Plan for the Calcutta Botanical Garden

At the end of the 18th C botanical gardens were established by the British in different regions of India to study and document regional botany, and one of the earliest botanical gardens was in Calcutta. George King, the first Director of the Botanical Survey of India, explained the goal of the garden thus, “From the first foundation of the Garden, it was understood that it was to be made a source of (Indian) botanical information for the possessions of the company….” and “to assist in introducing indigenous Indian products to new markets. It was intended that it should not only be a botanical but also horticultural and agricultural garden.” (A Guide to the Royal Botanical garden Calcutta,1895.)