Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya

Royal Botanical Gardens Peradeniya

Laid out initially in 1371 as the royal pleasure gardens for king vikramabahu who kept court at peradeniya, these spectacularly beautiful gardens become an incubator for the british plantation economy when in 1821, the botanic garden that had moved from kew in slave island, Colombo to kaluthara, was re-located here. The gardens now cover close to 60 hectares and have about 4000 species of magnificent trees and plants, including one of the world’s best collections of orchids, an array of giant palms and an astounding java fig which spreads its giant presence all over the great lawn. The county’s longest river, the mahaweli flows on its perimeter enhancing the beauty of the gardens with unique riverine flora.