Peradeniya Botanical Gardens The Floral Pride Of Sri Lanka

Among the vista of beauties that the hill-country of Sri Lanka wears proudly

, Peradeniya Gardens is indubitably one of its crowning attractions. This botanical garden located in the town of the same name, on the immediate outskirts of Kandy, is one of the most beautiful venues in the island. Its present-day founding is attributed to the British Governor of Sri Lanka Sir Edward Barnes (1921), who intended to use it as an introduction point to the cash crops of tea and rubber that would go on to become the islands staple primary exports. However, it is a little known fact that the first incarnation of the park was as a pleasure garden for the one of the Rajasinghe dynastys queens in the 14th century and used to entertain royal guests by the last king of Kandy.

The romance that imbue the gardens as a result of this historic origin befits the ambience of its location; the lush green which stretches on for 147 acres, encompassing forest and grassland, is almost entirely looped by the roaring torrents of the Mahaveli River. The salubrious climes of the central highlands as well as the rich soil of the riverbank were no doubt conducive to the flourishing of exotic plant life brought here from diverse parts of the globe. Peradeniya is declared one of the finest gardens in Asia probably not only for its botanical bounty, but also because of the marks left upon it by various major figures of history such as King George V of Britain, Marshal Tito and Yuri Gagarin, to name but a few. It was also used as the South East Asia centre of command by the British during World War II.

Ten thousands of plants and trees of 4000 varieties make their home in these gardens, each one unique in some aspect of beauty, color and purpose or simply sheer strangeness. The snake creepers that scare the unwary into believing theyve almost stepped on a pit of vipers and the fantastically contorted Javan fig tree, whose verdant branches form a magnificent natural pavilion, definitely qualify among the parks weirder fauna. The Classical Avenue of Palms is the most iconic sight of the gardens; many local folk are familiar with postcard pictures of these stately trees which form a guard of honor on either side of the wide walkway. The Herbarium also occupies a pride of place; housing a myriad of vibrant orchids in full bloom as well as aromatic spices and medicinal plants. The Cannonball Avenue which is filled with the Sal trees beloved of the nations Buddhists for its stupa-shaped Sal flower, the Talibot palm which blooms only once every forty years, the artificial lake besprinkled with lotuses and lilies and the high suspension bridge which takes visitors across the fierce white rapids of the great river, are all sights which have tourists clamouring to get in to this incomparable park.

Before you rush onto the hill country to explore these treasures yourself, it is recommended that you consult the Truly Sri Lanka website. It will provide weather guides and maps to organize Sri Lanka travel to any part of the island, greatly enhancing the enjoyment derived from your Sri Lanka holiday.

by: Pushpitha Wijesinghe

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