Zoo In India

Gulab Bagh and Zoo, Rajasthan

Situated in the land of Maharajas and covering at least 100 acres of space, the garden is located in the city of Udaipur which was once voted as the best city in the world by a travel magazine and often, it has been referred to as the “Venice of the East”.

History

Started by Maharaja Sajjan Singh in 1878, it is one of the oldest zoos in the Indian sub-continent. T.H Story, a horticulturist from Madras (Chennai) was invited to design the garden and decide its entire layout. It is said that many parts of the garden were designed by the Maharaja himself as he was keenly looking forward to making it the best garden in the whole country.

During late 19th century, fights between animals were organised for the entertainment of the royal audience as well as commoners. The place also attracted the British and there was once a statue of Queen Victoria which was later replaced by a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

A museum was started in 1890, which currently houses manuscripts from 3rd century and some interesting documents of the British era. It was the favourite place to hangout for ladies in yesteryears as the place is flooded with the sweet smell of roses and there are a lot of animals which are a rare species in India.

A lotus pond was also constructed within the garden and Mr. Story was paid a monthly salary of around Rs 300 to maintain the whole garden and pond. The construction of the whole garden took some Rs 16,000 which was wholly paid by the Maharaja.

Timings and Tariffs

http://overseasattractions.com/asia/india/udaipur/gulab-bagh-zoo/

Things to Take Care of When Visiting

This immensely beautiful garden also has a toy train which your children are going to love and it is highly possible that after roaming around the whole garden, you may not be able to lift your feet for a while. But, while admiring the beauty of the place, you should keep a few things in mind.

• Do not throw any packets or extra food in the garden or the zoo. Extra food can affect the health of animals and the packets that you throw spoil the beauty of the place which is its USP.

• Do not pluck any roses. You may get away with it as guards cannot look after each and every flower in the gardens but, you should be careful about this thing yourself. Remember, someone has worked day and night for them to grow properly and by plucking them, you are making their efforts go in vain.

• Do not wash hands in the pond. Birds drink that water and since it is a lotus pond, if you dirty it with soap or anything else, health of birds and lotus might be affected.

• Take care of your belongings yourself as the staff cannot be held responsible for lost luggage. They might try to find it but, they will not be responsible for its loss.

• When visiting the library, make sure you do not damage any of the books as some are more than 100 years old.

• It is advisable that you apply a lot of sunscreen as it gets really hot in the afternoon and you may suffer sunburns.

How to Reach

• An air-conditioned taxi from the bus stand will cost you anywhere between Rs. 200-300 as it depends on the size of the taxi you hire.

• You can also hire an auto-rickshaw, popularly known as the tuk-tuk. It will cost you around 100 bucks for a one-way trip.

• Tongas and rickshaws are the cheapest lots and it will cost you around Rs. 50 to reach the gardens from the bus stand if you choose any of these as your mode of transport.

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