The gardens were originally founded in 1786 by Colonel Kyd, containing about 12,000 living plants and over two and half million dried out plant specimens in the herbarium collected from all over the world. This is the oldest of all the Botanical Gardens in India. It was from these gardens that the tea now grown in Assam and Darjeeling was first developed. Trees of the rarest kinds, from Nepal, Brazil, Penang, Java and Sumatra can be found here. There are towering Mahogany trees, an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid House. Mango and Tamarind trees shade the grassy lawns. Col. Alexander Kyd of the East India Company developed it for the collection of plants, indigenous to the country and for the introduction and acclimatization of plants from foreign parts. It remains opened from sunrise to sunset. This ethereal ambience is ideal for fun, fiesta and frolics.There is a serpentine lake where boat­ing is possible. Botanics posseses a priceless collection of books in its library.

The main trunk was infected by fungus and had to be removed in 1945, but 1573 aerial branches from the mother tree took roots all around covering 404 sq metres.

Enchanting attraction of the gardens
The main attraction of the garden is the 200 year old Banyan Tree, claimed to have the second largest canopy in the world. The Botanical Garden is the world's largest, having a circumference of 330m. Aquatic plants are also very interesting.

Nearby Attraction
Adjacent to the Botanical Garden is the Bengal Engineering College which is the state's oldest technical institute and has been declared a deemed university. Established in 1856, is the second oldest and one of the premier engineering institutions in India. It is one of the best colleges of the state and has a beautiful campus. Both the Indian Botanic Garden and the Bengal Engineering College are spread over two of the largest green areas of this metropolis.

Botanical Garden is situated at Shibpur area of Howrah District.