Cynosure of all eyes: (clockwise from top) Floral replica of Mahabalipuram shore temple , tulips imported from Holland, and a replica of hornbill made of carnations on display at the flower show at Government Botanical Garden in Udhagamandalam | Photo Credit: M_Sathyamoorthy;M_Sathyamoorthy - more-in The 121st edition of flower show at the Government Botanical Garden here was inaugurated by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday. The Nilgiris District Collector P. Sankar, Minister for Agriculture R. Duraikannu, and Minister for Municipal Administration and Rural Development S P Velumani, took part. More than 15,000 potted plants and 200 varieties of blooming plants including Oriental and Asiatic Lilies, French marigolds, petunias, salvias, begonias, asters, balsams, chrysanthemums, zenias, and verbenas are on display. Five types of carnations were imported from Italy for the show. Visitors will get to see more than 4 lakh flowers and can take pictures from a dedicated ‘selfie’ spot. The main attractions are: replica of Mahabalipuram shore temple made from lakhs of red and white carnation flowers and a hornbill made from thousands of carnation flowers and arches and arabesques decorated with orchids and other colourful flowers. Speaking at the function, Mr. Palaniswami said that Udhagamandalam was one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. He said the government had undertaken a slew of infrastructure related works in the past to ensure that the tourism industry thrived. Mr. Palaniswami also announced that the Ooty Main Bus Stand will be modernised and refurbished at a cost of ?2 crore. After the inaugural ceremmony, the Chief Minister posed with members of the public and took ‘selfies’ with them, much to the delight of the crowd. Thousands of tourists visited the Government Botanical Garden on Friday during the inauguration of the event, which will proceed till Sunday. S. Murali, a tourist from Thoothukudi, said this was his first visit to the flower show and that he was extremely impressed at the floral arrangements. Similarly, other tourists said that they enjoyed the cultural programmes on show on Friday, which included performances from some of the native tribes in the Nilgiris as well as the Tibetan community in exile.

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