Visit the cultural capital of Sri Lanka

Kandy is known as Maha Nuwara in Sinhala, which translates to “Great City.”

Sri Lanka is well-known for its diverse biodiversity, extensive cinnamon and tea exportation, and breathtaking natural wonders! It is also known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean and has a diverse cultural and religious heritage.

Kandy is a city in Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands that sits at an elevation of 1,640 feet.

Kandy is Sri Lanka’s cultural capital and is regarded as one of the Buddhist community’s most sacred places. Kandy is the location of the Temple of the Tooth Relic and famous botanical gardens.

Dalada Maligawa

Nestled in the hills of the central province of the island, Kandy is a bustling city with a wide range of cultures and traditions. The Sri Dalada Maligawa is the most prominent of the many places to visit in Kandy, Sri Lanka because it houses the sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors can observe Buddhist rituals, explore the museum, which houses several ancient artefacts, and pay homage to the tooth relic during one of the Buddhist ceremonies held on the premises. The architectural elegance and historical significance of the Dalada Maligawa will astound you.

Kandy Lake

Kandy Lake is an artificial body of water revered as a sacred relic of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. The lake was built in 1807 and is one of the best places to go for a walk or jog. The shady area next to the temple provides visitors with a panoramic view of the city.

Esala Perehera

The Kandy Esala Perehera takes to the streets in August and is a remarkable cultural event that must be experienced while visiting. It is held in Esala (July or August), the month believed to commemorate the Buddha’s first teaching after attaining enlightenment.

Peradeniya Botanical Garden

The name suggests that the garden of Peradeniya has a rich history. The park is surrounded on three sides by the longest river in Sri Lanka, Mahaweli, which may have attracted the royals in the past. Thus, it was first grown as a Kandyan Queen’s garden in 1371, the 14th century. The queen spent her leisure time on the well-kept grounds. Following that, in the 18th century, King Wickramabahu III used Peradeniya botanical gardens as his royal garden. It is the oldest and the most extensive garden in Sri Lanka that you must see.

Udawattakele forest reserve

Kandy is a charming and scenic lakeside city in the heart of Sri Lanka, located south of the Udawattakele Rainforest Reserve, which is home to various animals and birds such as mouse deer, jackals, porcupines, and civets.

Udawattakele Forest Reserve, also known as Udawatta Kele, is a historic forest reserve on a hill ridge in Kandy. It covers an area of 104 hectares. During the Kandyan kingdom, Udawattakele was known as “Uda Wasala Watta” in Sinhalese, meaning “the garden above the royal palace.” The Udawatta Kele Sanctuary is located on a hillside behind the Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth Relic.

The train ride from Kandy to the hill country highlights any trip to Sri Lanka. The British built this rail route in the 19th century to transport tea, which still runs along the original tracks. The train ride from Kandy into Sri Lanka’s tea country is rated as one of the most beautiful in the world, with spectacular scenery of rolling tea estates, pine forests, gushing waterfalls, and colourful rural villages.

Happy travels!

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