Adventure

Visit to Bawa Garden

Brief Garden – Kalawila Village, Beruwala. ~

Brief Garden is the masterpiece created by Bevis Bawa, elder brother of the famous Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa. Once a rubber plantation, today, an aesthetically glorious garden radiating warmth and pleasing aura.

Bevis’s undying passion for landscaping backed his efforts at cultivating this plot from the late 1920s and continued to his last breath. His vision for the place feels intact as it is maintained beautifully. The walls blanketed by plants burst into colour with the inflorescence of bougainvilleas.Narrow paths winding through tropical plants, reveal a pool, patio, and a staircase. Sculptures and statues that include carved faces and a stoic horse are hide behind curtains of vines.

Walk into the house that sits by the garden and you’ll feel like you’ve entered an eclectic artistic haven. While one wall is lined with books, the other is decorated by frames depicting Bevis’s life and another is adorned by a mural reflecting the Sri Lankan way of living. Brief Garden is a space where its creator’s personality and his love for landscaping come alive, even after decades of his demise.