Kandy: Why You'll Love This Destination?
Kandy was the final stronghold of Sri Lanka's kings before British annexation in 1815, and it still feels distinct from the coast — a lake-ringed city in the hills, home to the country's most important Buddhist shrine and the starting point for the famous train ride into tea country.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Sri Dalada Maligawa, houses what is believed to be a tooth relic of the Buddha, making it one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Buddhist world and the spiritual centre of the UNESCO-listed Sacred City of Kandy. The relic itself is rarely shown, kept within a series of gold caskets, but the daily drumming ceremonies and ornate architecture draw visitors regardless. Evenings, with ceremonial drums and horns, are the most atmospheric time to visit.
Kandy Lake sits directly beside the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a calm, man-made lake built in 1807 by the city's last king, ringed by a walking path popular with both locals and visitors at dusk. Monitor lizards and a resident population of birds are common sights along the water's edge, part of the UNESCO Sacred City of Kandy. It offers a quieter pace than the busier temple grounds nearby.
Combine the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic with a walk around Kandy Lake and, if timing allows, a Kandyan cultural dance show in the evening. Sri Lanka Travel Tours often uses Kandy as the hinge point between the Cultural Triangle and the hill country, since both are within a few hours' drive. The city's UNESCO Sacred City status makes it a natural overnight stop rather than a rushed day trip.
