Hakgala Botanical Garden

Last updated
Hakgala Botanical Garden
Hakgala Botanical Garden.jpg
Entrance of the garden
Hakgala Botanical Garden
Type Botanical garden
LocationHakgala, Nuwara Eliya
Coordinates 6°55′00″N80°46′00″E / 6.91667°N 80.76667°E / 6.91667; 80.76667 (Hakgala Botanical Garden)
Areabadulla
Created1861
Operated byDepartment of Agriculture, Sri Lanka
Visitors500 000
StatusOpen all year
Website http://www.botanicgardens.gov.lk/?page_id=4380

Hakgala Botanical Garden is one of the five botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. The other four are Peradeniya Botanical Garden, Henarathgoda Botanical Garden, Mirijjawila Botanical Garden and Seetawaka Botanical Garden. It is the second largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka. [1] The garden is contiguous to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve. [2]

Contents

Location and climate

Hakgala Botanical Garden is situated on the Nuwara Eliya-Badulla main road, 16 km from Nuwara Eliya and extents for about 28 hectares. The garden has a cool temperate climate because of altitude is 5,400 feet above sea level. The mean annual temperature ranges between 16 °C to 30 °C during the course of a year. [3] From December to February it has a cold climate, while the warm climate persists from April to August.

History

The garden was established in 1861, under George Henry Kendrick Thwaites as an experimental cultivation of Cinchona, a commercial crop thriving at the time. Once after the Tea replaced the Cinchona, it was turned into an experimental Tea cultivation. In 1884 it transformed into a garden. Since then many subtropical and some temperate plants were planted in the gardens.

Folklore

In the folklores, it says Sri Lankan demon King Ravana after abducting Sita, kept her hidden in this area and area was offered to Sita as a pleasure garden, the place finds mention in the Ramayana as Ashok Vatika.[ citation needed ] The area was named as "Sita Eliya" and "Sita Amman Temple" was built on the site.

Visitor attraction

There are over 10,000 [3] species of flora planted here and during the Spring season in Nuwara Eliya thousands of visitors come to see the blooms here. The number of annual visitors is around 500,000. [3] The garden is famous for number of species of Orchids and Roses present in this garden.

Notes

  1. "History and Introduction". agridept.gov.lk. Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  2. Green, Michael J. B. (1990). IUCN directory of South Asian protected areas. IUCN. pp. 211–213. ISBN   2-8317-0030-2 . Retrieved 2009-10-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Abeywardena 2004: pp. 344-45

Related Research Articles

<i>Cinchona</i> Genus, family Rubiaceae, source of quinine

Cinchona is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly naturalized in Central America, Jamaica, French Polynesia, Sulawesi, Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, and São Tomé and Príncipe off the coast of tropical Africa, and others have been cultivated in India and Java, where they have formed hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kandy</span> Administrative Capital City in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Kandy is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuwara Eliya</span> City in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Nuwara Eliya is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain " or "city of light". The city is the administrative capital of Nuwara Eliya District, with a picturesque landscape and temperate climate. It is at an altitude of 1,868 m (6,128 ft) and is considered to be the most important location for tea production in Sri Lanka. The city is overlooked by Pidurutalagala, the tallest mountain in Sri Lanka. Nuwara Eliya is known for its temperate, cool climate – the coolest area in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horton Plains National Park</span> National park in Sri Lanka

Horton Plains National Park is a national park in the central highlands of Sri Lanka that was designated in 1988. It is located at an elevation of 2,100–2,300 m (6,900–7,500 ft) and encompasses montane grassland and cloud forest. It is rich in biodiversity and many species found here are endemic to the region. It is also a popular tourist destination and is situated 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Ohiya, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the world-famous Ohiya Gap/Dondra Watch and 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Nuwara Eliya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir flycatcher</span> Species of bird

The Kashmir flycatcher is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of the red-breasted flycatcher, Ficedula parva.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pussellawa</span> Place in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Pussellawa Sinhala: පුස්සැල්ලාව. Tamil: புசல்லாவ, is a l town in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It is located along the A5 road between Gampola and Nuwara Eliya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Sri Lanka</span>

The primary form of agriculture in Sri Lanka is rice production. Rice is cultivated during Maha and Yala seasons. Tea is cultivated in the central highlands and is a major source of foreign exchange. Vegetables, fruits and oilseed crops are also cultivated in the country. There are two Agriculture Parks abbreviated as A. Parks established by the Department of Agriculture. Out of the total population in Sri Lanka, 27.1% engages in agricultural activities. Agriculture accounted for 7.4% of the GDP in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashoka Vatika</span> Grove in the Hindu epic Ramayana

Ashoka Vatika is a grove in Lanka that is located in the kingdom of the rakshasa king Ravana. It is mentioned in the Vishnu Purana and the Hindu epic Ramayana of Valmiki, and all subsequent versions, including the Ramacharitamanas written by Tulsidas, where it finds mention in the Sundara Kanda. The Vatika has garden houses around it, built by Vishvakarma himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Province, Sri Lanka</span> Province of Sri Lanka

The Central Province is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka, the first level administrative division of the country. The Central Province is primarily in the central mountainous terrain of Sri Lanka. It is the 6th largest province by area and is home to 2.5 million people. It is bordered by North Central Province to the north, Uva Province to the east, North Western Province to the west and Sabaragamuwa Province to the south and west. The province's capital is Kandy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve</span>

Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve is one of the three strict nature reserves in Sri Lanka, the only one in the wet zone. The reserve is an important although isolated cloud forest which supports a number of faunal species including some endemics. The area was designated a strict nature reserve on 25 February 1938. The reserve is adjacent to and contiguous with the Hakgala Botanical Garden which was founded in 1860.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill Club</span>

The Hill Club is a gentlemen's club in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Established 1876 by British coffee planters in the hill station of Nuwara Eliya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seetha Amman Temple</span> Hindu temple in Sri Lanka

The Seetha Amman Temple is a Hindu temple located in Seetha Eliya village approximately 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from Hakgala Botanical Garden and 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Nuwara Eliya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hakgala</span>

Hakgala is a mountain situated in the Nuwara Eliya district of Sri Lanka at 2,169 m (7,116 ft) above mean sea level, most parts of the mountain are covered with forest belonging to Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve. Hakgala Botanical Garden is situated on the northeastern slope of the Hakgala Mountain. The southwestern side of the mountain has a wet climate compared to the northeastern slope since the southwestern part faces directly to the southwest Monsoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talawakelle</span> Place in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Talawakelle is a town in Nuwara Eliya District in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is the center of Dimbula tea planting district, the largest tea growing area in Sri Lanka. It is situated on A7 Colombo-Nuwara Eliya highway. The altitude of Talawakelle is 1,198 metres (3,930 ft). Talawakelle railway station is one of the major stops of Udarata or Main railway line. The town is administrated by Talawakelle-Lindula urban council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Park, Nuwara Eliya</span>

Victoria Park is a public park located in Nuwara Eliya, next to the Nuwara Eliya Post Office in Sri Lanka.

<i>Aspidura trachyprocta</i> Species of snake

Aspidura trachyprocta, the common rough-sided snake, known as දලව මැඩිල්ලා in Sinhala, is a colubrid species endemic to Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seethawaka Botanical Garden</span>

Seethawaka Botanical Garden, or Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located in Sri Lanka which mainly serves as a research area and a conservation area for threatened and vulnerable endemic plant species in the Sinharaja Rain Forest region. Improving export floriculture, ex-situ conservation of wet lowland plants, and bamboo cultivation are also promoted in this garden. The garden was opened to the public in late October 2014 and it is the most recently constructed botanical garden in Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tea production in Sri Lanka</span> Production of tea in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has a climate and varied elevation that allows for the production of both Camellia sinensis var. assamica and Camellia sinensis var. sinensis, with the assamica varietal holding the majority of production. Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka, and accounts for 2% of GDP, contributing over US$1.3 billion in 2021 to the economy of Sri Lanka. It employs, directly or indirectly, over 1 million people, and in 1995 directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates. In addition, tea planting by smallholders is the source of employment for thousands whilst it is also the main form of livelihood for tens of thousands of families. Sri Lanka is the world's fourth-largest producer of tea. In 1995, it was the world's leading exporter of tea, with 23% of the total world export, and Sri Lanka ranked second on tea export earnings in 2020 after China. The highest production of 340 million kg was recorded in 2013, while the production in 2014 was slightly reduced to 338 million kg.

Wanniyala hakgala is a species of spider of the genus Wanniyala. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. The species was described with a male found from Hakgala area, hence the specific name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Spearman Armstrong</span> Irish-born pioneer of tea and cinchona in Ceylon

Charles Spearman Armstrong (1847–1924) was an Irish-born pioneer of tea and cinchona in British Ceylon, where he arrived in 1863.

References