The second botanical garden established by the British, the Hakgala Gardens spans over 500 acres, now confined to around 88 acres. Originally begun as an experimental cinchona plantation (for production of the malaria antidote quinine) in 1860, by the eminent British botanist, Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites who was superintendent of the Peradeniya Gardens in Kandy, the pride of the garden is now roses and ferns.
The garden is situated in the midst of wild jungle. The nursery which is over 100 years old has over 1,000 varieties of plants where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingle in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids.
The sheer rock of Hakgala (‘Jaw Rock’) which rises 1,500 feet straight up above the gardens, is said to have been carried here from the Himalayas in the jaws of Hanuman, the mythical monkey general who helped Prince Rama rescue Princess Sita from the demon King Rawana in the Ramayana epic. Legend says, the Sita Amman Kovil, less than two kilometres toward Nuwara Eliya on the east side of the highway, is the place where Sita was imprisoned.
The garden is situated in the midst of wild jungle. The nursery which is over 100 years old has over 1,000 varieties of plants where the lovely low-country lotus and water lily mingle in their serene simplicity with sophisticated English roses, pre-historic looking ferns, and endemic orchids.
The sheer rock of Hakgala (‘Jaw Rock’) which rises 1,500 feet straight up above the gardens, is said to have been carried here from the Himalayas in the jaws of Hanuman, the mythical monkey general who helped Prince Rama rescue Princess Sita from the demon King Rawana in the Ramayana epic. Legend says, the Sita Amman Kovil, less than two kilometres toward Nuwara Eliya on the east side of the highway, is the place where Sita was imprisoned.
Read more: Pastel blooms of Hakgala Botanical Garden
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