Gampaha Henarathgoda Botanic Gardens

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The Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens in Gampaha is the historic birthplace of South Asia’s rubber industry. Established in 1876 to nurture Amazonian seedlings from Kew Gardens, this 43-acre sanctuary successfully pioneered rubber cultivation for the region. Today, it remains a serene national monument featuring vibrant floral sections and record-breaking tropical trees.

Gampaha Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens Opening Hours

Open Days	all 365 days
Opening Hours	7.30 AM – 6.00 PM
Ticketing Hours	7.30 AM – 5.00 pm

Gampaha Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens Entrance Fees

Description	LKR
Local Adults	200
Local Children below 12 years and School Children	30
Local Adults over 60 (NIC proof needed)	50
Foreign Adults	3,540
Foreign School and University Students ((Must have satisfactory proof)	2,360
Foreign Children (5 to 12 years)	1,770
Electric Cars (4-seater) – per hour	1,000
Electric Cars (8-seater) – per hour	2,000
Vehicle Parking	charged

(2026 prices)

Electric Cars and other facilities are available only in certain locations and prices may be increased regularly.

Henarathgoda Botanical Gardens, also known as Gampaha Botanical Gardens located in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka, is one of the island’s lesser-known but historically significant botanical gardens. It offers a rich tapestry of flora, serene landscapes, and a glimpse into the country’s botanical heritage.

The garden is also the first rubber nursery in South Asia and it was from the founding stock of this nursery that the rubber tree was introduced to other South Asian countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and South India¹.

Gampaha Botanical Gardens is also one of two botanical gardens that lie close to the capital, Colombo, the other of which is Seethawaka Botanical Gardens.

The British aimed to expand rubber cultivation in Sri Lanka and the Asian region under their empire, and Dr. G.H.K. Thwaites, the Director of the Peradeniya Botanic Gardens, was tasked with finding suitable land for this purpose.

After careful consideration, he chose a plot in the Gampaha District to establish Sri Lanka’s first experimental rubber plantation. The British naturalists concentrated their trials on Ceylon due to the failure of rubber trials in India and had discovered that Ceylon offered similar environmental conditions as that of the Amazon.

In 1876, 1,919 rubber seedlings, originally collected from the Amazon forest were imported from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England and planted at the Gampaha Gardens, under the guidance of George Thwaites, the superintendent of the botanical gardens at Peradeniya. At these times the garden was laid out and managed by Muhandiram Amaris De Zoysa under the supervision of the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya.

Next year rubber seeds were distributed throughout the country as well as some other British colonies in South and Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar and South India. The first rubber plant in the Gampaha Gardens died at an early age. The second rubber plant was destroyed by a hurricane in 1988.

Despite these losses, the largest rubber plant in Sri Lanka still thrives in the Henarathgoda Botanic Gardens. This plant stands at a height of 40 meters with a circumference of 5.7 meters. Remnants of these first rubber trees are now protected as a national monument².

This garden was later promoted to a Botanical Garden of 36 acres adding more plants and sections. An additional 7 acres was added to the garden in 2005. The Garden has six main sections, Main Border and Main Drive, Center Pond and the Bulb Garden, Lower Flower Garden, Rose Garden, Glass House and the Upper Flower Garden. In addition, there are a number of ponds which is fed by the Attanagalu Oya River³.

References

Briggs, P. and Chuang, N. (2023) Sri Lanka (Bradt Travel Guide). 7th edn. Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom: Bradt Travel Guides.
Henarathgoda Botanic Gardens (no date) Department of National Botanic Gardens. Available at: https://www.botanicgardens.gov.lk/service/henarathgoda-botanic-gardens-gampaha/ (Accessed: 15 June 2024).
HENARATHGODA BOTANIC GARDENS-GAMPAHA (no date) Gic.gov.lk. Available at: https://gic.gov.lk/gic/index.php?option=com_info&id=1451&task=info (Accessed: 15 June 2024).

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