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{{EngvarB|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden of India Kolkata, West Bengal
| alt_name =
| photo = Kolkata botanical garden pathway.jpg
| photo_width =
| photo_caption = '''Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden'''
| photo_alt =
| map =
| map_width =
| map_caption =
| map_alt =
| label = Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden
| label_position = right
| region =
| type = [[Public]]
| location = [[Shibpur]], [[Howrah]]
| nearest_city = [[Howrah]], [[Kolkata]]
| area = {{convert|109|ha|acre}}
| elevation =
| created = {{start date|1787}}
| designer = [[Robert Kyd]], [[William Roxburgh]]
| etymology =
| operator = [[Botanical Survey of India]]
| visitation_num =
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| visitation_ref =
| status = Open
(5 AM - 7 AM for Morning Walkers
9 AM - 5 PM for Visitors)
| awards =
| camp_sites =
| hiking_trails =
| other_info =
| website = [https://www.bgci.org/garden.php?id=53 Official Website]
}}

The '''Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden''' previously known as '''Indian Botanic Garden'''<ref>"Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah," BSI. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://164.100.52.111/indianBotanicgarden.shtm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703132710/http://164.100.52.111/indianBotanicgarden.shtm |date=3 July 2011 }}></ref> and the '''Calcutta Botanic Garden''',<ref name=prakash/> is situated in [[Shibpur]], [[Howrah]] near [[Kolkata]]. They are commonly known as the '''Calcutta Botanical Garden''' and previously as the '''Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta'''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Abhijit |year=2012 |chapter=Calcutta Botanic Garden |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Calcutta_Botanic_Garden |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref> The gardens exhibit a wide variety of rare plants and a total collection of over 12,000 specimens spread over 109 [[hectare]]s. It is under [[Botanical Survey of India]] (BSI) of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

==History==
The gardens were founded in 1787 by Colonel [[Robert Kyd]], an army officer of the [[East India Company]], primarily for the purpose of identifying new plants of commercial value, such as teak, and growing spices for trade.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101015814/|title=Robert Kyd}}</ref> [[Joseph Dalton Hooker]] says of this Botanical Garden that "Amongst its greatest triumphs may be considered the introduction of the tea-plant from China ... the establishment of the [[tea]]-trade in the [[Himalaya]] and [[Assam]] is almost entirely the work of the superintendents of the gardens of [[Calcutta]] and Seharunpore ([[Saharanpur]])."<ref>Joseph Dalton Hooker, ''Himalayan Journals, or Notes of a Naturalist ...,'' Kew (1854), vol. I, p. 5.</ref>

A major change in policy, however, was introduced by the [[Botany|botanist]] [[William Roxburgh]] after he became superintendent of the garden in 1793.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Basu|first1=Anasuya|title=Sussex help for Indian heritage in Shibpur|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170809/jsp/calcutta/story_166277.jsp|access-date=14 August 2017|agency=ABP|issue=The Telegraph|date=9 August 2017}}</ref> Roxburgh brought in plants from all over India and developed an extensive [[herbarium]].<ref>Roxburgh, W (1814) ''Hortus Bengalensis or a catalogue of the plants growing in the Honourable East India Company's botanic garden at Calcutta''. Mission Press : Serampore. 105pp.</ref> This collection of dried plant specimens eventually became the Central National Herbarium of the [[Botanical Survey of India]], which comprises 2,500,000 items. During the early years of the garden Joseph Dalton Hooker writes:<ref>Joseph Dalton Hooker, ''Himalayan Journals, or Notes of a Naturalist ...,'' Kew (1854), vol. I, p. 4.</ref>
{{quote|... contributed more useful and ornamental tropical plants to the public and private gardens of the world than any other establishment before or since. ... I here allude to the great Indian herbarium, chiefly formed by the staff of the Botanic Gardens under the direction of Dr. [[Nathaniel Wallich]], and distributed in 1829 to the principal museums of Europe.}}

Over the years attractive display [[garden]]s for the public have been developed and many kinds of plants have been cultivated for scientific observation. During the 1970s the garden initiated a program to introduce improved [[food crop|food plants]] and other varieties of economic benefit to the people of India.

The Garden was designated the ''Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden'' on June 25, 2009 in honor of [[Jagadish Chandra Bose]], the [[Bengali people|Bengali]] [[polymath]], and natural scientist.

This garden is a No Plastic Zone.

==Attractions==
The best-known landmark of the garden is [[The Great Banyan]], an enormous [[banyan tree]] (''Ficus benghalensis'') that is reckoned to be the largest tree in the world, at more than 330 metres in circumference. It partially inspired the novel Hothouse by Brian Aldiss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/interviews/12827-brian-aldiss-author-int|title=Brian Aldiss - Literary Legend}}</ref> The gardens are also famous for their enormous collections of [[orchid]]s, [[bamboo]]s, [[arecaceae|palms]], and plants of the screw pine genus (''[[Pandanus]]'').

Animals seen inside the Botanic Garden include the Jackal (''[[Canis aureus]]''), Indian mongoose and the Indian Fox ([[Vulpes bengalensis]]). A large number of various snakes are also found in the garden.

==Gallery==
[[File:Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden - Howrah 2011-01-08 9902.JPG|thumb|Outside View of Shibpur Botanic Garden]]
[[File:Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden Great Water Lilly.jpg|thumb|Great Water Lilly]]
[[File:Banyan Tree Botanical Garden.jpg|thumb|Guinness World Records holder, this 250 years old banyan tree with 3616 prop roots is spread across 1.6 Hectares]]
[[File:Roxburgh's House.jpg|thumb|Roxburgh's House]]
{{wide image|Kings Lake - Banyan Avenue - Indian Botanic Garden - Howrah 2013-03-31 5645 to 5653.JPG|1000px|The Kings Lake from the Banyan avenue}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=prakash>Prakash, R.O. (2016) "Wallich and his contribution to the Indian natural history", ''Rheedea 26(1): 13-20.</ref>
}}
*[http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/14242/1/SR%2049(6)%208-13.pdf 225 years of Botanic History by Shakunt Pandey] (PDF, 2.0 MB)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden}}
*[http://www.amphilsoc.org/mole/view?docId=ead/Mss.580.7.R81-ead.xml Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta Index, ca. 1830]
*[http://bsi.gov.in/ Botanical Survey of India]
*[http://bsienvis.nic.in/ ENVIS Centre on Floral Diversity]

{{Howrah topics}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Howrah]]
[[Category:Botanical gardens in India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Howrah district]]
[[Category:Parks in Kolkata]]
[[Category:1787 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:Tourism in West Bengal]]

Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden - Revision history

>Freezingwedge at 23:45, 4 March 2021