The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, which can currently be called the most popular botanical garden in Sri Lanka, is spread over an area of 147 acres (59 hectares). It is said that about 1.2 million tourists visit it every year. It is also home to centuries-old trees. This blog post is about the largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka, which is considered one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Asia, which has been praised by local and foreign botanists and tourists alike.
A flower garden in a beautiful environment
Located 500 meters above sea level in the temperate climate of the Kandy hills, the Royal Botanical Gardens are bordered on three sides by the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka. This garden is located in the town of Peradeniya, 110 kilometers from Colombo and 6 kilometers west of the Kandy city limits.
History of the Botanical Gardens
The history of the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens Which ended in the days of the old kings The beginning of the Royal Botanical Gardens dates back to the reign of King Wickramabahu III in 1371 AD. Later, King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe, who reigned in Kandy from 1747 to 1780 AD, named it a Royal Garden. King Rajadhi Rajasinghe, who built a temporary palace there, lived there between 1780 and 1798. He also improved the temple and the dagoba built by King Wimaladharmasuriya I, but it was later destroyed by the British. King Rajasinghe II also fought the Battle of Gannoruwa against the Portuguese from the north bank of the Mahaweli River.
In 1813, the garden was moved to Kalutara. Later, in 1821, it was brought back to Peradeniya under the direction of Alexander Moon. Alexander Moon, a botanist who was very fond of the Sri Lankan creepers, published a book titled ‘Catalogue of Ceylon Plants’ in 1824, which included the local and scientific names of 1,127 plants found in Sri Lanka. The first tea tree in Sri Lanka was planted in the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens in the same year.
Gardner Monument
After the death of Alexander Moon, George Gardner took over as the keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens in 1844. Before coming to Sri Lanka, he had visited Brazil and introduced the rubber and cinchona plants he found there to Sri Lanka. George Gardner, who worked tirelessly to improve the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, passed away in 1849 and a monument has been erected in his honor in the garden.
Dr. Thwaites, who then became the keeper, maintained the Royal Botanic Gardens well for over three decades and promoted it globally. He was also instrumental in establishing the Hakgala Botanic Gardens in 1861 and the Gampaha Botanic Gardens in 1876.
The Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, which developed under various directors, was transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1912. At present, it is managed under the supervision of the Director General of the National Botanic Gardens Department.
If you are going to visit the garden You must purchase an entrance ticket to enter the Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, which is open to the public from 7.30 am to 5 pm throughout the year. Food can be brought in from outside the botanical gardens, and the restaurants in the gardens are open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
For the convenience of visitors, a board with a map of the garden can be seen at the entrance to the garden, and the entire garden is shown as a collection of 30 sections. A printed copy of this can also be obtained from the ticket window at the time of purchasing tickets.
Top tourist attractions of the park
Spread over a large area of land, the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens are home to over 4,000 different species of plants, including beautiful flowers of various colors, medicinal herbs, exotic plants, and palms.
Coconut trees
There are about 200 species of palms in the Royal Botanical Gardens, but the most notable of them is the coconut tree brought from the Seychelles. The coconut tree, shown as number 2 on the park map, is considered the largest fruit-bearing tree among palms, and it usually takes about 5 years for a coconut tree to mature.
Bamboo collection
The bamboo collection, shown as number 8 on the park map, is located south of the artificial lake. There, you can see the giant bamboo trees of Burma, which are considered the largest bamboo trees in the world. They are usually about 30-40 meters tall and are said to grow at a speed of 30 centimeters per day. In addition, yellow bamboo trees, bamboo trees with feathery leaves, and Chinese dwarf bamboo trees can also be seen in the bamboo collection.
Fern Garden
The Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens’ fern collection is beautifully landscaped and surrounded by shady trees. Marked as number 20 on the garden map, it is home to about 100 species of ferns, both native to Sri Lanka and exotic.
Artificial Lake
The artificial lake, located to the east of the main entrance to the garden, to the left, consists of various types of ferns, lotuses and water lilies. In addition, papyrus plants found on the banks of the Nile can also be seen there. The monument built for George Gardner can be seen just beyond the artificial lake.
Orchid House
In the Orchid House, shown under number 29 on the garden map, you can see many local and foreign orchid species as well as many orchid flowers produced by hybridizing them. Also, Grammatophyllum speciosum, which is considered the largest orchid plant in the world, with a flower spike measuring 2.5 meters long, as well as the green orchid (Coelogyne meyeriana), can be seen here.
Spice Garden
Located to the south of the main entrance, the spice garden is shown as number 30 on the garden map. Created in a shady place, it is possible to see many spice plants such as cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom used to flavor food. Also, the oldest nutmeg trees planted in the year 1840 AD, as well as rampe and curry trees can be seen there.
The VIP Circle
The VIP Circle, located in the center of the Royal Botanic Gardens – Peradeniya , is a 4-acre area designed to plant trees as a memento for visiting dignitaries, both local and foreign. Here, you can see a Bo tree planted by King Edward VII in 1857, a Na tree planted by the Tsar of Russia in 1891, an Ashoka tree planted by the Austrian Emperor in 1893, and a Sal tree planted by King George and Queen Mary in 1901.
