Things to See

                                   Sri Dhaladha Maligawa

 When Buddha attained nirvana his body was cremated and his tooth was acquired from the ashes. The tooth soon became an object of veneration and a belief grew that whoever had possession of the tooth would have power to rule that land. Many kings fought for possession of the tooth but in 4th century CE, King Guhaseeva acquired the tooth and by then, was a strong believer in Buddhism. He fought against many kings and protected the tooth to the best of his ability. A prince named Dantha, who had become a Buddhist, came to pay his respects to the tooth and King Guhaseeva liked him immediately; he let Dantha marry his daughter, Princess Hemamala. During an attack against King Guhaseeva, he secretly sent Dantha and Hemamala out of the city with the relic. Sri Lanka was chosen as the new home for the relic and Dantha and Hemamala disguised themselves as Brahmins to travel to the island. The relic was hidden as a hair ornament and the couple arrived safely on the shores of Lankapattana, now Ilankeiturei.
At that time, King Kirti Sri Megavanna ruled over the land of Sri Lanka and was ecstatic that the relic tooth was bought to the island. The king welcomed the royal couple and the relic tooth enthusiastically and with great celebration. He built a palace within the royal palace complex and enshrined the relic in it. Afterwards, the kingdom ordered that an annual celebration take place to honour the tooth relic, the esala perahera.
Over time, Sri Lanka was threatened with many foreign invasions and the seat of the kingdom was moved from city to city. Upon each change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the relic. Finally it was bought to Kandy, where it is at present, in the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
The temple which houses the sacred tooth relic is built in the royal palace complex in Kandy, which was the last capital of the Sinhalese Kings. The temple now comprises the royal palace, an audience hall and the mahamaluwa, which is a lawn area situated in front of the temple compound. The Royal Palace used to be the official residence of the government agent, Sir John D'Oyly and is now preserved as an archaeological museum. The audience hall is where the Kandyan kings held their royal court and was where the Kandyan Convention was drawn up and read out to the people. It is now used for state ceremonies and conserved under the department of archaeology.

                                                      Embekke Temple

 The Embekke Temple is a wooden temple situated in the Ambakka village in Kandy. It was built in the 14th century by King Wickremabahu III. The temple comprises sixteen carved wooden pillars with engravings of swans, lions, bulls, elephants and many other animals. There are also carvings of leaves, flowers, soldiers, dancing women and mermaids. There are a total of 128 carvings on these pillars and the carvings are presumed to be the work of the ancient artisan, Devendra Mulachari.

This recently opened museum occupies the 1925 vintage Hanthana Tea Factory. Abandoned for over a decade, it was refurbished as a museum by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Planters’ Association of Sri Lanka. In addition to an extensive collection of 19th century rollers, dryers and other tea-factory equipment in their original settings, the museum also contains exhibits of the lives and works of tea pioneers James Taylor and Thomas Lipton. There are also exhibits of other tea-related colonial era objects including Sri Lanka’s oldest packet of tea.

                                                       Lankatilaka Temple

The Lankatilaka Temple dates back to the 14^th century. It is built on the summit of a rock called Panhalgala and provides a panoramic view of the surrounding hills, paddy fields and the diverse vegetation around it. The viharaya is built of clay bricks and has a unique architectural design which combines Buddhist and Hindu elements. The Lankatilaka Temple is considered to be one of the best preserved examples of traditional Singhalese temple architecture. Built on a rock, the temple is reached by a long series of rock cut steps. An arched passage of the image house leads through a mandapa (hall) into the inner sanctum which is richly decorated with beautiful floral designs. The two side walls and the ceiling are decorated with paintings.

                                                          Victoria Golf Club

The Victoria Golf Club is one of Sri Lanka’s best kept secrets but this award winning golf club is something you’ll want to shout in excitement about. It is 20km east of Kandy and is surrounded on three sides by the Victoria Reservoir. With the Knuckles Range as a backdrop, the club house is a great place to enjoy a meal. Claimed to be the best golf course in the subcontinent, it is a fairly challenging 18 holes. Whether you want to play golf or not, the Victoria Golf Club is a great place to unwind and enjoy the tranquil Kandy surroundings.

                                      Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens

 The Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens are the largest botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. They cover 60 hectares and are bounded by the Mahaweli River on three sides. The history of the Royal Botanical Gardens dates as far back as 1371 when King Wickramabahu III ascended the throne and kept court at Peradeniya near the Mahaweli River. Later, in the reign of King Kirti Sri Rajasinghe from 1747 to 1780 this was made a Royal Garden and from 1780 – 1798 King Rajadhi Rajasinghe resided therein, where a temporary residence was erected for him. Managed by the Department of Agriculture, the garden has more than 300 varieties of Orchids, spices, medicinal plants and palm trees.

                                                     Gadaladeniya Temple

The Gadaladeniya Temple is situated on a hilltop and was constructed almost exclusively of stone in 1344 by Gampola King Wickramabahu. The art and architecture is of South Indian origin and the faded paintings and design provide clues to the manner in which the temple was built. The entrance features large stone pillars which support a roof of huge stone slabs. Within the vihara, an ancient stone and plaster Buddha image look down upon rice milk pots that have collected food offerings for centuries. The 638 year old jak wood doors still exhibit their original paintings. Gadaladeniya is situated at Pilimatalawa on the Kandy-Colombo main road.

                                                 Archaeological Museum              

 The archaeological Museum is situated by the Vishnu Devale and was formerly part of the King’s palace. It was built by the Vimala Dharma Surya and the main doors are decorated with the Kandy kings’ sun and moon symbol. The interior of the gateway is adorned with lions and geese which symbolize fierceness and purity. The museum holds an interesting collection of pots, masonry, carvings and pillars.

                                                            Tea museum

This recently opened museum occupies the 1925 vintage Hanthana Tea Factory. Abandoned for over a decade, it was refurbished as a museum by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Planters’ Association of Sri Lanka. In addition to an extensive collection of 19th century rollers, dryers and other tea-factory equipment in their original settings, the museum also contains exhibits of the lives and works of tea pioneers James Taylor and Thomas Lipton. There are also exhibits of other tea-related colonial era objects including Sri Lanka’s oldest packet of tea.

                                                       Sri Dalada Museum

The Sri Dalada Museum is on the first and second floor of the Temple of the Tooth Relic. The museum houses excellent exhibits from the Kandyan period of Sri Lankan history and is devoted to artefacts concerning the Tooth Relic. Exhibits include pictures of all the various cities and shrines in which the Tooth Relic is supposed to have rested during its travels around Sri Lanka. The museum also showcases the many gifts given by notable figures, including presidents.