by pragyansharma polavarapu
MY DIARY DATED 4-3-04 (A VISIT
TO BRINDAVAN GARDENS)
My
wife and daughters got up much against
their will by 5am and got ready
by 7am. We proceeded to the restaurant
section below and had light breakfast (idli
,dosa and coffee). We walked to the main bus stand which was very near and found
several buses of Krishnarajasagar-Brindavan
route. Many were fast filling with passengers . A large part of them appeared to
be people going to the villages and towns on the route.
The bus station area was
tidy and imposing with very
straight and wide streets . Right before
us on opposite side of the road to right
and left there were line of imposing long buildings two or three storeyed high painted in white and bright yellow . They were old heritage type buildings constructed in old
style with domes at top with long narrow
front gardens before all the buildings . All the gardens were of similar appearance.
A bus
was ready to leave for Krishnarajasagar and we
entered it. The bus sped through the straight wide streets. Mysore is famed as one of the most beautiful and
one of the cleanest royal cities in India. The
journey would be for about 45 minutes we were told. The road was lined with many
similar long old style buildings.
We saw big college buildings and hospitals all in yellow and white colours.They
were so majestic and beautiful and the sorroundings were neat and tidy.
The
area was very tidy and possessed old world charm . There were similar long
rectangular shaped lawns before
all the long buildings. The road we were travelling was perfectly straight as far as eye could see
and was also very wide. We can understand why Mysore city is called city of gardens . At
several main junctions there were life
size marble statues of the previous Maharajas on high pedestals and under high decorated domes on long
pillars. Our bus passed through two or three such junctions
and crossed to the correct road towards Krishnarajasagar dam. The bus sped
at great speed in the morning through empty streets . The roads everywhere were
wide and straight and also had huge shade giving avenue trees. We saw on some
roads old mansions with vast front
gardens in walled compounds . The
buildings probably belonged to rich
families of old Mysore.
There were
old western type gabled buildings . The red Mangalore tiled bungalows had
old world charm with gardens and large
shade giving trees .We passed some military areas . Some banks and offices were
situated in high domed buildings painted
in yellow and white colours. At many places on the way there were coconut groves.
The city with its crisp dust free climate and cool weather appeared so clean. I
well remember that even in the period
when we were trained thirty years before
in the Postal Training College --situated
in a royal palace with vast gardens purchased by the Postal Department--- the area looked like a scene from a Hollywood film.
*****
Soon we left the city outskirts and
entered the rural areas and rural scenery . Here we saw one or two gigantic factory areas. One of them
was Bharath Earth Movers –an endless complex of huge factory buildings
in a huge campus with high walls and with sentries at the high gates. We
sped through the rural scenery in about 30 minutes and at last came to the bus stage
at Brindavan gardens. The famed Brindavan gardens area is 20 kilometres distant
from Mysore bus stand. Still a heavy fog hung all around making everything
invisible. I feared that the foggy weather would spoil our visit. I felt
whether we made a mistake by starting too early. But the garden is so vast that
starting early also may be correct and our decision may be correct. All shops were
still closed. Our camera required electric cells. We were worried. We did not also bring anything to eat thinking that
the hotels and restaurents woulbe open.
The high
Krishnarajasagar dam built with cement and stones was visible in the
distance and we soon neared the gateway. The barrage was very high and very
long perhaps two kilometres long. Its size and height were awe inspiring . it was planned and constructed across river Kaveri under
supervision of the world famous engineer, stateman and former prime minister of Mysuru,
Sir Mokshagundam Visweswariah. He it was who planned the big project and got it built by1931.
Sir Visweswariah offered his expert advice to
many provincial governments in India and also to some governments abroad and
patented some technologies in dam construction and flood control. Another great
administrator of Mysore state sir mirza ismail got the beautiful Brindavan
gardens built. The garden was completed by 1932. Dr Visweswariah also established great
educational institutions and big
industries and initiated large scale urban planning for Mysore city and also
created economic plans for entire Karnataka state. He was awarded the title of Bharath Ratna
by Government of India . His birthday is celebrated as Engineer’s Day. Sir Mirza
Ismail, a famous Dewan of Mysore and
friend of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar , planned the construction of the vast
garden complex.
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