Bodh Gaya

 First time I stepped down in Bangalore to join my college, this was the only place I  visited with family  as "Places of Interest" inside the city. That was July  2006, Never bothered to visit again in the four years of engineering. It was just a land mark to me till I came back to Bengaluru in 2012.

Some thing preventing me  from liking malls and the window shopping culture, beach was my most haunted place in Chennai which I  still miss a lot in Bangalore.

Searching for a calm  place in the city free to move around without much of the disturbing  human crowd, the city sounds and commercial hoardings, I revisited here again. A place in the city to sit, roll down,  feel the earth  without footwear outside my room.

Now, I have breathed into this space countless times and it almost  has seen  all of my solitary Sunday afternoons.Almost like where ever I am in the city and I need some private time, then to me,

" All roads lead to Lal Bagh"

 Hyder Ali commisioned  and Tipu sultan finished setting up this 220 acre crown inside the city. Britishers added some more  jewels like the Glass house to it. Now maintained by Horticulture department of Karnataka.

Park the bike and start walking in,  Nature starts embracing in.

At least for me , its not a place to  visit once, just  walking around hasty to cover the park  for see everything one shot.

Houses not only Flowers, the huge bird community chirping and squirrels running around. Those lonely benches,  shaded trees and green lawns will make you forget that you are in a traffic cursed concrete jungle.

It really takes time to look into the colours, patterns, feel the petals of each and every flower and livelihood around and everything is new when I visit next time.

Lalbagh lake inside  is one of big lakes in the city.

The huge and century old trees.Touching  and  hugging around their huge barks tell a lot of unltold stories. It feels like Avatar :-P

Many of the trees have finished reading Vairamuthu's  Kallikkaattu Ithikasam and some more books  with me :-D :-D.

After buying the camera, the story is different.Its common that people who slowdown, feel the nature and things around to frame and photograph them. its the other way around  for me.

Mindlessly walking in and start clicking whatever I find. Once, a visitor mistook me to be a regular cameraman there, who clicks and gives instant prints to visitors.

 Doves assemble and feed in a place in late evenings in a place. It was long wish to click them on flying.

It feels different when people give odd stares on me suddenly go on knees to click at eye level of something or having my  head into the random bushes :-D :-D

You can sometime artists who find subjects and draw to their heart's content.

Recently got into the vast nursery. They have so much to sell. Seeds, saplings and accessories to  guide for self gardening.

Any friend or relative visits Bangalore , the first place suggested by me is to visit  Lal bagh .

 Kind of similar looking roads and signals at all gates of the park confuse most times .

Had been umpteen number of times, yet haven't seen fully . Definitely one of the places that occupy a special place in my soul.

"Lal Bagh - Inner Peace"

PS: Where ever I read about gardens I read more about its  Mughal background. Wonder why others were not interested in  gardening.