This lovely city of impressive colonial architecture is famous as the home of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the great sanctuaries of Buddhism, and for its annual Esala Perahera festival — an intriguing procession that has been taking place for hundreds of years in the summer (July and August), and which lasts for 10 days, ending with the Nikini full moon. This is one of South Asia’s most spectacular ceremonies (celebrated in honour of the sacred relic of the Temple of the Tooth of Buddha) which features a large number of splendidly decorated elephants.
Kandy is the capital of the Sri Lankan highlands, and nowadays welcomes travellers and pilgrims who come to visit the famous Buddhist sanctuary. The city is easy to get around; it has a large lake and a host of tourist attractions including museums, markets, and temples.
The History of Kandy
Located inland in the Knuckles mountain range, Kandy was the capital of the last Singhalese kingdom until it was taken by the British in 1815 after centuries of determined resistance against both the Portuguese and the Dutch. Apparently, the first settlement here dates back to the fourteenth century, with King Vikramabahu III. The Portuguese originally came to Sri Lanka at the end of the sixteenth century for trade purposes, but their attempt to invade the island was unsuccessful — although the Dutch did manage to conquer it later. The Dutch withdrew to the coast in 1766, but then the British took control of Sri Lanka, taking advantage of the fact that the French troops under Napoleon had occupied the Netherlands. Today, Kandy is the island’s second-largest city, and the capital of the central province of Sri Lanka. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What to see and do in Kandy
There is lots to see in Kandy, the capital of the ancient kings which is still a great cultural and religious centre. The city, also known as ‘the mountain capital’, has an immense wealth of historic buildings, in addition to tropical forests, tea plantations and spice gardens. What is there to see in Kandy, Sri Lanka? We have listed the highlights below:
Kandy Lake
Located in the heart of the city, this beautiful lake was created by the last king of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, in the nineteenth century. He used the island in the centre of the lake as a holiday home until the British took it over as a gunpowder store in 1815. You can still see the building facing the Temple of the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, once the monks’ bath house and now a police station. You can hire a boat for a trip on the lake.
Bahiravokanda Vihara
This temple is famous for its massive statue of Buddha, and also because it is a great viewing point for the city of Kandy. The Buddha statue was created in 1992, and its white silhouette is 25 metres tall. You can access it by climbing the flights of steps up to the viewing point, or by hiring a tuk-tuk. You can also visit at night, when the monument is lit up with oil lamps.
The Ceylon Tea Museum
Four kilometres south of Kandy on the Hantane plantation, this curious museum is housed in a former factory dating from 1925. Here you can learn the history of James Taylor and Thomas Lipton, pioneers in the cultivation of tea in Sri Lanka, and see a collection of items linked to the manufacture of tea, including drying ovens and grinding and sorting machines. You can also see a tea shrub which is over 80 years old and a packet of tea dating from 1944. The admission price includes a cup of tea in the lounge on the upper floor, which offers views of the Knuckles Range.
Dalada Maligawa
This great architectural complex is nestled among the hills and is made up of several buildings, both civil and religious. The highlights are the famous Temple of the Sacred Tooth, the royal palace, several museums and a library. The grandeur of this complex demonstrates the wealth and power enjoyed by the former kings of Kandy, who poured their enthusiasm and money into constructing these beautiful buildings with fine materials: granite, limestone, wood, ivory, marble, and so on.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth
This sixteenth-century temple with golden ceilings houses Sri Lanka’s most revered relic: the tooth of Buddha, which is held in a gold reliquary. It is said that the tooth arrived in the country during the fourth century, and was brought from Kalinga, in India, hidden in the hair of princess Hemamala. Having been passed around several temples, it has not left Kandy since 1592. Apart from the main building, the complex has several other temples, sanctuaries and museums. To enter, visitors have to cover their legs and shoulders, and remove their shoes. To the north of the Buddha temple, but close by, this pavilion with stone columns is the final resting place of the embalmed remains of Rajah, a Maligawa elephant who died in 1988. Also within the Sacred Tooth complex is the International Buddhist Museum, where you can see photos, scale models and exhibitions related to this religion.
The Devales
These are religious complexes dedicated to the four gods who, according to popular legend, protect Sri Lanka. There are four of them: Natha Devale, Visnú Devale, Pattini Devale and Kataragama Devale. The oldest is Natha Devale (fourteenth century), which stands on a stone terrace, with an attractive entrance decorated with sculptures. Vishnu Devale is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, the guardian of Sri Lanka, and has an intriguing drumming hall. Pattini Devale is dedicated to the goddess of chastity, and is visited by lots of pregnant women and people suffering from illness. And finally, Kataragama Devale surprises visitors with its brilliant colours.
Traditional dance show
Visitors to Kandy will not want to miss a traditional dance show with its elaborate costumes, fantastic choreography and dangerous pirouettes performed with fire. The famous ‘dances of the devil’ on the west coast are most impressive. There are lots of places where you can obtain a ticket to one of these shows, but the best known are Kandy Lake Club, Kandyan Art Association & Cultural Centre, and Mahanuwara YMBA.
Other places worth visiting
Another sight well worth visiting is Alut Maligawa, a three-storey Buddhist temple which is home to dozens of golden, seated Buddhas donated by the Thais. The top two floors house the Sri Dalada Museum, which has an important collection of gifts offered to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth by international dignitaries. Visitors can see letters and documents from the period of British rule which reveal the degree of respect in which the colonists held the relic. Also of interest is the National Museum which was, at one time, home to the Kandy kings’ concubines. These days, one of its most striking pieces is Rajasinha II’s gold crown. It is worth stopping off at the carefully tended Garrison Cemetery, which contains 163 tombs from the British colonial period, and at the Udawattakelle Reserve, a forest that stetches along the northern shore of Kandy Lake. And, lastly, the train journey from Kandy to Ella is a magical experience. This is said to be one of the most beautiful train journeys on the world. The Sri Lanka Kandy-to-Ella train crosses tea plantations, charming villages and breathtaking natural landscapes.
Where to eat in Kandy
Sería imperdonable salir de Kandy sin probar alguno de los platos más célebres de su cocina tradicional. Hay que recordar que su gastronomía tiene un sabor intenso, debido al uso de especias como curry, pimienta, cardamomo, canela, azafrán, clavo o jengibre. Por algo se conoce a Sri Lanka como “la isla de las especias”. Además del arroz con curry, los platos más tradicionales de Kandy son los siguientes: el kottu, las samosas (empanadillas), el roti (una especie de pan), el suculento chicken curry, los noodles fritos, los kokis (unos dulces con forma de flor) o el king coconut, que no es más que agua de coco natural. Algunos restaurantes interesantes de Kandy son los siguientes: Theva Cuisine, Meat, The Kandy Garden Café, Devon Restaurant, Sri Khrisna Dosai o Sharon Inn.
