Kandy was the capital of Sri Lanka until the British took over power Sri Lanka in 1815. This city lies at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level. It is naturally fortified and surrounded by the ranges of mountains. Although the coastal areas of the island were commanded by Dutch & Portuguese for over 300 years, they couldn’t reach Kandy. The top attraction of the city is the Temple of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa). It is a UNESCO world heritage site too.
Kandy Temple of The Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa)
Kandy was the capital of the Singhalese Kings from 1592 to 1815. Its all four sides are well fortified by a range of mountains. Three of its four sides are surrounded by the river Mahaweli. With the help of these natural protections, Kandy managed to operate in independence from Dutch, Portuguese, and the English till 1815. UNESCO declared the city as a world heritage site due to this temple. It was built within the royal palace complex which houses one of the two surviving relics of the tooth of Buddha, an object of veneration for Buddhists.
Peradeniya Botanical Garden
Peradeniya Botanical garden was reserved exclusively for Kandyan royalty till 1815. Today, it is one of the top attractions in Kandy. The area is 147 acres large and it is the largest botanical garden on the island. It is also the most impressive botanic garden in Sri Lanka. The highlights are orchid houses with a great collection of orchids, giant Javan fig tree, and the royal palms avenue. This tree covers over 2500 sq. meters.
Royal Place in Kandy
The last king of the Kandyan Kingdom, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1797 – 1814) lived in this palace until he gets caught by the British invaders. The original palace has been burnt and destroyed several times and rebuilt again by subsequent kings. The first palace was built by King Vickramabahu III of Gampola Kingdom (1357-1374) and by Senasamatha Vickramabahu (1469-1511) of the same. Wimaladharmasuriya I (1592 – 1603) also occupied this palace thereafter and each of them probably made various improvements to the existing palace.
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