Kandy

Welcome To Kandy

Kandy in Sinhala, pronounced is the English name for the city of Maha Nuvara (Senkadagalapura) in the centre of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of the Central Province and Kandy District. It lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy Valley which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka. Kandy is of both an administrative and religious city. It is the capital of the Central Province and also of the administrative district of Kandy.

Immerse yourself in the historic wonders of Sri Lanka’s last kingdom. As you discover the hill city of Kandy, you’ll find a variety of attractions to visit from the manmade Kandy Lake to the revered Sri Dalada Maligawa; believed to hold a sacred tooth relic of the Buddha.

The Ceylon Tea Museum houses exhibits on pioneers of the Sri Lankan tea trade, including James Taylor, who was a Scottish tea planter that introduced tea to Ceylon; and Thomas Lipton, another Scotsman who produced Ceylon tea and distributed it to Western markets from 1890 onwards. There are four floors of the museum; on the ground and second floors, visitors can find antique tea-processing machines such as 19th-century generators, rollers, dryers, fermentation tables and sorting machines. The first floor is dedicated to a library and auditorium with audio and visual presentations, while the third floor features a tea store. The top floor is a tearoom with stunning views of the surrounding towns, hills and landscaped tea gardens, and guests can partake in a free cup of tea after going through the tour of the museum.

Visitors to the MEF can observe, bathe and ride the elephants, although the foundation tries to promote alternatives to riding and hopes to eventually become a non-riding venue. Guests may also choose to volunteer with the foundation for a number of weeks, dedicating their time to the care of the rescued elephants; or people can “adopt” an elephant to be able to contribute to its care.

Heaven On Earth

• Situated in the western Kandyan suburb of Peradeniya, the Royal Botanical Garden welcomes approximately two million visitors every year and is particularly known for its collection of orchids. There are more than 4000 species of plants that are housed within it, including spices, medicinal plants and palm trees. The garden also features the Cannonball Tree, which was planted in 1901 by King George V and Queen Mary, and often bears fruit that are thought to resemble cannonballs. A Burma bamboo tree within the garden rises to a height of around 40 metres, while a giant Javan fig tree on the great lawn provides shade with its large canopy of branches. Thousands of fruit bats wing through the air in the evenings, and visitors can often catch a glimpse of large groups of monkeys swinging about.
• The Hulu River begins at the Knuckles Mountain Range (or the “Mist-laden Mountain Range”), which is a series of mountains known for being cloaked in thick layers of cloud. Huluganga Falls is one of several waterfalls that originates from a stream within the range. The water continues its journey past the falls and down into the Victoria Reservoir (or Victoria Dam), the tallest dam in Sri Lanka.
• Legend has it that the manmade island at the centre of the lake was used by the king’s harem, and was connected to the royal palace complex via a secret passageway. The pavilion at this centre was also said to have been used by the king and his queen as a place of relaxation. When Kandy was captured by the British (a mere three years after the lake was first installed), the small artificial island was used as an ammunitions store, and a parapet was added around its border.