A Photowalk in Botanical Garden Kolkata

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Pathway, Shibpur Botanical Garden, Howrah, Kolkata
Pathway, Shibpur Botanical Garden, Howrah, Kolkata
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden popularly known as Shibpur Botanical Garden

It was a warm morning in the month of March. I bought my Nikon Coolpix P500 the previous night and thought to go out on a photowalk to test the new camera. It was a bridge camera with powerful zoom (34x) …ideal for shooting birds. Two of my friends also wanted to join me. They suggested we go to the Botanical Garden in Kolkata’s twin city Howrah on the other side of the Ganges. That was also my first visit to Shibpur Botanical Garden which is officially named as Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden. We reached there at around 7:30 am, a little before the ticket counter opened. Looking through the main gate I could see some people were already returning from their everyday morning walk session in the garden.

morning walk in Indian Botanic garden, Shibpur Botanical Garden, Howrah, Kolkata
Morning walkers in the Botanical Garden

Founded in 1787 on the western bank of the River Ganges the Botanical Garden is about 30-40 minutes ride from the heart of Kolkata. Built on an area of 273 acres the garden is home to 12,000 perennial plants and a variety of plant species cultivated for scientific research. The garden has become a popular tourist attraction over the years, especially because of The Great Banyan tree. It is a huge 250 years old Banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) forming world’s second largest natural canopy spreading over an area of 14,500 square meters.

the great banyan tree, Botanical Garden, Shibpur
The Great Banyan Tree in the Botanical Garden, Kolkata – Photo: Wikipedia

Apart from banyan and various types of trees there are manicured gardens, lakes and ponds where rare water lilies (such as Victoria Amazonica) bloom and a variety of birds come in search of food and shelter amidst the greenery.

Water lilies in Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata #BotanicGarden #2

As we explored deeper in the garden, it became obvious that I did not have the patience to shoot birds neither the eye for it and ended up shooting trees, flowers and ponds in the garden. 🙂 While my friends were busy in clicking birds I took a few shots of the surrounding.

birding, Shibpur Botanical Garden, Indian Botanic Garden
My friends busy in photographing birds.

Whether you are a photographer, or a fitness freak, or just a visitor you’ll love the place full of greenery and quietness away from the din of city life as you breathe in fresh air which immediately relaxes your mind. So, don’t forget to include the Botanical Garden in your must-see list of Kolkata Tour.

Here are a few glimpses of the Indian Botanic Garden through my lenses.

We walked down the nature trails

country road, #naturetrail - Shibpur Botanical Garden

Went past the bamboo groves

Bamboo Orchards - Shibpur Botanical Garden #kolkata

Along the canals flowing across the garden

Landscape - Shibpur Botanical Garden #kolkata

To reach a pond where trees contemplate upon their reflections

The trees look into the reflction in pond - Shibpur Botanical Garden

Where red water lilies bloom all around

Red waterlilies - Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata

Where dead trees were lying beside the track

dread tree trunks - Shibpur Botanical Garden, #Kolkata

But the green foliages of spring shone bright in the morning sun

Green foliages of early summer - Shibpur Botanical Garden

I looked through the leafy frame

a leafy frame - Shibpur Botanical Garden #kolkata

To find this Bronze-winged Jacana wading through the water 

Birding at Shibpur Botanical Garden

Suddenly my eyes fell on this dragon fly resting on the branch of a tree

Dragonfly on Krishna Chura (Royal Poinciana or Flamboyant) - Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata

We sat down under the tree to relax in its cool shade

The tree by the pond - Botanical Garden, #Kolkata #BotanicalGarden #nature

And watched bright cosmoses flooded the garden yonder

cosmos - Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata

And red poppies swaying their heads in breeze

red poppies in Botanical Garden #Kolkata

To welcome the little bee that sucked nectar until its stomach was full

bee on red poppy in the garden - Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata

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34 thoughts on “A Photowalk in Botanical Garden Kolkata”

  1. Pingback: Red waterlilies - Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata - Garden Gaze
  2. Pingback: cosmos – Shibpur Botanical Garden #Kolkata – Prized Photography

  3. Being a fitness freak and a bird- watcher I think that I’ve hit the right place and I strongly believe that this is going to be one of the places I would want to visit during my next visit to Kolkata. Good photography and I’m sure you had a wonderful time there.

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    1. Yes…I had a wonderful time there as I love being in nature. And I am sure you’ll enjoy your visit too. Thank you for dropping by my blog and I am glad that you liked the photographs 🙂

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    1. thanks Jatin… You know that day I was so excited and was constantly clicking pictures that my new cam’s battery drained out quickly in one hour before we reached the Great Banyan Tree. Hence I borrowed that image from Wikipedia… 😛 🙂

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