It’s raining tourists in #Ooty..! Thousands of tourists from various parts of Tamil Nadu and other states throng the botanical garden to enjoy the spectacular 124 th annual flower show which was inaugurated in the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Friday.
A massive façade of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s (TNAU) main building, made of more than 1 lakh carnation flowers captivated visitors. The exhibit, said to be more than 80-feet long and 20-feet high was made of carnations procured from local farmers as well as from across South India, said horticulture department officials.
According to officials, the flower show featured more than 275 different varieties of flowering plants. Tulips from the Netherlands were also imported to add splendour to the summer festival’s marquee event, which is being held after a gap of two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visitors, who streamed into the Government Botanical Garden were also treated to an arrangement of more than 4,500 plants arranged in the Glass House at the garden. Other eye-catching notable exhibits included one commemorating the bicentenary of the colonial exploration of the Nilgiris, as well as an exhibit of yellow flowers designed in the shape of a manjappai or yellow bag to raise awareness among visitors to use cloth bags while shopping and to reduce the use of plastic.
Life-size figures of six of the Nilgiris’ indigenous peoples – the Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyas and Kattuanayakans -were also on display. The exhibits showcased the different traditional attires of the indigenous groups, all made of carnation flowers. Also Valluvar Kottam and gaur made of vegetables and tulip flowers imported from Holland, and Ooty 200, a logo created to mark 200 years of discovery of The Nilgiris attracted visitors.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday inaugurated the 124th flower show at Government Botanical Garden (GBG) in Udagamanadalam. Accompanied by his wife Durga and ministers MRK Panneerselvam (Agriculture), K Ramachandran (Forest), and Nilgiris MP A Raja, the Chief Minister went around the sprawling park catching a glimpse of the impressive display.
