Sacred City of Kandy





Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world.



The hill-country capital of Kandy lies on a plain amidst towering hills and looped by Sri Lanka's largest river, the Mahaweli. The town’s pleasant temperate climate, its scenic location and its rich history has made it a favorite haunt for travellers. It is also the natural gateway to the stirring peaks of Sri Lanka’s hill country.


For two centuries Kandy’s monarchs, protected by Kandy’s natural forces of rivers, mountains and jungle, proudly withstood the onslaught of three European forces: the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, until it finally fell to the British in 1815. To this day it remains proud of its cultural heritage. The sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha is enshrined here within the Dalanda Maligawa, also known as the Temple of the Tooth that dates back to the 16th century. Kandy is also home to the Buddhist chapters of Mallwatte and Asgiriya. The Kandyan culture is distinctly different from the island’s coastal areas.


Now a tiny but bustling city, Kandy still regards itself as the bastion of Buddhist philosophy. During the month of August, Kandy dazzles with the sounds and lights of the Kandy Perahera – a magnificent pageant where the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha is majestically paraded on elephant back along the streets of Kandy.


Kandy was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.



Temple of the Tooth





A sacred tooth relic of the Lord Buddha was brought to Sri Lanka in 4th Century A.D. and was enshrined within the Dalanda Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth. This sacred relic has ever since been the symbol of sovereignty for the Sinhalese kings and always enshrined in great splendour. Kandy’s Dalada Maligawa is a magnificent shrine, with decorative walls, golden roof and fine woodwork and its 16th – 19th century ambience still vividly alive. ​


Religious services (pooja) are held daily at dawn, mid-day, and in the evening and can be viewed by visitors. The services are accompanied with traditional music and drumming. On the Esala full moon day of July/August each year, the sacred tooth relic, encased in a golden casket, is taken in procession (a Perahara), on the back of the temple elephant along the streets of Kandy for all to see.



Kandy Perahera





In August each year, the spectacular Esala Perahera winds its way through the streets of Kandy. This is a time when tradition, religion, and the arts all come together in honour of Lord Buddha. For ten nights under the moonlit sky, Kandy dazzles. Musicians, dancers, Kandyan chieftains and hundreds of elephants dressed in glittering royal finery move to the rhythm of the Kandyan drums. Reels of white carpet are laid on the roads for one special elephant, the temple tusker that bears the tooth relic of Lord Buddha encased in a golden casket. This historic ritual is one of the finest festivals in Asia.



Kandy Lake



Kandy City at Night



Gadaladeniya Temple



Hanthana Mountain Range



Embekka Dewalaya



Kandyan Cultural Show



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