Peradeniya is a suburb city of kandy which situated in A1 main road. Peradeniya is famous for royal botanical gardens.It attracts 2 million visitors annually.
The royal garden situated in a slope of mahaweli river which is longest river in srilanka. the garden owns more than 4000 species of plants, including orchids, spices,medical plants and palm trees. The total area of botanical garden is 147 acres at 457 meters above sea level and with 200 day rainfall.
The history of the gardens going back to the date of 1371 when king wickramabahu3 ascended the throne and kept his court at peradeniya near mahaveli river. This was followed by king kirthi sri rajasingha and rajadhi rajasingha. A temple was built on this location by king wimaladarmasuriya but it was destroyed by british in their period.
Thereafter the groundwork for a botanical garden was formed by Alexander moon in 1824. He used the garden for coffee and cinnamon plants.
The botanical garden at peradeniya formally established in 1843, with plants bought from kew garden, slave island, Colombo and kaluthara garden, kalutara. It became more indipendant under George Gardner as superintendent in 1844. After his death in 1849 George Hendy Kendrick became as Superintendent.
In 1912 the garden became under the administration of department of agriculture with its establishment.
During the world war2 the botanic garden was used as headquater of south asia, by lord Louis mountbatten, the supreme commander of the allied forces in the south asia.