Botanical Garden of Peradeniya

Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is located in close proximity to the city of Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It is renowned for the collection the variety of Orchids,and has more than 300 varieties of Orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palms trees attach it is the National Herbarium. Total land mass of the botanical garden is 147 acres, 460 Meters above sea level with a 200 day annual rain fall, it is managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.

History

The origins of the Botanic Gardens dates as far back as 1371 when King Wickramabahu III ascended the thrown and kept court at Peradeniya near Mahaweli river this was followed by King Kirti Sri and King Rajadhi Rajasinghe. A temple was build on this location by King Wimala Dharma but it was destroyed by the British when they were given control over the Kandyan Kingdom. There after the ground work for a Botanical Garden were formed by Mr Alexandar Moon in 1821. Botanical Garden at Peradeniya were formally established and plants from Kew Garden at Slave island, Colombo and from the Kalutara Garden in Kalutara were moved up until 1843. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya was made more independent and expanded under Mr George Gardner as its superintendent in 1844. The gardens came under the administration of the Department of Agriculture when it was established in 1912.

The Classical "Avenue of Palms" is located in this Garden. One tree with a significant history is the "Cannon ball Tree" planted by King George V of the United Kingdom and Queen Mary in 1901. The tree is bent with its fruits which looks like Cannon Ball, which is how it came to be named.

It also used during world war II by Lord Mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in the South Asia as the headquarters of the South East Asia Command.

Other Botanic Gardens in Sri Lanka

* Hakgala Botanical Garden
* Botanic Gardens, Gampaha
* Medicinal Plant Gardens, Ganewatta

References & external links

* [http://www.agridept.gov.lk/index1.php Official website of the Department of Agriculture]
* [http://www.agridept.gov.lk/NBG/RBG.htm Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya]
* [http://photogallery.lankanest.com/index.php/index.php?stream=text&act=slideshow&album=gqk3alb-52.html More images on Botanical Garden, Peradeniya]
* [http://www.agridept.gov.lk/NBG/NBG.htm Division of National Botanic Gardens]
* [http://www.lakpura.com/sri-lanka/botanical-gardens-of-sri-lanka.html Botanic Gardens of Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.travelsrilanka.com/index.cfm?PAGE=565 The Peradeniya Royal Botanic Gardens, travelsrilanka.com]
* [http://www.britishcouncil.lk/kidsintouch/kandy/botanical.htm britishcouncil.lk]