Brief Garden - History, Timings & Entry Fee

At a distance of 8 km from Bentota Railway Station, Brief Garden is a beautifully laid out garden situated at Kalawila near Bentota. It is one of the beautiful gardens in Sri Lanka and among the must-visit Bentota Tourist Places as part of Sri Lanka Packages.

The beautiful Brief Garden was designed by Bevis Bawa, the brother of Sri Lanka's most famous architect, Mr. Geoffrey Bawa. This legendary garden is the country home of Bevis Bawa and was the garden that inspired his brother, Geoffrey Bawa to create Lunuganga Garden. Bevis acquired it from his mother in 1929 and converted it into an artistic paradise. Here he hosted many elite Sri Lankan artists, from Laki Senanayake to Ena de Silva and even international luminaries like Sir Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, and Australian artist Donald Friend.

Opened to the public in 1970, the Brief Garden is designed in a concept similar to that of Japanese gardens. The estate, which was formerly a rubber plantation, today is a combination of a garden and an open-air museum. Many sculptures by Bevis and other artists can be seen at this magnificent eco-park sprawling over 5 acres. With over 106 different kinds of trees and hundreds of other fauna, this is one of the gorgeous tropical gardens inspired by the local traditions of Sri Lanka along with Italian and English landscapes.

Bawa had fifteen gardeners to maintain his creation. The Brief Garden includes vegetation-covered 'house' as well as the more normal ponds, flower beds, and fern beds. The house, which used to be the home of Bevis Bawa, has an eclectic range of artwork on display - from homoerotic sculpture to a wonderful mural of Sri Lankan life in the style of Marc Chagall. Many of the sculptures are covered with moss and low-growing plants like ferns and vines of various species. The moon gate, a completely circular construction separating an area of grass from a paved path is quite an ingenious work of art.

Access to the garden begins after ringing the morning bell. Visitors can take a walk through the garden by themself, or one may also opt-out for a guided tour. The advantage of the guided tour is that you will understand the depth of the architectural designs and the artifacts.

Timings: 8 AM - 5 PM

Entry: LKR. 2000 for Person