Baobab Tree in Pallimune, Mannar...
It is thought to have been first brought to Sri Lanka by Arab merchants as Mannar was once known to be a vast centre for trade. The legend is that African slaves who were settled near Sirambiwadiya in Puttalam had brought this tree down from Africa
. According to a study done in 2003, there are about 40 Baobab Trees surviving in Sri Lanka, out of which 34 has been identified and measured in Mannar. Most of the trees were calculated to be 300-400 years old. The oldest and the largest baobab is at Pallimunei which is said to be about 800 years old. This tree was calculated 723 years old in the 2003 study. The circumference of the tree is is 19.5 meters and its 7.5 meters tall.
It is thought to have been first brought to Sri Lanka by Arab merchants as Mannar was once known to be a vast centre for trade. The legend is that African slaves who were settled near Sirambiwadiya in Puttalam had brought this tree down from Africa
. According to a study done in 2003, there are about 40 Baobab Trees surviving in Sri Lanka, out of which 34 has been identified and measured in Mannar. Most of the trees were calculated to be 300-400 years old. The oldest and the largest baobab is at Pallimunei which is said to be about 800 years old. This tree was calculated 723 years old in the 2003 study. The circumference of the tree is is 19.5 meters and its 7.5 meters tall.
