Peradeniya Botanic Gardens

The location of the finest of its kind in Asia
Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens, the finest of its kind in Asia, the largest of the botanical gardens of Sri Lanka, couldn't be better located. In the Mediterranean climate of Kandy, the gateway to the Central Highlands, the Gardens, at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, were tightly bounded on three sides by a loop of River Mahaweli (Great sandy river), the largest river of Sri Lanka.
The town of Peradeniya is located at a distance of 110km from Colombo and another 6km over the Peradeniya Birdge and you are at Kandy, home to the sacred Temple of Tooth.

Peradeniya, the name
Peradeniya is believed to take its exotic name from Sinhalese names Pera (guava) and Deniya (a plain). The name also reveals, although Guava is not indigenous to Sri Lanka, introduction of the fruit to the island and cultivation had occurred even prior to the era of British Colonialists in Ceylon.

The official establishment of Peradeniya Botanical Gardens during the colonial era
It was British colonialist rulers (1815-1948) of Ceylon, who destroyed the invaluable forest cover of a thousand wooded hills from Kandy to Badulla of Central Highlands of Ceylon that was protected by the gentle sway of Buddhism, which indoctrinated the respect for all living beings.
The wooded hills were converted to hill after hill of Ceylon Coffee and following the devastating "coffee rust" (a leaf blight - Hemileia vastratrix) in 1869 to seamless hill plantations of Ceylon Tea.
The very same British Colonialist rulers of Ceylon established the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens that contribute, today, towards the enlightenment of concepts of floriculture conservation, birdlife conservation, butterfly conservation, biodiversity and sustainability of the island of Sri Lanka: 5% of the school children of Sri Lanka visit the Peradeniya gardens every year.

At one time these beautiful botanical gardens were reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty. Today even commoners are allowed into what are, at 60 hectares, the largest and most impressive botanic gardens in Sri Lanka.

The many highlights include a fine collection of orchids and a stately avenue of royal palms. Another big hit is the giant Javan fig tree on the great lawn. Covering 2500 sq metres, it’s like a giant, living geodesic dome.

On weekends and holidays the gardens are packed with romantically inclined local tourists, and it can be hard to move without tripping over yet another canoodling young couple.

If food is more a priority than love, you’ll find an overpriced cafeteria (mains Rs 550 to Rs 1000) about 500m north of the entrance, serving Western and Sri Lankan food on a roofed verandah. A better option is to stock up on picnic items. Just keep a close eye on the insistent posse of local dogs.

Bus 644 (Rs 15) from Kandy’s clock-tower bus stop goes to the gardens. A three-wheeler from Kandy is around Rs 700 return; a van is around Rs 1500. Many taxi drivers incorporate a visit to the gardens with the Pinnewala Elephant Orphan

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