The central Sri Lankan town of Kandy is the place to be if you want peace and tranquility of the countryside and the atmosphere of a town
KANDY, Sri Lanka’s picturesque highland capital and last stronghold of its kings against the Europeans. It is the traditional sanctuary of the country’s culture and therefore, not surprisingly, is the pearl island’s most visited tourist resort. Its diverse, kaleidoscopic charms offer a feast of memorable sight-seeing and exiting experiences.
Four hundred and ninety meters above sealevel, Kandy is set amid an assortment of tea and spice gardens, mountains, lakes and rivers. It took us almost two hours to get to the town by train from Colombo, through the Kadugannawa and Balane. The journey was quite scenic, dramatic, befitting a mediaeval mountain stronghold. I couldn’t wait to be in the city itself.
Kandy offers a wide range of accommodation. Agents pushed us five-star rentals, theme resorts, family hotels, luxurious tea plantation bungalows, vintage hotels, guest houses and inns, converted manor houses and comfortable and economical accommodation. And finally we came across a hotel from where we could enjoy a view of the picturesque lake as well as the city’s star attraction, the tooth temple. The Kandy Lake is considered one of the most peaceful and longest lakes in the country.
The Dalada Maligawa or the temple of the Sacred Tooth has a relic of the Buddha that was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century. Since, the sacred has been the symbol of sovereignty for its rulers and has always been enshrined in great splendour. Outside the temple there are a variety of flower shops that serves the people’s appetite for decorating a shrine, as is the norm throughout the country.
Coming back to the temple, it’s magnificently embellished with decorative walls, moat, turrets, golden roof and fine wood-work. Three religious services (pooja) with traditional music are held daily at dawn, midday and in the evening.
Inside the temple there is the Maligawa Museum that has antiquities and other items of relevance to the shrine. The city’s other museum attractions include the Archaeological Museum and the National Museum.
Another big religious attraction of Kandy is the big Buddha statue. The statue, built on the peak of a mountain, can be viewed from all across the city. At night the statue, bathed in lights, looks even more stunning.
Of course it’s difficult to climb rocky roads at night so we decided to visit the statue in daylight. Going there by walk is really a tough job, but adventure is never a piece of cake. The mountain top also offers a unique look down at the city.
Kandy’s other religious sites include the fourteenth century Natha Devale temple, a UNESCO world heritage site, which is dedicated to the guardian god of Sri Lanka. The eighteenth century audience hall (Magul Maduva) is a stately open pavilion with elaborately carved hardwood pillars. Other monuments near-by include the Ulpenage (Queen’s Bath) and the tenth century King’s Palace, now the Archaeological Museum.
While we were in Kandy, an occasional festival was held in which typical Kandyan dance was performed. Sadly, we came to know of the event, too late to participate in it.
Tame working elephants getting a dip in rivers and streams are another exotic sight in and around Kandy. Near Kagelle on the Colombo-Kandy road, the Pinnawela elephant orphanage, a river-side sanctuary, cares for elephants displaced from their original habitants. So those of you who are interested in seeing this rare practice of feeding and bathing elephants, this is a perfect place.
Kandy’s geography is dominated by the Mahaweli Ganga, Sri Lanka’s longest river. The massive British-built 118 meter high Victoria Dam and hydropower project of the Mahaweli diversion scheme is one of Kandy’s modern showpieces.
Shopping in Kandy is expensive, yet enjoyable and exciting. Its boutiques, shops, craft centres, bazaars and street markets offer many tempting and exotic ware. Among the best buys are authentic highland handicraft items in silver, brass, wood and lacquerware. Others include jewellery, gems, spices, tea, hand-loom textiles, ready made garments and fresh tropical fruits.
Kandy is also a major spice growing district. A visit to a spice garden to see clove, cardamom, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, pepper being grown and processed, should not be missed. As shouldn’t a visit to this charming, calm, cozy and green city.
The central Sri Lankan town of Kandy is the place to be if you want peace and tranquility of the countryside and the atmosphere of a town 
