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Beautiful legendary gardens: in pictures

Rachel Hickman |
Lumbini Pleasure Gardens According to Buddhist tradition, the Lord Buddha was born beneath a tree in a beautiful pleasure garden in Lumbini, Nepal, after his royal mother unexpectedly went into labour on her way to her father's kingdom. Thousands of pilgrims visit the area, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site, every year.
Lumbini Pleasure Gardens According to Buddhist tradition, the Lord Buddha was born beneath a tree in a beautiful pleasure garden in Lumbini, Nepal, after his royal mother unexpectedly went into labour on her way to her father's kingdom. Thousands of pilgrims visit the area, which is now a UNESCO world heritage site, every year.
Garden of Eden There is perhaps no garden more famous than the Garden of Eden, the flower-filled paradise where, according to Christian tradition, God placed the first humans, Adam and Eve. It has been suggested to have existed in various locations, including Africa and Iraq.
Garden of Eden There is perhaps no garden more famous than the Garden of Eden, the flower-filled paradise where, according to Christian tradition, God placed the first humans, Adam and Eve. It has been suggested to have existed in various locations, including Africa and Iraq. Picture: Martin Pope Credit: Martin Pope
Garden of the Hesperides The golden apples that grant immortality in Greek mythology were grown in the Garden of the Hesperides, a beautiful orchard tended by nymphs. For his 11th labour, the Greek hero Heracles managed to trick the god Atlas into stealing some garden's apples for him.
Garden of the Hesperides The golden apples that grant immortality in Greek mythology were grown in the Garden of the Hesperides, a beautiful orchard tended by nymphs. For his 11th labour, the Greek hero Heracles managed to trick the god Atlas into stealing some garden's apples for him.Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
Ashok Vatika In the epic Hindu tale The Ramayana, Ashok Vatika is a garden in the kingdom of the demon king Ravana. This pleasant oasis is where Sita, the kidnapped wife of Rama, sat under a tree hoping to be rescued. According to folklore, the site is now the Hakgala Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka.
Ashok Vatika In the epic Hindu tale The Ramayana, Ashok Vatika is a garden in the kingdom of the demon king Ravana. This pleasant oasis is where Sita, the kidnapped wife of Rama, sat under a tree hoping to be rescued. According to folklore, the site is now the Hakgala Botanical Garden in Sri Lanka. Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
Xiwangmu's garden The Chinese goddess Xiwangmu, 'Queen Mother of the West', was said to possess a glorious garden at her palace on Mount Kunlun. Here, according to some legends, grew peaches that would give whoever ate them immortality.
Xiwangmu's garden The Chinese goddess Xiwangmu, 'Queen Mother of the West', was said to possess a glorious garden at her palace on Mount Kunlun. Here, according to some legends, grew peaches that would give whoever ate them immortality. Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
Elysian Fields In Greek mythology, the gods and heroes enjoyed a rich afterlife in a verdant island paradise where, in the words of Pindar, 'flowers of gold are blazing, some from splendid trees on land, while water nurtures others'.
Elysian Fields In Greek mythology, the gods and heroes enjoyed a rich afterlife in a verdant island paradise where, in the words of Pindar, 'flowers of gold are blazing, some from splendid trees on land, while water nurtures others'.Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy
Shangdu Only ruins remain of what is once thought to have been Shangdu or 'Xanadu', the lavish summer home of Kublai Khan in what is now Inner Mongolia. Around the palace were said to have been acres of glorious gardens. In his poem Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (pictured), imagined the gardens as 'bright with sinuous rills/where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree'.
Shangdu Only ruins remain of what is once thought to have been Shangdu or 'Xanadu', the lavish summer home of Kublai Khan in what is now Inner Mongolia. Around the palace were said to have been acres of glorious gardens. In his poem Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor Coleridge (pictured), imagined the gardens as 'bright with sinuous rills/where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree'.Picture: Alamy Credit: Alamy

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