President opens garden with plants on planets, zodiac signs

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday inaugurated a garden which has plants representing planets, zodiac signs and stars at his official Rashtrapati Nilayam retreat in Secunderabad.

The 'Nakshatra Vatika' in the Rashtrapati Nilayam premises in Bolarum, Secunderabad, will be modelled on the lines of the Nakshatra Vatika at Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mukherjee took a round of the garden and watered a plant representing 'Surya' or the Sun god, an official statement said.

He was accompanied by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammad Ali.

The garden will be opened to the public along with other gardens of Rashtrapati Nilayam in the first week of January 2016.

The layout of the 'Nakshatra Vatika' is in various geometrical combinations corresponding to the Sree Chakra of Vedic astrology on a 0.91 acre plot.

In the core, the formation is square-shaped and accommodates nine squares to represent the "Navagraha" (nine planets). Each square is planted with a particular plant variety that represents the respective planet and is placed as per the astronomical direction.

The first inner circular band is divided in 12 small circles corresponding to the 12 zodiac signs. Each has a plant that represents the particular zodiac sign.

The outer circular band consists of 27 parts, each with smaller circles representing each Nakshatra (group of stars), planted with a representative plant of that particular star.

In all, 48 plants representing nine planets, 12 zodiacs and 27 Nakshatras are in the garden.

A Herbal Garden already exists at Rashtrapati Nilayam and this will be the second specialised garden within the complex.

Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi has within its premises a Nakshatra garden, Herbal Garden, Cactus Garden, Spiritual Garden, Bonsai Garden, besides the famous Mughal Gardens with its large collection of roses.