Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, also known as the Byculla Zoo and formerly Victoria Gardens, is a zoo and garden covering 50 acres located at

Byculla Byculla (ISO: Bhāykhaḷā; pronunciation: ʱaːjkʰəɭaː is an area of South Mumbai. Location Byculla is neighboured by Nagpada and Mumbai Central and Mahalaxmi on the west; Agripada, Jacob Circle on the north-west: Chinchpokli to the no ...

, in the heart of

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It is the oldest public garden in

. After Indian independence it was Named after Jijamata, the mother of

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adil ...

, the first

Maratha The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed a ...

emperor. In 1835, British administration granted a large plot of land in

Sewri Sewri (IAST: ''Śivdī,'' �iʋɖiː is a locality along the eastern edge of South Mumbai, in Maharashtra, India. It is also the name of a railway station on the Central Railway Harbour Line. Sewri (pronounced as Shivdi / शिवडी) was ...

to the Agro Horticultural Society of Western India for a botanical garden known as Victoria Gardens after Queen-Empress Victoria. That land was later acquired for a European burial ground. In 1861, construction of a new garden was commenced on 33 acres in the Mount Estate, Mazgaon (now included in Byculla). The flora from Sewri garden was transferred to this new garden named Jijamata Udyaan which was formally opened to the public by

Lady Frere Lady Frere (officially Cacadu) is a small town in Chris Hani District Municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town was renamed to Cacadu in 2017 after changes to the country's colonial names. Cacadu, meaning “bulrush wat ...

on 19 November 1862. Agro Horticultural Society of Western India continued to maintain Victoria Gardens till 1873 when the society's end led to the municipal corporation taking over the garden's upkeep. In 1890 the garden was extended by 15 acres especially for the zoo. The garden also houses the

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is the oldest museum in Mumbai. Situated in the vicinity of Byculla Zoo, Byculla East, it was originally established in 1855 as a treasure house of the decorative and industrial arts, and was later renamed in honour of ...

, a staff building in Greco-Roman style erected in the memory of Lady Frere, an equestrian statue of King Edward VII of England made of black marble (originally installed near the University of Mumbai) known as

Kala Ghoda Kala Ghoda (IPA:Kāḷā Ghōḍā,(काला घोडा)') is a crescent-shaped art district in Mumbai, India. It hosts several of the city's heritage buildings including museums, art galleries and educational institutions like the Ch ...

and the David Sassoon clock tower. File:Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum JEG1857.jpg, The original ''

'' File:Clocktower byculla zoo.jpg, David Sassoon Clocktower Dr._Bhau_Daji_Lad_Museum,_esterno_01.jpg, Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Byculla

Notes

External links

Official website of: "Central Zoo Authority of India" (CZA), Government of India
{{Tourist attractions in Mumbai Parks in Mumbai Zoos in Maharashtra 1861 establishments in British India Zoos established in 1861