Once, over a hundred years ago, the 60 hectares of land that today forms the Royal Botanical Garden was reserved for the exclusive use of Sri Lanka’s ancient Kandyan royalty. Today, it is the largest botanical garden in the country and is open to all members of the public. The area once featured a temple that had been built by King Wimala Dharma, but this was destroyed by the British when they took control of the Kingdom of Kandy. The botanical garden was formally established in 1843 with plants from all over Sri Lanka, as well as from Kew Gardens in England.