The botanical garden in Peradeniya is considered the best in Asia. It is also the largest garden in terms of size and number of plant species represented in Sri Lanka.
It is located in a hilly area on the banks of the Mahaveli River. The vast territory - almost 60 hectares - is divided into various park areas, each of which reflects a certain type of tropical vegetation.
The history of the garden dates back to 1371, when the royal family moved their court to Peradeniya. The kings liked to stroll slowly along the park paths. In the middle of the 18th century, King Kirti Sri Rajasinhe laid the garden for the queen, which was intended for her Majesty's walks and the entertainment of guests. Then it was named the Royal Botanic Gardens. But the year of its foundation is considered to be 1821, when, after the overthrow of the last "inner king", the British began to study the garden in order to study and grow local plants. Tea, coffee, rubber, cinchona, nutmeg and coconut are what received a lot of attention initially.
The island of Sri Lanka has a rich historical past and boasts amazing natural beauty. Cultural and religious attractions of Sri Lanka, national parks, beaches and resorts of the country are visited by thousands of tourists every year.
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Today, the garden in Peradeniya is world renowned for its extensive collection of tropical flora. On the territory there are about a hundred species of decorative orchids, a unique collection of indoor plants, a large collection of palm trees, a fern grove, bamboo plantings and much more.
The alley of memorial trees, in the creation of which famous visitors took part, is worthy of special mention. The first of them - King Edward the Seventh - planted the Bo-tree, the second - the Russian Tsar Nicholas II - the Ceylon iron tree; Yuri Gagarin, Marshal Tito, Indira Gandhi, and many others also left their mark.
The Royal Botanic Gardens are open daily for visiting. In addition to tropical flora and fauna, tourists are attracted by the suspension bridge over the Mahaweli, leading to the School of Tropical Architecture, where scientists research medicinal herbs and spices. The building of the University of Sri Lanka, made in the old Kandyan style, and its territory, framed by a park and divided into two parts by the river, are also noteworthy.
Royal Botanic Gardens in Peradeniya - PHOTOS
As much as Europe's park art is praised, the world's most impressive gardens are found in Asia. The point here, of course, is the climate, and Sri Lanka in this sense is a blessed land: anything grows and blooms here, and some plants (many of them extracts, by the way, are used in Ayurvedic cosmetics and medicines) are found only in Ceylon or neighboring India.
(Royal Botanical Garden), located in a town with a not very euphonious name for the Russian ear, Peradeniya, even by Asian criteria, is luxurious beyond measure, it is not for nothing that the fame of one of the best garden ensembles in Southeast Asia has been entrenched in it.
There is a garden in the center of the island, the closest large city to the garden - Kandy - is located five and a half kilometers away, and therefore only those who decide to combine a beach holiday in Sri Lanka with a trip around the country usually get to Peradeniya.
Nevertheless, on average, the Royal Garden is visited by about two million tourists a year, most are attracted by the opportunity to see a unique collection of rare species of orchids - these capricious plants have taken root well in Ceylon, and therefore multiply and multiply in the Royal Garden without any problems. The Royal Botanic Gardens were founded in 1371 by King Wikramabahu the Third. During his reign, the secular and political life of the island was already concentrated around Kandy, so the decision to lay out a luxurious garden on the banks of the Mahaveli River was more than consistent.
In the photo: Japanese garden on the banks of the pond (Royal Garden in Sri Lanka)
However, the garden acquired its current form only in 1821, and the British, who received full power over the island in 1815, had a hand in this. The decoration of the garden was taken up by the Englishman Alexander Moon, and the Sri Lankan gardeners were his auxiliary workers. Plants were brought to the garden from all the surrounding islands and regions. With truly British pedantry, Moon divided the garden into thematic zones, thus creating a Japanese garden, a collection of indoor plants, a zone of tropical flora and so on.
Photo: Japanese garden in the Royal Garden
Girls, of course, will be most interested in the area dedicated to Aurveda, where trees grow, the extracts of which are then included in miraculous medicinal and beauty products.
In the photo: a miracle plant in the Ayurvedic zone
Nearby - the local "beauty laboratory", where medicinal herbs are crushed using wooden crumblings in coconut shells or clay bowls. In a word, it does not even smell of any chemistry, it smells only of herbs and oils.
Photo: Ayurvedic beauty laboratory
By the way, if you decide to buy something for your home, then keep in mind that Sri Lankan cosmetics are not stored for a long time, and you (like it or not) will have to use all purchases for a maximum of three months - the absence of chemistry in the composition of the funds implies a short lifespan of the creams so don't take too much.
Of course, it is bad and wrong to measure beauty with numbers, but when you talk about the Royal Botanic Gardens, you can't do without numbers at all. So, the territory of the garden is 147 acres, more than 4,000 species of plants are grown here, there are 175 species of palm trees in the Royal Botanic Gardens, and about a hundred species of orchids.
In the photo: just a few species of palm trees out of 157
In a word, in order to properly examine and enjoy the views of the blooming garden, you need at least three to four hours. The garden is curious in a few more moments. Firstly, flying foxes "nest" on local trees, in the daytime they sleep, that is, they hang upside down on the trees like large black pears, but if you knock on the tree, these creatures break off the branches and begin to circle around the area, emitting squeaky sounds.
Another curious alley runs along the Mahaveli River, with curved conifers growing on it. The thing is that the wind is constantly blowing from the river, and it blows strictly in a certain direction, so the trees grow curved, which makes it seem as if they are dancing.
Photo: curved trees in the Royal Garden
The garden also has its own avenue of honor, on which trees planted by the great people of their time grow. Among the greats there are our compatriots: Tsar Nicholas II and Yuri Gagarin.
The Royal Botanic Garden was created in the small town of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka for a very long time!
Today it is visited by about 2 million tourists every year!
The climate has contributed to the growth of a wide variety of plants, trees and flowers on the island.
There are some species that only grow in Sri Lanka and nowhere else.
One of the reasons why people fly to Sri Lanka and fall in love with it is that very plant diversity!
High in the mountains, people pick just amazingly delicious!
I also really wanted to visit the Botanical Garden.
Therefore, today there will be a short story and a photo report about a visit to the largest Botanical Garden in Asia!
The Botanical Garden in Peradeniya was created in 1821. It is located 6 km from the city of Kandy, in the bend of the Mahaveli River, the largest river in Sri Lanka.
The park is huge in size! About 60 hectares. That's about 84 football pitches!
Below is a driving map to the Botanical Garden from the city of Kandy.
The park is open 365 days a year, seven days a week. Opening hours from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Website: http://www.botanicgardens.gov.lk/peradeniya/
Park scheme.
A ticket for foreign citizens is several times more expensive than for locals.
It cost me 1,100 rupees or 280 rubles. At the same time, for the local population, it costs only 50 rupees or 12 rubles.
Having paid for the ticket, I found myself on the territory.
With the ticket, I was given a small book with a description, by which I can easily navigate.
Entering here, you find yourself in another world. The garden is Fantastic!
After looking at the map, I decided to go around on the left side.
The first thing I saw was African palm tree from West Africa. Palm oil is extracted from the fruits of this tree.
The largest trees in the park are located here.
Jackfruit. Or Indian Breadfruit. Its fruits can weigh up to 40kg.
There are signs throughout the park that indicate the name, description and origin.
Agathis Robusta, from Australia. A huge evergreen tree up to 50 meters high and up to 16 meters wide in girth.
Such huge cones grow on massive branches!
The roots of this tree, like tentacles, stick out from the ground.
Very rare and interesting Double coconut tree from the Seychelles.
You can see two coconuts together. The fruit takes as much as 7 years to ripen.
Coconut Alley.
The tree called Butterfly tree from Asia.
Its flowers are similar in shape to a butterfly.
Beautiful flower beds grow along the road.
Flowers.
Then I got to Bamboo collection.
Tropical giant bamboo from China.
It is considered the largest bamboo in the world.
Its height reaches 46 meters, and it can be as thick as a birch.
Black bamboo from India.
Dog. By the way, I have never seen a dog of another breed in Sri Lanka.
A lake with beautiful plantings and an islet in the center. Swampy plants mainly grow here. For example, the lake is covered with various lilies. And along the lake grows Papyrus Grass from Africa.
Talipot palm from India, Sri Lanka.
When the fruit is ripe at the top of the stem, the plant dies off.
A tree called "Cannon ball", it is sacred to the Lankans.
His flowers are brought to the ceremony at the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
This tree is named so because of the fruit that looks like a cannonball.
Medicinal garden.
Almost a third of the population of Sri Lanka has a preference for traditional medicine.
There are about 235 different types of medicinal plants here.
Some medicinal cacti grow on the territory.
Collection of varied lawn grass.
A huge number of various plants grow here. There are so many of them that it is not clear where to go and what to watch.
These ancient plants grew 300 million years ago.
Outwardly, they look a bit like palm trees. But they rarely reach heights above 20 meters.
This tree is called Encephalyartos, it grows in South Africa.
These plants are found mainly in Mexico.
The famous alcoholic drink, Tequila, is made from the sugar juice of agave.
The path runs along picturesque palm trees.
Another view this time Mexican palms
And here is a very interesting tree that caught my attention. It is called, Pandanus Leram.
The grown plant has a very interesting shape.
And here are the fruits of this plant. They are edible.
Bamboo thickets grow everywhere along the road.
And on the other hand, Flowers
An interesting plant called Tapeworm Plant... The squashed stems of this plant resemble tapeworms - hence its name Tape Worm.
You can walk anywhere in the Botanical Gardens. Not only along the paths, but also on the lawn.
Scary cactus.
Many bad people carve their names on cacti, and various inscriptions, disfiguring the plant in every possible way. The same is done on bamboos.
Just a beautiful plant.
Having deviated a little from the road, you can see the very river Mahaveli.
A shrub with unreal flowers. The color shimmered in the sun from pink to burgundy red.
The landscape and tree species began to change little by little.
Soon I got to Coniferous alley... As it is called "Drunken Christmas trees" here.
This is Pine Cook, it grows in Australia on the Cook Islands.
It is noteworthy that they all bend and grow in the same direction, tipping a little on their side.
There is a huge field nearby. As for me, it is so very beautiful.
Cook pine twigs.
The first local inhabitant of the park, the Monkey, was walking towards me.
She behaved calmly, dreamily rolling her eyes, rejoicing in the warm sun.
Apparently the monkeys just crawled off them and decided to go for a walk.
The vines are amazing. Their branch structure is very unusual to look at.
The roots protrude from the ground and intertwine with each other under the feet.
But on my way I met a tree "Hydnocarpus venenata".
It grows only in Sri Lanka and nowhere else.
I got to a rather picturesque bridge across the river. No more than 6 people can be on it at the same time. But the campaign, few people follow this recommendation and read the tablets.
Not far from the bridge I was met by a road with a graceful Palm Alley.
Height growing here Caribbean Royal Palm, more than 21 meters.
The weather turned bad, it got dark, clouds were found. The flower buds bent downward.
There was another path next to the Palm Alley, but I did not want to get caught in the rain, and the time for a walk was running out.
A couple of hours later I had a train from Kandy.
I didn't follow it.
On top of the palms hang one more inhabitants of the Garden - Flying foxes. They made such a noise that it was hard not to notice them. And periodically they flew from palm to palm.
I reached the same Huge Field again. But in other way.
Fern with hanging stitches.
Fern Life Cycle
At the end of my walk, it started to rain slowly.
But it didn't bother me.
I looked into, perhaps, the most picturesque place in the Botanical Garden. It was very beautiful there.
Flowerbeds, palms, and in the center is a circular greenhouse. You can feel the hand of the architect who created this part of the park!
Various plants also grow inside the greenhouse.
Watering flower beds, trees and various plants that need moisture comes from a hose.
It is good that in addition to the warm climate and temperature +30, it also rains quite often in Sri Lanka. There are rarely dry months.
In the Botanical Garden there is just a colossal amount of all kinds of vegetation. I have shown only a small part of what is there.
But this was quite enough to feel the beauty that the gardeners created here, nature itself also helped them in this.
This is an incredibly cool place!
The garden also has an Alley of commemorative trees planted by heads of state and distinguished people who have visited the country. The first such tree was planted by King Edward the Seventh - the Bo-tree.
Then, a tree planted by Elizabeth II. The Ceylon Ironwood, the national symbol of Sri Lanka, was planted by the Russian Tsar Nicholas II in 1891. There is also a tree planted by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
Today in Sri Lanka, work is underway to open several more Botanical Gardens.
One of them in the Hambantota area will be the largest in Sri Lanka.
It will be twice the size of this one in Peradeniya.
It is planned to open them in 2016.
So my walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens has ended.
I think this garden is a must-see for everyone who wants to enjoy exotic nature!
I really liked the Garden! He is truly Royal!
If I had free time, I would walk there for days.
But we plan to see a lot more.
Yes, and a couple of hours later a train was waiting for me, heading from Kandy to the small town of Ella.
This will be the story of my next post.
Travelers who come to Asian countries are invariably surprised by the exotic nature of nature. Elephant nursery and other extraordinary animals that sometimes roam right along the city streets, lush rainbow vegetation. Well, for those who are not impressed, we recommend visiting one of the rare attractions of Sri Lanka - the Royal Botanic Garden.
This remarkable area is a public domain much more ancient than many of the landmarks and art museums in the state. The arboretum was destroyed in 1821, that is, almost 2 centuries ago! It has a territory of 60 hectares, on the bank of a small river with a name reminiscent of the sunny hospitable Georgia - Mahaveli. In the local dialect, the park is called Paradeña.
In the Royal Botanic Garden of Sri Lanka, tens of thousands of plants are collected that amaze the imagination of tourists in the middle lane, accustomed to a temperate climate, low trees and spring-summer flowering. The shrubs and trees here are gigantic in size, reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels to Lilliputian babies. The usual indoor ficus has grown to a whole grove, with branches intertwining overhead. There is a special "field" with planted "stripes" of various grasses. In a separate corner of the park, there is a collection of the most delicate orchids (more than a hundred species), many of which smell of spices, sweets and even chocolate.
For history buffs, the memorial alley is of value and interest, each tree on which was planted personally by a famous political or cultural figure who visited Sri Lanka. In 1891, the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, came to the arboretum on a visit and planted an iron tree, which today reaches an incredible height. Also, something was dug in by Yuri Gagarin. The tree is not striking in size. There is a legend among the employees of the park that after the tragic death of the astronaut, the tree stopped growing and even almost dried up.
The park is large, quiet and green. For those who like to retire or read, there are wooden benches. On the territory of the arboretum there is a cafe and a souvenir shop. You can take photos and videos completely free of charge.
At the entrance, tourists are warned to beware of the "local inhabitants": numerous monkeys and even flying foxes (or "dogs"). Monkeys are usually friendly but quite capable of taking away fruit, drinks, or shiny jewelry from you. They say that it is impossible to see all the beauty and riches of the botanical garden in one day. You can come here many times, and you will not be bored! And you can stay nearby, in one of the hotels in Kandy.
Botanical Garden on the map of Kandy
Elephant nursery and other extraordinary animals that sometimes roam right along the city streets, lush rainbow vegetation. Well, for those who are not impressed, we recommend visiting one of the rare attractions of Sri Lanka - the Royal Botanic Gardens .... "/>
Peradeniya is a suburb of the city of Kandy, with a population of about 50 thousand inhabitants. It is located on the A1 main road. The exotic name of the city of Peradeniya comes from two Sinhalese names "Pera" (Guava) and "Deniya" (Plain). Although the guava is not the native fruit of Sri Lanka, its appearance on the island dates back to the era of the British colonialists in Ceylon.
Peradeniya is famous for to their Royal Botanic Gardens but another key attribute of this city is the University of Peradeniya, which is the second oldest university in. The buildings of the university are a mixture of colonial and Indian styles, which are located among the lush vegetation of the hill. The Ministry of Agriculture is also located here. To the west of the city lies the small town of Kadugannawa.
Royal Botanic Garden is about 5.5 km. west of the city center in Peradeniya and 110 km from. The botanical garden is visited by 1.2 million people a year and is famous for its collection of a variety of orchids. It is the largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka and one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Asia. The botanical garden is located on the slope of the Mahaweli river. The total area of the botanical garden is 147 acres, and contains about 4000 species of plants. The garden is 460 meters above sea level with 200 days of annual rainfall. This is an unbeatable place to see over 300 varieties of orchids (this is the main pride of the Botanical Garden), a tall breadfruit, wild native plants, spices, medicinal plants used in traditional Ayurvedic therapy. In addition to the Orchid Garden, the Botanical Garden also houses the National Herbarium, which is the main national institution responsible for verifying the authenticity of the Sri Lankan plant.
The history of the park is quite simple, originally conceived (in 1371) as a pleasure garden for the queen, it was designed by King Kirti Sri Rajasinhe (1747-1778), where visitors entertained the queen. And centuries later, in 1821, this park was transformed into a botanical garden. The gardens were founded primarily to introduce coffee trees and tropical plants of economic importance to the region. Even after the garden opened to the public in the 1840s, it still remained a center for horticulture. A botanist and gardener grew the Brazilian rubber tree, which has become a grower crop and vital to Sri Lanka's economy. After the death of George Gardner, he was succeeded by George Henry Kendrick Thwaites and then by Henry Trimen. Henry Treman became the last botanist to maintain the garden until 1895, when the garden came under the control of the Department of Agriculture.
Large circle with memorial trees is the center of an area of almost 4 acres. Around the circle are planted with a variety of trees, by the heads of various states who have visited the Royal Botanic Gardens:
- The Bo-Tree planted by King Edward VII in 1875;
- Ashoka tree (Saraca Asoca) planted by the Emperor of Austria in 1893;
- The Pride of Burma tree (Amherstia Nobilis) planted by Prince Henry of Prussia in 1898;
- "Flamboyante" from Madagascar, planted by Prince Henry of Prussia in 1899;
- The "Ceylon Iron Tree" (Ironwood / Na Tree) planted by the Tsar of Russia in 1891, and on February 26, 1986, this tree was chosen as the national tree of Sri Lanka;
- The Cannonball Tree (Couroupita Guianensis), planted by King George V and Queen Mary in 1901;
- Rose of Venezuela (Brownea Grandiceps) tree planted by the King of Greece in 1981.
The botanical garden has a fine restaurant where you can enjoy snacks, breakfast or lunch, soft drinks, juices and desserts. In addition, you can have a picnic in any place convenient for you in the garden. The garden also has a Recreation Area on the right side of the entrance. This area has toilets, drinking water, shady trees and garden chairs underneath.
