that had literally no tourists or visitors. Now imagine my surprise of a scenario where a landmark natural heritage saw just a few local people drop in the evenings to take rest or chat with their friends without realizing the worth of the botanical garden.
The Le Jardin Botanique at Orleanpet is said to be the only botanical garden on the eastern coast of the country. As you enter this verdant garden from one of the many entrances, one is fortunate to see a lot of tree species that are pretty old with some spreading on the ground horizontally. The garden itself was landscaped by a Frenchman Le Jardin in 1826 in the ornate French style. Once it had pruned trees and flower beds with gravel lined pathways and fountains. But now the ancient landscape laid down by the French settlers has almost disappeared.
However, there is no need to be disappointed. If you are a nature lover then there are some unique trees with their massive trunks taking a ground route and spreading all over the place and giving it a grounded look. The imposing trees from Asia and Africa are a big attraction here and one can spend some time here. Although French gardeners had introduced many exotic flowers, they are not to be seen now.
The botanical garden is situated just two kilometers from the Promenade Beach and therefore, the evenings are cool and pleasant and makes for a nice resting place. It is spread out on 22 acres but one cannot compare this small garden with Lal Bagh of Bengaluru and please don’t, otherwise you will return disappointed. Despite this one gets to see nearly 1500 species of flora with some exotic and some endangered ones.
Adding to the tranquility of the place, some tree species are very old and well preserved. A few of them are labeled too. There are very old mahogany trees from Africa as also Burmese and Ceylon teak trees. They are so tall and ancient that one wonders how it has stood the test of time, weathering all kinds of natural and manmade disasters. The plant diversity in this small heritage area is rich, however, needs more care and maintenance.
The French garden is a neglected place and one sees only courting couples trying to hide from unwanted public gaze. However, it is a welcome break from the heat and dust of the city as with a wide variety of flowers and species, it is serene and peaceful. The fresh and pure air and the constant chirping of birds motivates one want to stay for a longer duration.
It is said that once this landscape was an open garden but during French occupation it was converted into a botanical garden by Perrottet in 1831. Even the gate that leads to the botanical garden, which is right in the middle of the old Tamil town, is of French architecture as are many structures in Pondicherry.
How To Get There
The Botanical Garden is located on the South Boulevard near old bus stand of Pondicherry city. From the Pondicherry railway station, the garden is just a 11 minute pleasant walk.
Location map:
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