Are you looking for what to do in Kandy?
PLACES TO SEE
Temple of sacred tooth relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa:The Temple of the Scared Tooth Relic constitutes the premier Buddhist Institution of Sri Lanka and remains the cynosure of the world Buddhist and is a great tourist attraction. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and has been a political epicenter since centuries. The temple claims to enclose the tooth of Lord Buddha after his cremation In India.
There are a number of structures and monuments in and around Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Tooth building complex like Mahawahalkada (The main entrance), Moat, Pattirippuwa (Octagon), Handun kunama, Golden canopy, New Palace, Royal Palace of Kandy, National Museum of Kandy, Old courts building, Kandy Lake, Biso ulpen ge (Queens bath), Diyathilaka mandapaya and the Udawatta Kele Sanctuary.
The annual pageant (Esala Perahera) constitutes the greatest religious festival of Sri Lanka which attracts thousands of pilgrims as well as tourists from all over the world.
National Museum:Formerly known as “Palle Vahala” this place was used as the palace where the Queens of the king lived. This building has been built according to the architectural features of Kandy period. This pallevahala building which is now converted as a museum for the public exhibits various items of historical value made by Kandy art association. This museum has over 5000 objects depicting historical and cultural events of Kandyan period.
This museum once housed Kandyan royal concubines and now features royal regalia and reminders of pre-European Sinhalese life. The tall-pillared audience hall hosted the convention of Kandyan chiefs that ceded the kingdom to Britain in 1815.
The National Museum, along with four devales (complexes for worshipping deities) and two monasteries – but not the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic itself – make up one of Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle sites.
Sri Dalada international Buddhism museum:This is a part of the Sri Dalada Maligawa or the temple of the tooth. The museum is located on the upper two floors of Alut Maligwa, just behind the main tooth shrine of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
The museum displays a stunning array of gilded gifts to the temple. Letters and diary entries from the British time reveal the colonizers’ surprisingly respectful attitude to the tooth relic. More recent photographs reveal the damage caused by the truck bomb in 1998.
Tea Museum:An essential stop on any Sri Lankan tea tour, this museum occupies the 1925-vintage Hanthana Tea Factory, 4km south of Kandy on the Hanthana road. Abandoned for over a decade, it was refurbished by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Planters’ Association of Sri Lanka.
The Ceylon Tea Museum at Hantane, three kilometres from Kandy city is served by a motorable road that circles the museum tourist coaches. This four storeyed museum consists exhibits very old items of machinery used in tea brewing, a library and an auditorium with facilities for audio visual presentations. The third floor is allocated to tea sales outlets, where a selection of Sri Lanka's fine tea is available.
A panoramic view of the Kandy town surrounded by the beautiful Hunasgiriya, Knuckles Range and the Matale range of hills can be viewed through a telescope mounted on the fourth floor.
The grounds surrounding the Tea Museum are to be landscaped with different varieties of teas. Kandy is a mandatory stop virtually on every tourist's itinerary and the location of the Ceylon Tea Museum at Hantane enhances the attraction of the hill country to visitors.
Natha Devale:The oldest building in Kandy, Natha Devale dates back o the 14th century. This is a double shrine and is a place of pious importance to the locals. The alluring porch pinnacle, the jakatas, beautiful room drums and the pavilions with reclining Buddha make this place worth visiting.
This bustling temple is a mark of unification of two religions Buddhism and Hinduism. The Hindu God Vishnu has his own shrine n the temple as he was considered to be the protector of Buddhism.
It is considered to be the structure prior even to the historical tooth relic’s entrance in the country.
The annual Natha Devale procession is of immense importance and is worth watching.
Below we have a list of things to do in Kandy and the places where you want to spend the best moments of your trip. At the same time, the city offers you the best neighborhoods to explore and new foods to try.
This list should help you in deciding and prioritizing what you should plan on your Kandy getaway. Find a mix of must-see tourist spots, underrated local hangouts, and maybe even a few new experiences you can try out.
Make the most of your trip to Kandy with confidence.
