Lumbini Garden: Kalaburagi’s New Green Attraction for Families, Nature Lovers
For Kalaburagi, Lumbini Garden is more than a park—it is a green sanctuary, a place where nature, learning, and leisure come together and where people can pause, breathe and reconnect with nature.
By : Gururaj A Paniyadi
Update: 2025-08-29 10:15 GMT
Kalaburagi: Drive about 25 km out of Kalaburagi city towards Sedam and you will find yourself slowing down near Gundagurthi village—not because of traffic, but because the landscape turns greener. What was once an unused stretch of red soil has been transformed into a lush, green tourist spot. This is Lumbini Garden, a 17-acre space that now draws families, children, and weary city folk looking for an escape.
For Kalaburagi, Lumbini Garden is more than a park—it is a green sanctuary, a place where nature, learning, and leisure come together and where people can pause, breathe and reconnect with nature.
At the entrance, visitors are greeted by the words “Vriksho Rakshati Rakshitaha”—a reminder that those who protect trees are, in turn, protected by them.
The air here is noticeably fresher. Step inside and the soundscape shifts—the distant hum of vehicles gives way to the rustle of leaves, the gurgle of a natural stream, and the flutter of wings. The chirping of birds and the sight of butterflies hovering around instantly catch a visitor’s attention.
Minister Priyank Kharge, who finalized the blueprint for the garden and arranged the funding—Rs 97 lakh from the Forest Department and Rs 1.17 crore from the DMF (a total of Rs 2.14 crore)—said the idea was to turn inspiring slogans on environmental conservation into reality.
“The butterfly park, library, and the wide variety of trees and flowering plants are meant to draw people in. The dream of building a well-equipped and beautiful garden has come true,” he said, urging citizens to visit and cooperate in keeping the space clean.
Butterflies in the air
One of the most attractive features is the butterfly park. Shaped like a butterfly itself, the enclosure comes alive with colour as more than 50 species dart among flowering plants. Host plants brought from Rajahmundry ensure the butterflies find food and breeding space.
A forest within a park
Further inside, the shade deepens under the Miyawaki forest, created with over 2,000 saplings of native trees. The closeness of the planting creates a cool, damp atmosphere, much like stepping into a wild grove. Many visitors who come to the garden pause at the wooden bridge built across the natural stream, watching clear water ripple over smooth stones.
For play and performance
The park has been designed with families in mind. A children’s playground with swings and slides is filled with laughter on weekends. An open-air theatre, with seating for 200, provides space for cultural and literary events under the open sky.
Tucked into one corner is a small library, stocked with books of different genres. Some volumes carry inscriptions—gifts donated by Minister Kharge himself.
Exotic and educational
Adding to the diversity are Baobab trees, common in Africa, known for their ability to live for centuries and store water in their trunks. Around them, cinnamon, jatropha and more than 60 flowering varieties brighten the landscape.
The pathways are dotted with sculptures of leopards, deer, peacocks and blackbucks, designed to spark curiosity among children and to create awareness about wildlife.
File photo of Kharge's visit to the Garden
Looking ahead
Deputy Commissioner Fauzia Taranum said that more facilities would be added as demand grows, while DFO Sumeet Patil noted that the park already attracts more than 100 visitors daily, with numbers rising on weekends and holidays.
The administration has future plans. Proposals include expanding the butterfly garden, setting up a demonstration plot of 20–30 bamboo species, and creating a wooden tree walk to enhance the visitor experience.