The Mysuru Dasara Flower Exhibition will be held from October 11 to 21 at Kuppanna Park, featuring a 37-foot floral replica of Bengaluru’s Vidhana Soudha and a wider programme built around the theme ‘Festival of Democracy’, the Department of Horticulture said on Thursday.
Horticulture Department Joint Director Roopashree K.N. said the exhibition would be formally inaugurated at 12.30pm on October 11 by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and district in-charge minister Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah are expected to attend the inauguration.
The main installation inside the glass house will use two lakh red roses, 4,000 chrysanthemums and 25,000 green foliage plants. It will measure 57 feet in width, 20 feet in length and 37 feet in height. Mexican lawn, anthurium, gladiolus, lily, carnation and bird-of-paradise flowers will also be used in the display.
The department will use 100 kg of wire mesh and 900 floral-foam boxes to build the installation. Officials said the flowers would be replaced twice during the exhibition to maintain the display. Flowers, plants and bonsai from Kolkata, Ooty, Pune, Bengaluru and Hassan will also be exhibited inside the glass house.
The outdoor section will include floral replicas of a small clock tower, the Hampi stone chariot and the three pillars of democracy. A floral representation of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar seated on a throne, electronic voting machines and voter-awareness displays carrying the message ‘My Vote – My Right – My Responsibility’ are also planned.
Other attractions will include a large floral cake model, entertainment programmes, Bali-style arches made from coconut fronds, a musical fountain, a vegetable garden and robotic displays featuring animals, birds and insects. The department’s nurseries have raised 75,000 ornamental potted plants belonging to 49 varieties for the exhibition. Agriculture, horticulture and food stalls will also be set up.
Entry has been priced at ₹60 for adults and ₹30 for children aged between six and 12 years. Children wearing school uniforms will be allowed free entry from 9am to 1pm, according to the department.
A separate ‘Flower Fair and Botanical Garden Visit’ programme will be held at the Lingambudhi Botanical Garden from October 11. The programme will be inaugurated at 1pm by Yathindra Siddaramaiah. The 15-acre garden contains more than 327 plant species from 70 botanical families and a collection of over 25,000 plants, trees and climbers, Roopashree said.
