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This scenic, ancient and historic capital city is not only one of the world’s holiest places of Buddhist worship, but also one of Sri Lanka’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites. A must-visit for any traveller to our renowned Hill Country, Kandy is redolent with colorful tradition while embracing everything that modernity and today’s switched-on traveller has come to expect.
Many arrange their visit months in advance to coincide with the famed 10-day Esala Perahera (the Festival of the Tooth), a Buddhist celebration featuring parades of lavishly costumed dancers and elephants. Legend has it that when the Buddha died in 543 BCE, his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre. It was eventually brought to Sri Lanka, and whoever possessed it is said to have a divine right to rule.
This most venerated of Buddhist relics is now kept secure in a golden casket in the Temple of the Tooth at the heart of the Royal Palace complex just north of Kandy lake. The entire complex covers a large area and includes the three-storey Alut Maligawa, a shrine displaying dozens of sitting Buddhas and containing the Sri Dalada Museum, with its stunning array of gilded gifts to the temple. Kandy is the perfect starting point for a visit to the Hill Country, and some of the country’s best and nicest boutique hotels and traditional guest houses nestle among the surrounding hills and valleys.
International broadcaster CNN recently named the rail journey from Colombo to Kandy as one of the best and most scenic in the world. Many visitors arrive by train and fly back on the seaplane service that operates from Kandy lake. A little highpoint of any visit is the hilltop Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha statue, with its staircase at the back which leads to a viewing platform which puts the entire city at your feet. Amazing!
If you prefer cycling but aren't so keen on struggling with uphill climbs, there are many interesting trails in the lowlands of Sri Lanka that take you through a beautiful landscape of tea, rubber and spice plantations or even the ancient capital of POLONNARUWA .
Our holidays are adventure and nature based where you see real Sri Lanka that is not experienced by everyday tourists. We try as much as possible to keep away from the more popular places visited by every day tourists. We want you to visit a place where you see Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka
The Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, near the town of Kegalle, provides a truly unique opportunity to get close to these magnificent animals during their daily communal river bath, and to take part in bottle-feeding the babies.
Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth taken from the Buddha after his death—resides in Kandy’s golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth. While tourists and devotees and tourists are free to visit the heavily guarded relic room during puja (offerings or prayers), the tooth its
A literal as well as spiritual highlight of your visit to Kandy is the hilltop Bahiravokanda Vihara Buddha statue, with its steps up the back leading to a spectacular view over the city. The 88ft pure-white statue, which includes a gallery displaying pictures of Buddha’s life from baby to manhood, is part of a small and intimate hillside monastery just outside the city. Construction began in 1972, and the statue, its crowning glory, was completed 10 years later. With all the classic accoutrements, including carvings and traditional historical depictions, the monestary and statue is now an established feature of the Kandy tourist trail.
Kandy view point is located at Rajapihilla Mawatha near Kandy Lake. around 1km steep climb to the rajapihilla mawatha, there is a place where you see the kandy city in a panoramic view. with lake and sri dalada maligawa.. very famous tourist location. restaurants and souvenir shops around.
Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium also known as Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka. In July 2010, The Central Provincial Council in Kandy renamed the stadium to honor the legendary Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan.[2] The stadium was opened on 27 November 2009 and became the 104th Test venue in the world in December 2010
At the outskirts of Kandy town, one will find this unique Buddhist temple built of stone, brick, and lime plaster. Lankatilaka Temple was first built in 1344 during the rein of King Buvanekabahu IV. This temple is built on a large, uneven outcropping, forcing the builders to construct off
Legend abounds with explanations of why this temple was not finished, the most popular being that the builder, King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe, lost interest after the discovery of a cave complex at Degaldoruwa. Be that as it may, this impressive building was never actually used as a temple, a
Ranawana Rajamaha Viharaya is built with maximum use of natural resources and It's a very beautiful place to see the whole theme of the temple is tightly bound with nature. Ranawana purana rajamaha viharaya is most probably one of the most beautiful temples in Sri Lanka. Except ordinary characteristics of a temple, Ranawana Viharaya has a amazing trail in to the forest through rocks and trees. Many of important incidents Lord Buddha's life has made in forest attractively. It will be an unforgettable journey for school children who learn Buddhism. Another important thing is the one and only similar model of the north entrance of Saanchi sthupa in India is at Ranawana Rajamaha wiharaya.
The Magul Maduwa, or Audience Hall of the Royal Palace of Kandy, is where the king met his ministers and members of the Royal Court, and is a magnificent reminder of Sri Lanka’s ancient lineage. The Hall was of particular importance because it was here that the most revered relic, the tooth of the Buddha, was occasionally produced for public veneration. It was also here that control of the kingdom was ceded to the British in 1815, thus signaling the end of over 2,500 years of royal sovereignty and the beginning of the post-agrarian ‘modern’ era.
Some of the best examples of Kandyan era temple paintings can be found at the Degaldoruwa Cave Temple, built in 1771 by King Rajadi Rajasinha at Amunugama, a village near Kandy town. The cave was created where two massive rocks meet, one on top of the other—a combined height of 40ft—and in
Gadaladeniaya Temple was build by king Wickramabahu in 1344 during the Gampola Kingdom time. At the entrance you can see the Dageba ( pagoda) by your right hand side. Actually this consist of one main Dageba and four small ones. The main Dageba is covered with a roof. There are four smal
The Benedictine monastery of Monte Fano was established in Kandy in 1927, with a history that began with the arrival in Sri Lanka of Sylvestrine missionary monks in 1845 as under the auspices of Propaganda Fidei. The first of these monks was Fr Giuseppe Maria Bravi, who became European Vicar Apostolic in the southern vicariate of Colombo, which was divided in 1883 to create the diocese of Kandy. After further administrative changes, in 1972, Monte Fano became the main monastery of the Sylvestro Benedictine Priory in Sri Lanka, which now has five monastic communities.
The origins of this shrine of Vishnu is lost in the mists of time, but it has long been associated with the royal palace and the Temple of the Tooth, a sacred relic revered by Buddhists around the world. According to legend, Vishnu is the same deity known as Rama, of the Indian epic Ramaya
Kandy’s somewhat notorious Bogambara maximum-security prison, thought to have been modeled on the Bastille in Paris, closed its forbidding wooden doors to felons in 2013. But as part of the city’s historic architectural fabric, future plans for it include a boutique hotel, shopping mall and museum—of which the latter might include the prison gallows. This ‘death trap’ was the only one in the country where three death-row inmates could be executed simultaneously, and large crowds queued to see it when it was open to the public in 2014.
Buddhism and Hinduism are entwined at this oldest of Kandy’s devales, which is dedicated to the god Natha and was the site of the ceremonial ordination of Sri Lanka’s ancient kings. With its crowning vaulted roof, this imposing example of prominently Hindu architectural style was built following the South Vijayangara style of the 14th century, and is located on the terrace in front of the Royal Palace complex. Its heritage includes playing an important role in preparing and distributing the Nanu or medicinal herbs that go with the first bath taken in the Sinhala New Year.
This simple and quietly dignified place of Christian worship contrasts with the next-door Temple of the Tooth, one of Sri Lanka’s most sacred Buddhist sites. Completed in 1848, consecrated in 1853 and enlarged in 1878 and 1928, it was built primarily to serve British officials stationed in Kandy, as well as serving as the Garrison Church. Its red-brick Gothic exterior and interior redolent with Victorian religious overtones provides a spacious and restful interlude for visitors to recuperate from a busy morning’s sightseeing. Not to be missed is the beautiful stained-glass window above the altar, which depicts the three women who find Jesus's tomb empty and are told by an angel that "he has arisen”.
Ancient and modern take centre stage at the newly renovated Ran Avuda Mandapaya, which is itself at the centre of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, one of Sri Lanka’s most revered monuments. It is here that can be found the Temple of the Tooth, which holds one of the most sacred relics of global Buddhism, a tooth said to have been taken from the body of the Buddha shortly after his death. The Ran Avuda Mandapaya has been transformed into a high-tech Media and Special Projects unit, complete with fast internet connections that will allow visitors to fully explore Kandy’s cultural heritage.
Kandy Lake is the centerpiece of this most historic of Sri Lanka’s former kingdoms, itself the epicenter of Buddhism and the island’s ancient royal culture. Created by Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, the last Sinhala ruler of Kandy, the lake features a 2,000ft decorative wall and the Royal Summer House on an island in the centre. Close to its northern bank is the Temple of the Tooth, Sri Lanka’s most revered Buddhist shrine, while around the lake are shady paths and places for a stroll or a jog. The lake also serves as the water runway for the seaplane service between Kandy and the capital city of Colombo.
On a hillside behind the Temple of the Tooth lies the Royal Forest Park of Kandy, or Udawatta Kele, a 257-acre bio-sanctuary that was declared a vital and important nature reserve in 1938. Rich with vegetation, this typical canopy, sub canopy and forest-floor ecosystem includes a rare, 200–300-year-old pus wela or entada pusaetha liana. Featured attractions include the Water Pond, the Kodimale highest peak, The Senkanda Cave, and the Garrison cemetery, as well as several Buddhist temples and hermitages. The remains of an overgrown fortress can be found on two southeastern jungle hilltops near the Forest Department nature-education centre.
Legend has it that the spectacular rock peak of the Alagalla, or ‘Potato’, Mountain Range west of Kandy has protected the heartland of Buddhism in Sri Lanka for millennia. Today, it still stands guard over this spectacularly scenic corner of our renowned Hill Country, a must-visit for hikers up to the challenge of trekking through the range’s jungle-covered foothills. At the summit is a platform with a clear 360-degree view of the many other surrounding highland features, including Knuckles Mountain Range, Bathalegala (Bible Rock), Devanagala, Ambuluwawa, and Hanthana. Altogether a stimulating day out!
The Gem Museum in Colombo harks back to the 1920s, when Mohamed Mahmood, a young Muslim with a passion for precious stones, started what is now City of Gems, a fourth-generation family business.
Embekka Devalaya was built by the King Vikramabahu III of Gampola Era in Sri Lanka. The Devalaya in Embekka is dedicated to the worship of Mahasen, popularly known as Katharagama Deviyo.
This royal palace is perhaps the most significant of all Sri Lanka’s historic sites, combining as its does an ancient seat of government with one of the world’s most sacred Buddhist relics. The relic, a tooth said to have been recovered from the body of the Buddha himself after his death, is housed in the Temple of the Tooth, a place of reverence for believers and non-believers alike. The last Kandian king to occupy the palace, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, was unseated by the British in 1815. The complex is now fully open to the tens of thousands of visitors who flock to the Hill Country every year.
Has a good selection of local lacquerware, brassware and other craft items in a colonial-era showroom covered in a patina of age. There are some craftspeople working on the spot. Prices are slightly inflated.
The Museum which is located in Hantane three miles from Kandy city, in the central region of Sri Lanka. The Hantane Tea factory built in 1925 converted as the museum. The factory building consists of four floors.
.Galaha and the Loolkondura Estate
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Complete your Love Story…visit “the finest island of its size in all the world”
Complete your Love Story…visit “the finest island of its size in all the world”
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This is almost 40% off discounted Sri Lanka Affordable Luxury Tour package.
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