The Mysuru Dasara flower exhibition will be held from October 11 to 21 at Kuppanna Park, with a 37-foot floral replica of the Vidhana Soudha planned as its centrepiece. The exhibition, organised by the Department of Horticulture under the theme ‘Festival of Democracy’, will open to visitors during the Dasara celebrations.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition at 12.30pm on October 11. Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara and district in-charge minister Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah are also expected to attend, horticulture department joint director Roopashree K.N. said at a press conference in Mysuru on Thursday.
The Vidhana Soudha replica will be built inside the glasshouse using two lakh red roses, 4,000 chrysanthemums and 25,000 green foliage plants. The installation 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 plans to use 100 kg of wire mesh and 900 floral foam boxes for the installation. The flowers will be replaced twice during the exhibition period. The glasshouse will also feature flowers, plants and bonsai sourced from Kolkata, Ooty, Pune, Bengaluru and Hassan.
Outdoor displays will include a floral replica of a small clock tower, a representation of Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar seated on a throne, and floral installations depicting the three pillars of democracy. Voting-awareness displays featuring electronic voting machines and the message ‘My vote, my right, my responsibility’ will also be installed. A floral replica of the stone chariot at Hampi and a large flower-shaped cake model are among the other attractions announced by the department.
The programme will include entertainment events, Bali-style arches made using coconut frond craft, a musical fountain, a vegetable garden and robotic displays of animals, birds and insects. The exhibition will use 75,000 ornamental flower pots representing 49 varieties grown in department nurseries. Agriculture, horticulture and food stalls will also be set up at the venue.
Adult entry has been fixed at ₹60, while children aged six to 12 will be charged ₹30. Children arriving in school uniforms will be allowed free entry between 9am and 1pm. The announced rates and timings apply to the Kuppanna Park exhibition as described by the horticulture department.
A separate ‘Flower Fair and Botanical Garden Visit’ programme will be organised at the Lingambudhi Botanical Garden. It will be inaugurated at 1pm on October 11 by district in-charge minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah. The 15-acre garden contains more than 327 plant species belonging to 70 botanical families, along with a collection of more than 25,000 plants, trees and creepers, according to the department.
