Kandy

Kandy is the last Royal Kingdom of Sri Lanka with picturesque landscape surrounded by beautiful mountains located in the central part of the island positioned 1,600 feet above the Sea Level. Kandy was the last capital of last generation of Sri Lanka Kings which finally fell under British rule in 1815. The Name Kandy was given by the English as a derivation of “Kanda Uda Rata. The current Sri Lankan name is “Maha Nuwara” and the historical name of this city is Senkadagalapura. The Sacred City of Kandy was inscribed by UNESCO as Sri Lanka’s fifth and the world’s 450th World Heritage site

Kandy was the last Sinhalese kingdom until it was captured and ruled by the British in 1815. The name of King Vikrambahu is recorded in history, who built the royal palace on the advice of a Brahmin as the founding of Kandy. Sena Samata Vikrambahu was the first king, while the last king of the kingdom was Shri Vikram Raj Singh who was captured by the British and taken as a royal prisoner.

This was a challenging target for foreign invaders, who occupied the coastal areas quite comfortably as this great city is located in the center of the island. So it created and enhanced its independent culture, livelihood, traditions, art and architecture. Kandy as the last kingdom in the country sheltered the relic of the Buddha’s tooth. In the 4th century it was an important tradition and responsibility that the ruler of the nation would also be the sole custodian of the relic. Hence the royal palace and the temple of teeth were located close to each other at all times.

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic – Commonly known as the Sri Dalada Maligawa (Glorious Tooth Temple), is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Ever since 4th Century A.D, when the Buddha’s Tooth was brought to Sri Lanka hidden from sacrilegious hands in an ‘Orissan princess’ hair, the Relic has grown in repute and holiness in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. It is considered Sri Lanka’s most prized possession.