Davanagere Glass House

The Davanagere Glass House belongs to Karnataka's line of large exhibition glasshouses. Local reporting likes to compare it with the Lalbagh glasshouse in Bengaluru, modelled on the Crystal Palace, and with the glass house in Hubli, both of which it is said to exceed in landscaped area.

Construction began in the 2014-15 financial year on land near Kunduvada Lake, a reservoir that supplies the city with drinking water, along the National Highway 4 bypass. The reported cost was 30 crore rupees, or 300 million. The state's Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, inaugurated the building on 13 March 2018, and according to ETV Bharat it opened to visitors during 2018-19.

The site is maintained by the Department of Horticulture of the Government of Karnataka. In late 2020 ETV Bharat described it as the biggest glass house in the country, drawing visitors from neighbouring states as well as a few tourists from Thailand and Ireland. The Davanagere Smart City website goes further, claiming that it surpasses Lalbagh's glasshouse in area and beauty. None of the sources consulted gives a figure for the covered floor area, however, so these comparisons should be treated with caution.

The building is a vast steel-and-glass hall 108 metres long, 68 metres wide and 18 metres high. It stands on three acres, a little over one hectare, of a twelve-acre site planted with exotic trees and other plants.

A description of the project published by a steel-construction company mentions a dome-shaped glass roof that lets natural light reach the plantings. The Smart City website adds that the glazing, supplied by Saint-Gobain, is designed to limit solar heat gain and keep the interior cool, and that the floors are laid in granite. Neither the architect nor the engineering firm is named in the sources consulted.

Part of the building is given over to a horticultural information centre. After dark the structure is lit with coloured lighting.

According to the project description, the plants are arranged in themed sections devoted to cacti, bonsai, orchids and medicinal plants. ETV Bharat reports that the surrounding park is planted with trees and plants of foreign origin.

Flower shows are held periodically, much as at the Lalbagh Glass House, which is known for its two annual shows. The horticultural information centre inside the building, run by the Department of Horticulture, adds an advisory role to these displays.

No published inventory gives the number of species or specimens grown, and the plantings themselves are not dated in any of the sources.

The glasshouse lies on the western outskirts of Davanagere, near Kunduvada village and the National Highway 4 bypass. The neighbouring lake, a 253-acre reservoir, is a busy picnic spot known for its sunrises and sunsets, and makes a natural extension to a visit.

In the evening the glasshouse is lit in colour. It is also a popular backdrop for wedding photography and for film and music-video shoots. Allow about an hour for the glasshouse and its gardens, longer with a walk along the lake.