Kandy
Temple of the Tooth Relic
Kandy was the capital of the Singhalese Kings from 1592 to 1815. Fortified by a terrain of mountains and the difficult approach Kandy managed to operate in independence from Dutch, Portuguese and the English till 1815. The city is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO, in part due to this temple.
The Sri Dalada Maligawa or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a temple in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It was built within the royal palace complex which houses the one of the two surviving relic of the tooth of Buddha, an object of veneration for Buddhists. The other tooth relic is believed to be enshrined in a stupa called Somawathi Chethiya.
The Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, the temple which houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha, is possibly the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the world. It is venerated not only by Buddhists in Sri Lanka but by Buddhists all over the world.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden
Situated in a loop of the Mahaweli River and 6 km west of Kandy, the site of the gardens of Peradeniya was a seat of power between 1371 and 1377, during the time of the itinerant capitals, however nothing remains from this period today. King Kirti Sri Rajasinha (1747-1780) created the garden as the Royal Pleasure garden and later came to live here. This garden cover some 60ha (150 acres) of trees, lawns and flowering shrubs, including a 20-ha (50-acre) arboretum of more than 10,000 trees.
There are extensive well-kept lawns, an Orchid House containing an outstanding collection, an Octagon Conservatory, fernery, banks of giant bamboo from Burma and numerous flower borders with cannas, hibiscus, chrysanthemums, croton and colourful bougainvillaea. The tank has water plants including the giant water lily and papyrus reeds. You will also see exotic species, especially palms (Palmyra, talipot, royal, cabbage), Ficus elastica (latex-bearing fig or ‘Indian rubber tree’ with buttress roots), an amazing avenue of drunken-looking Cook’s Pines and some magnificent old specimen trees. In the center of the gardens is an artificial lake in the shape of the island of Sri Lanka , beside which a white-domed rotunda commemorates George Gardner, superintendent of the gardens in the mid 19th century.
Cultural Show at Kandy
Sri Lanka, a country rich with culture & tradition offers a very vibrant and unique show of Sri Lankan traditional dances, in the form of Kandy cultural show. The beat a dancing from “Salupliya” depicting several demons, “Thelme” vibrant expression of low country rhythm, Fire and Harvest dances accompanied by Ceremonial Drums and the Drum Orchestra rising and falling to the lively tempo. As many as 12 different folk and traditional dances are performed by Kandy lake club dance troop within the span of one hour.
Kandy cultural show is a great way to spend the evening in Kandy, arrive a little early to secure the front row centre seats and the Bar attached to the hall will no doubt raise your spirits while you wait for the show.
Kandy City
Kandy is a major city in Sri Lanka, located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is the second largest city in the country after Colombo. It was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of The Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.
