Kandy - The last royal capital of Sri Lanka

Kandy is one of the major tourist destinations of Sri Lanka. It is 115km from Colombo and 465m above sea level. World famous for the Temple of the Tooth relic and with many other temples, the city could be called the cultural capital of Sri Lanka. 

 The city was established in the 15th century and is synonymous with arts and crafts of Sri Lanka than anywhere else in the country. A long but significant 300 years of war with the Europeans make Kandy historically, aesthetically and culturally a very diverse and rich place. It is in fact the place that altered the course of Sri Lanka.

The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau and is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka; it is both an administrative and religious city. Kandy is a good transit point to the cultural triangle to the north or hill country to the south.

TEMPLES IN KANDY

Temple of the Tooth

Dalada Maligawa also known as the temple of the tooth is the place where the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha is enshrined.  Built in the 16th century but improvements and additions have been done to this structure until the fall of the Kandy kingdom. A golden canopy was added recently. Daily rituals are being carried out at various offering times to the shrine. A dress code applies for entering the temple. The octagonal pavilion adds uniqueness to the temple. The temple is the product of the last peregrination of the relic of the tooth of Buddha and the testimony of a religion which continues to be practiced today.

 Kandy Perahera, the pageant of the temple of tooth is held either in July or August each year to parade the golden caskets with the sacred tooth inside it. This casket is taken on a royal tusker. It is a must see. The final night procession is the most spectacular event of the country. More than 50 elephants parade the city accompanied by the drummers, dancers, flag bearers and chieftains, Nilames (lay custodians of temples) wearing their traditional dresses and torch bearers. 

Royal Palace

The Royal Palace of Kandy is the last Royal Palace built in the island. Only a part of the original palace is remaining. It today houses the National Museum Kandy which holds an extensive collection of artifacts from both the Kandy Kingdom and the British colonial rule.

Malwatte and Asgiriya Monasteries

They are Kandy's principal Buddhist Viharas. The chief incumbents (high priests) of these two monasteries are the senior ecclesiastics of the Buddhist order in Sri Lanka.  The Malwatte monastery on the southern side across the lake is embellished with 18th century architectural design and planning. The higher order ordination of the sangha (the monks), take place annually in both these temples. The Asgiriya Temple is situated in the western side of the city at Asgiriya. In one of the shrine rooms of this temple is a gigantic Buddha statue of the recumbent Buddha. In Asgiriya is also found the cremation ground of the Kandyan Royalty.

Lankatilaka Temple

It is considered to be one of the best preserved examples of traditional Sinhalese temple architecture. Built on a rock, the temple is reached by a long series of rock cut steps. An arched passage of the image house leads through a hall into the inner sanctum which is richly decorated with beautiful floral designs. The two side walls and the ceiling are decorated with paintings. In the inner sanctum is a enormous seated image of the Buddha.

Gadaladeniya Temple

It is of South Indian origin with a Devale attached to it. The main shrine room has a seated Buddha statue and the remains of some paintings of the Gampola period. A moonstone marks the entry to the main shrine. 

  

Embekke Devale

Embekke Temple is a deistic shrine dedicated to God kataragama. This is a superb example of architecture in wood, and was established in 1371 AD.The wood art of this temple is astounding - dancers, swans, creepers, soldiers on horseback, floral emblems, double headed eagles, wrestlers, etc. Special treasures are the doorways of sandalwood and the palanquin used by the King.

Degaldoruwa Temple


Degaldoruwa is a cave temple which could be reached by crossing the bridge at Lewella. It is replete with outstanding murals of brilliant red backgrounds depicting the Jataka stories.

Parks and Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens

The Royal Botanic Gardens of Peradeniya is well known for its large variety of plant life. The area, nearly 150 acres in extent, its average elevation above sea-level being about 1,540 feet. The Garden was established in 1821. Another must see in Kandy. Every year1.2 million visit the place. It is the largest botanical garden on the island.

  

Udawatta Kele Forest Sanctuary

The Udawatta Kele (Udawatta Forest) is a protected sanctuary situated in the heart of the city, just north of Temple of the Tooth. It is known as "Uda Wasala Watta" in Sinhalese. It was designated as a forest reserve in 1856, and it became a sanctuary in 1938.

The Royal Palace Park

Also known as Wace Park is a small park that overlooks Kandy Lake and most of the city. In the park is a Japanese field gun which was captured by the British 14th Army in Burma during World War II and presented to the city of Kandy by Lord Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Theater.

As other places nearby to visit there is the Hanthana Mountain Range. There you can hike or cycle and the Kandy Lake with a small manmade island. Boat services are available.

How to get to Kandy?

Travel time from Colombo is about 3 – 3.5hrs (will take longer depending on the traffic conditions) and about 2 hours form Nuwara Eliya and 2 hours from Sigiriya.

Distances to Kandy in km

Colombo 116
Anuradhapura 138
Nuwara Eliya 77
Trincomalee 182
There is an intercity train service from the Colombo fort railway station and the travel time is approximately about 2.5 hours, or you can hire a car.