Saramsa Garden is a public garden close to

Ranipool Ranipool is a small suburban town located in the bank of river Ranikhola at the junction of National Highway 10 and National Highway 717A in Gangtok District of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is 12 km before from Gangtok main town. It h ...

, approximately 14 km east of

Gangtok Gangtok is a city, municipality, the capital and the largest populated place of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the headquarters of the Gangtok District. Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's populat ...

, the capital of

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligu ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

. Established in 1922, the garden has served a variety of purposes. Initially dedicated to growing fruit for the local colonial officers, it later became known for cultivating the medicinal plant ipecacuanha. For this reason the garden is also known as Ipecac Garden. When the growing of ipecacuanha was discontinued, the garden was repurposed as an orchidarium and a recreational garden for picknickers. In 2008, the garden hosted the International Floriculture Show, attracting 50,000 visitors on each of its three days.

Location

Saramsa Garden is located between the hill slopes of

and

Pakyong Pakyong is the district headquarters of Pakyong District in the Indian state of Sikkim, located in the foothills of the Himalayas. It holds many Government Offices. Pakyong Airport is the only airport of Sikkim. The "National Research Centre fo ...

on NH-717A. The park is situated approximately 14 km away from the capital town on the

road.

History

The garden was established in 1922 by the Sikkim Forest Department. From 1922 to 1954 the Forest Manager nurtured the garden as his pet project with intense involvement in introduction of plants. His interest in

botany Botany, also called plant science (or plant sciences), plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "bot ...

floriculture Floriculture, or flower farming, is a branch of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry. The development of new varieties by plant breeding ...

and

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

largely helped in his pursuit. Initially established with the main purpose of growing different fruits like pineapple, guava, varieties of oranges and lychee for the

British Political officer The Indian Political Department (IPD), formerly known as the Foreign and Political Department of the Government of India, was a government department in British India. It originated in a resolution passed on 13 September 1783 by the board of dire ...

and the

Palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, the garden developed into a main center for introduction of fruits. The practice of growing fruits continued until 1940, after which the Forest Department introduced ipecacuanha from Zohore in Malaysia. This is used in the production of

syrup of ipecac Syrup of ipecac (), or simply ipecac, is a drug that was once widely used as an expectorant (in low doses) and a rapid-acting emetic (in higher doses). It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of the ipecacuanha plant (''Carapichea ipeca ...

, a powerful

emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis ...

. Though cultivation of ipecacuanha was discontinued in 1970, the garden is still famous by the name Ipecac Garden. In 1975, the garden was converted into an orchidarium for growing different types of orchids. The majority of plants and trees that can be seen growing in the garden at present were introduced from 1975 until 1980. In 2008 the garden hosted the International Flori Show, an event promoted by the

Government of Sikkim The Government of Sikkim also known as the State Government of Sikkim is the subnational government of the Indian state of Sikkim and its 6 districts, created by the National Constitution as the legislative, executive and judicial authority to ...

to promote the region as a centre of

References

{{Coord, 27.277, 88.595, display=title Gardens in India Gangtok district Protected areas of Sikkim 1922 establishments in Sikkim