Kandy held out against the Portuguese and the Dutch and only fell to the British in 1815, which makes it the last independent kingdom on the island. That history is still visible: in the temple architecture, the dance, the drumming, and a certain civic pride that Colombo does not have.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The Sri Dalada Maligawa holds a tooth of the Buddha, brought to Sri Lanka in the fourth century hidden in a princess’s hair. Whoever held the relic held the right to rule, which is why it has been fought over for sixteen centuries. The relic itself is never displayed; what you see is the golden casket, during the puja, from a moving queue. Go anyway — the drumming, the lotus flowers and the crowd are the experience.
Beyond the temple
Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, six kilometres out, cover 60 hectares in a loop of the Mahaweli river: an orchid house, an avenue of royal palms and a Javan fig with a canopy 2,500 square metres across.
Udawattakele forest reserve climbs straight up behind the temple — a genuine patch of jungle with monkeys and monitor lizards ten minutes from the centre.
The lake walk takes an hour and is best at dusk.
Practical notes
- White or modest clothing at the temple; shoes off and left at the counter.
- Kandy is cooler than the coast but not cold — around 20 to 28°C.
- The cultural dance shows at 5pm are staged for visitors but genuinely well performed, and the fire walking at the end is real.
