Kandy is a prominent Sri Lankan city found precisely in the middle of the country. A city of both historical as well as religious importance, Kandy is renowned for being the site of the Temple Of The Sacred Tooth Relic, unarguably the most famous among all the temples of Sri Lanka.
Kandy is also home to numerous remarkable museums and scenic attractions. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site declared in 1988.
Some days Kandy’s skies seem perpetually bruised, with stubborn mist clinging to the hills surrounding the city’s beautiful centrepiece lake.
PLACES TO VISIT
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage was launched to provide shelter and nourishment to abandoned, injured and maimed elephants. The ideology behind this project revolves around the care of abandoned baby elephants, who cannot survive without their mothers.
The local park allows tourists to ride on, pet and play with the elephants. The animals are really friendly and if tourists jump into the water with them they spray them with water from the trunk. This also recycles elephant excreta to make paper and happens to be the only factory in the world that does this.
Giragama Tea Plantations
Sri Lanka and its tea plantations go hand in hand. In the central province of Sri Lanka stands Giragama Tea Plantation, a quaint village known for tea cultivation. Giragama was one of the first few plantations near Kandy.
Sri Lanka is one of the highest producers of tea in the world and this tea estate allows a tour inside where tourists can see how tea is processed with machines. Furthermore they can also purchase tea at the very same place.
The estate spreads across many hectares; when you stand on one end, it appears as if Giragama Tea Plantation knows no bounds. They have estates that are open to tourists for walks; tea manufacturing units that showcase the entire process from how to pluck tea leaves, cleaning and further processing into the finished product; and in-house shops that sell freshly packaged tea in different variants.
Temple of the Tooth
Sri Dalada Maligawa is the Sinhalese name for this holy shrine. Famously called Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, it is touted to be the most sacred Buddhist temple in the whole world.
It houses the tooth of Buddha nestled in a golden chamber and is within the premises of the royal palace complex (formerly a princely state). Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is said that whichever state holds the tooth relic, maintains an essential place in the governance of the country.
The ambience inside is exceptionally cosy and welcoming; it enthrals with the smells of fresh flowers, and coconut oil lit candles and lamps.
Within the temple, daily pujas are carried out on the ground floor consisting of the Pallemaluwa. On Wednesdays, the bathing of the relic with a herbal preparation (scented water and fragrant flowers) takes place.It is called the Nanumura Mangallaya. This holy water is of substantial spiritual reverence and is distributed among the devotees.
Ardent believers flock in large numbers wearing robes with offerings of flowers and lamps. The temple ground spreads out to many hectares and has all tourist spots under one head.
Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya
The most prominent gardens in Sri Lanka, Royal Botanical Gardens are situated 5 km west of Kandy.
Colourful orchids, pleasant winds, tall trees. and proximity with the Mahaweli river is a beautiful “flora and aqua” treat for the eyes.
The gardens are home to more than 4,000 species of plants, including orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. It is a 147-acre natural elegance holding landscaped gardens and scenic beauty, making it a photographer’s dream.
The garden has species of floral representations from all over the world that boast of tropical trees and shrubs. Trees were also planted by great world icons to commemorate their visit to Sri Lanka and Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya.
Kandy Viewpoint
Visiting Sri Lanka’s second largest city, Kandy and not exploring Kandy Viewpoint will be a major miss. Located 1.7 KM from the main Kandy city, Kandy Viewpoint is regarded as the highest point in the city from where one can appreciate Kandy Lake as if just below their feet and also the Dalada Maligawa Temple.
Any photography enthusiast or a nature lover would not miss a chance to get a view of Kandy during the sunset. Sunrise is even more mystical as one gets to see the sun rays bounce off of Kandy Lake in a beautiful array. As the day rolls on, one can get a few snack sheds and shopping corners. Visiting Kandy Viewpoint is not just about its picturesque beauty but also provides a quick simple adventure – a short hike through the steep slopes on the way to Kandy Viewpoint to admire the magnificent panoramic view of the surroundings with an occasional misty breeze.
Maduru Oya National Park
Maduru Oya National Park is home to the two main aspects of Sri Lanka’s tourism – plenty of diverse wildlife and fascinating Buddhist ruins.
The park was established in 1983 and also shelters some members of the indigenous Vedda tribe with a population numbering more than a hundred,
Asian elephants are the best feature of this national park. Maduru Oya National Park is a serene location in the most real sense of the word – often, you might be the only tourists around, making it seem like a private tour of the country’s spectacular landscape and wildlife.
The wildlife at the park includes leopards, pangolins, mugger crocodiles, and birds such as cormorants and storks. The endemic tree Vatica Obscura is a highlight of the park’s flora.
The ruins of Buddhist structures – shrines, hermitages, statues, temples and dagobas – are also abundant here. Brahmi inscriptions from the 1st to 3rd century BC and a sluice gate whose origins lie in the 6th century BC are other ruins of historical significance.
The Vedda folk reside in an area of the park, and visitors are often allowed to understand their culture and way of life. Explore all the facets of the park at your leisure by staying at a campsite or a bungalow run by the Department Of Wildlife Conservation.
HOW TO REACH KANDY
By air: Kandy has no airports per se, but there is an air taxi from Colombo in case tourists wish to avail of this option.
By road: Plenty of tourists book taxis to drive them to the city. It is quicker and takes around three hours and costs nearly 6,000 LKR.
By train: Intercity express trains service Kandy.
BEST TIME TO VISIT KANDY
The best time to visit Kandy is from January to March as these are the driest months of the year, which facilitates a better sightseeing experience.
Incidentally, this also coincides with the peak season for touring Sri Lanka so that one might incur higher expenses for travel and accommodation. However, if you are planning to witness the festivities of the Kandy Esala Perahera, visit the city during July and August; fortunately, the rainfall is relatively low at this time of the year.
The months of October and November are generally considered as the off-season for visiting Kandy, since this is the time of monsoon, and the weather can play havoc with sightseeing plans.
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
