ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS

You will enter one of the most beautiful gardens in Asia, which is most beautiful between January and April. It is a unique opportunity to wander through 60 hectares of flowers, where 4,000 tropical species of various origins brought back by the English grow. You will see orchids, spices, medicinal plants and a wide variety of palm trees. During your visit, don't forget the Orchid House, which contains the most diverse and original species of the genre. The other "highlight" of the garden is the cannonball tree, planted in 1901 by King George V and Queen Mary. Its fruits are supposed to look like cannonballs.

The site on which the botanical garden is located, on the banks of the Mahaweli River, is rich in history. King Wickramabahu III occupied the throne at Peradeniya in 1371. His successors Kirti Sri and Rajadhi Rajasinghe kept the court at the same place. They built a temple which was destroyed by the British when they took over the Kingdom of Kandy. In 1821, Alexander Moon transformed the land into a coffee and cinnamon plantation. The botanical garden was developed from 1843 with plants brought from Colombo, Kew Gardens, Kalutara Garden and Slave Island. The garden grew over the years and was placed under the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture when it was established in 1912. The garden also served as the headquarters of Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in South East Asia during the Second World War.