Mysuru’s Dasara flower show will open at Kuppanna Park on October 11 with a large floral replica of Vidhana Soudha, 75,000 ornamental potted plants and voter-awareness installations, giving visitors an expanded public horticulture and cultural attraction during the festival season.
The exhibition will be held until October 21 under the theme ‘Festival of Democracy’, Horticulture Department Joint Director Roopashree K.N. said at a press conference. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will formally inaugurate it at 12.30 pm on October 11. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and Mysuru district in-charge minister Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah are scheduled to attend.
The central installation inside the glasshouse will recreate Vidhana Soudha using two lakh red roses, 4,000 chrysanthemums and 25,000 green foliage plants. The structure will be 57 feet wide, 20 feet long and 37 feet high. Mexican lawn, anthurium, gladiolus, lily, carnation and bird-of-paradise flowers will also be used. The department said the installation would require 100 kilograms of wire mesh and 900 floral-foam boxes, with the flowers scheduled to be changed twice during the exhibition.
The glasshouse will also display flowers, plants and bonsai sourced from Kolkata, Ooty, Pune, Bengaluru and Hassan. Outdoor installations will include a floral replica of a small clock tower, a representation of Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar seated on the throne, and displays depicting the three pillars of democracy. Electronic voting machines and floral models carrying the voter-awareness message ‘My Vote, My Right, My Responsibility’ will form part of the exhibition.
Other attractions will include a floral replica of the Stone Chariot from Hampi and a large cake-shaped flower model. The programme will also feature entertainment events, Bali-style arches made using Indonesian coconut-leaf craft, a musical fountain, a vegetable garden and robotic displays of animals, birds and insects. Agriculture, horticulture and food stalls will operate at the venue.
The department’s nurseries have raised 75,000 ornamental pots representing 49 varieties for the exhibition. Adult entry has been fixed at ₹60, while children between six and 12 years will pay ₹30. Children visiting in school uniform will be allowed free entry between 9 am and 1 pm.
A separate flower fair and botanical garden visit programme will be held at the Lingambudhi Botanical Garden from October 11. Yathindra Siddaramaiah will inaugurate that programme at 1 pm. Spread across 15 acres, the garden contains more than 327 plant species from 70 botanical families and a collection of over 25,000 plants, trees and creepers, according to the Horticulture Department.
