Rose Show inaugurated in The Nilgiris

The summer festival season in the Nilgiris kicked off with the 21st Rose Show held at the Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam on Thursday.

The show is jointly organized by the Nilgiris district administration and the Horticulture Department and was inaugurated by Nilgiris Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru. Rose Show, one of the three summer festival events to be held this year, will take place until May 18.

Different varieties of floral bird ornaments are displayed at the Rose Show in Udhagamandalam. | Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M.

After the opening, Ms. Tanneeru told reporters that the area, known as the “Queen of hill stations”, attracts tourists from across the country and the world every year. This year the Rose Show was organized around the theme of Birds of Paradise and around 2 lakh flowers were used to create exhibits displayed at the show.

In order to raise awareness among visitors about the bird diversity in the district, exhibitions consisting of hornbills, birds of prey, ducks, nightingales, sunbirds, Indians and sparrows were also created as flower exhibitions. In the press release from the district administration, “In addition, entertainment venues inspired by ‘Angry Birds’ and ‘Tweety Bird’ and selfie points for visitors have been created to entertain children.” The statement was included.

A new feature introduced this year is the placement of QR codes near each bird exhibit. Visitors can scan the codes to hear sounds and learn more about the birds featured at the Rose Show. The rose garden currently has 4,301 varieties of rose plants, with more than 3,300 of them in full bloom in the current season.

Nilgiris district Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Tanneeru visited the floral decorations after the inauguration of the Rose Show at Udhagamandalam on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SATHYAMOORTHY M.

“Various competitions have also been organized for rose growers and prizes will be distributed to the winners at the closing ceremony of the exhibition. Last year, the Rose Show was held for 3 days. This year, it will continue for 5 days till May 18. More tourists are expected to visit this year. The District Collector has also appealed to tourists visiting the Nilgiris not to use banned plastic items or bring them into the district to protect the sensitive hill environment,” the press release said.