 Kandy the Capital of the Hill Country, the last Kingdom of Sri Lanka located in 115 km away from the Commercial City, Colombo. Situated in an altitude of 488.6m above the mean sea level, Kandy was known as Senkadagala Pura in ancient times. It is also known as “Mahanuwara” which means the “Great City” or "Capital", although this is most often shortened to Nuvara. However the name Kandy was derived from the Word Kanda, used by the local people, which means mountain.
According to Mandarampura Puwata, the Kandyan Kingdom was established after king Vimaladarmasuriya ascendent to the throne defeating Yamasinha Bandara in 1592 AD. Since it is the last kingdom of Sri Lanka, the city is full of historical monuments and places like, The Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, Kings’ Palaces and much more manmade monuments. Due to these historical values, Kandy City was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.
The most valuable and famous place in Kandy is the Temple of Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. The Sacred Tooth Relic (Dālada) of the Buddha is the most venerated object of worship for Buddhists and its present house, the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dālada Māligāwa) in Kandy, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is considered the foremost sacred place of worship in the Buddhist world. Its architecture, decorative walls, golden roof and fine wood work is vivid.
Along with the Temple of Tooth, the other attraction in Kandy is the Esala Perahera held in July – August to honour the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha and obtain blessings for the country. This annual pageant constitutes the greatest religious festival of Sri Lanka which attracts thousands of pilgrims as well as tourists from all over the world.
Another attraction is the Kandy Lake which is located in the middle of the City. The Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradiniya, Biahirwakanda Statue and Udawattekele Sanctuary are some major attractions in Kandy. There are so many Buddhist Temples, monuments around the Kandy with historical values like, Lankathilake Temple, Gadaladeni Temple, 4 Devalayas etc… |
