The Estate
A living landscape of fields, forests, and long views — unfolding around Hiyarapitiya House.
The Paddy Fields
At the bottom of the hill, almost surrounding the 14th-century Lankatillake Temple on its rocky outcrop, lie the paddy fields that were once part of the old feudal estate and are now connected to the present estate.
Here, traditional cultivation methods are still in use — including careful hand transplanting to encourage stronger growth and higher yields. Occasionally, water buffaloes can still be seen ploughing the fields, just as they have for centuries.
The Tea Fields
Once, the entire hillside was covered with immaculately manicured tea, shaded by acacia and glyricidia trees, with pepper vines climbing up their trunks.
Today, only a small portion of these tea fields remain in production. The rest have been left to rewild naturally, a process that has now been embraced and encouraged as part of restoring the estate’s biodiversity.
The Kandyan Forest Garden
Building on this natural rewilding, the abandoned sections of the estate are being transformed into a Kandyan forest garden — a traditional form of pre-colonial permaculture once common in the region.
In this system, four levels of production coexist: turmeric and ginger as ground cover; cardamom and coffee at the lower levels; clove and nutmeg at the mid-levels; and jackfruit, fishtail palm, durian, and other tall fruit trees forming the upper canopy. This layering once sustained entire villages, and will do so here again.
Garden Walks
The estate has been shaped as a living landscape of long views that frame the surrounding mountains — especially Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) in the Peak Wilderness World Heritage Site 35km away, and the Knuckles range to the north.
Meandering paths lead through rewilded mid-country rainforest and patches of Kandyan home garden. Birdlife is abundant, and the lucky may spot barking deer, porcupines, or giant squirrels along the way. Follies and quiet landmarks continue to be added, as the garden grows and matures over time.
