Located in the centre of Sri Lanka within Kandy Valley, surrounded by beautiful tea plantations, is the sacred city of Kandy. While Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo serves as the prime commercial centre, Kandy (Sri Lanka’s second biggest city) is the main cultural capital of this vibrant country. A quiet city that gives you a homely feeling, Kandy is the perfect place to get to know Sri Lankan culture and history.
Originally this ancient city was referred to as Senkadagala. It is a very important Buddhist site. It was built by King Vikramabahu III of Gampola. Its location is very convenient and beautiful centred in the island with a large lake surrounding it, as well as the Mahaweli (the longest river in Sri Lanka). With picturesque parapet designed walls running along the lakeside, they blend beautifully with the water and the reflection of the sky. Looking at this charming sight, it seems that the walls are floating in the sky.
The Temple of the Tooth
The most popular monument in Kandy is the sacred pilgrimage site of the 17th-century Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa) located north of the lake, believed to have one of Buddha’s teeth. It is very interesting to explore with its extravagant interiors. While the exterior is quite plain, inside the temple buildings everything is carved and decorated with inlaid woods, lacquer, and ivory.
The relic of the tooth is actually kept in a magnificent two-story shrine within the temple, immediately recognizable with two large elephant tusks at the front. Resting on a solid gold lotus flower, the relic is sitting on a throne encased in a jewelled casket. Legend has it that the tooth was smuggled into the city in the hair of Princess Hemamali after it was taken from the funeral pyre. The importance of the relic was linked to royalty because its protector is seen to be fit enough to rule the land.
Kandy Festival
During the months of July and August, Sri Lanka’s biggest annual celebration takes place in Kandy. The festival is called Kandy Esala Perahera. The ten-day festival ends on the night of the full moon. It is a time of endless procession of drums, dancers, and more than 50 decorated elephants parading the streets. It is definitely a unique and spectacular festival to witness, one of the most colourful in Asia.
By Amal Ghali
