Kandy: The Last Kingdom
Kandy sits in a natural bowl in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, surrounded on three sides by hills and backed by a low ridge that made it extraordinarily difficult to take by force. This geography allowed the Kingdom of Kandy to resist three successive European colonial powers — the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British — for more than three centuries, making it the last independent kingdom in Sri Lanka before it was formally ceded to Britain in 1815 under the Kandyan Convention. The kingdom's cultural legacy is inseparable from Buddhism: Kandy was the centre of the Siam Nikaya, the principal monastic order of Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and it was here that the island's most sacred religious relic was guarded through wars, invasions and political upheaval. The city itself is compact and walkable from the lake at its centre — the temple on the north shore, the market behind it, the botanic gardens a short drive to the west, and the surrounding hills dotted with monasteries and colonial bungalows. The climate is noticeably cooler than the coast: Kandy sits at around 500 metres above sea level, and the vegetation shifts from the palms and frangipani of the lowlands to the greener, more temperate feel of the highlands.
The Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa)
The Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha is said to have been brought from India in the 4th century CE, smuggled in the hair of a princess during a period when possession of the relic was closely associated with the right to rule in the Buddhist kingdoms of South Asia. Once on the island it passed between successive royal capitals before being brought to Kandy, where successive Kandyan kings built and expanded the shrine complex that now houses it. Sri Dalada Maligawa — the Temple of the Tooth — is not a single building but a compound of interconnected structures on the north shore of the lake: the main shrine with its gilded roof, the Audience Hall with its finely carved wooden columns, a drum hall, a moat and a surrounding wall. Three puja ceremonies take place daily — at 5:30 AM, 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM — during which the shrine room opens, drums and conch shells are sounded, and worshippers and visitors line the upper gallery to pay their respects before the casket chamber. The evening puja is the most atmospheric, with the temple lit against the darkening lake and the drum procession audible from several streets away.
Inside the Shrine: What to Expect
Shoes must be removed at the entrance to the temple compound and kept in the designated area or carried in a bag. Sarongs are available for hire at the gate if you arrive in shorts or a sleeveless top; a small charge applies. The ground floor of the main shrine building contains various subsidiary shrines and the museum wing, which is worth spending time in for its collection of historic photographs and objects relating to the relic's history. The upper shrine room — where the golden casket containing the tooth is housed behind a heavily ornamented doorway — is approached via a long gallery that fills quickly during puja times. The tooth itself is enclosed inside seven concentric golden caskets and is very rarely displayed; on ordinary visiting days you see the outer casket chamber, not the relic itself. During the daily puja, the outer doors of the inner shrine open for approximately half an hour and the queue of worshippers and visitors files past in single file. The combination of drums, incense and the press of pilgrims is one of the most memorable sensory experiences that any temple in Sri Lanka offers.
The Esala Perahera: Ten Days That Stop the City
The Esala Perahera is Sri Lanka's largest annual religious festival, held over ten consecutive nights in July or August, with the precise dates set each year by the auspicious calendar. The procession begins as five separate peraheras from five temples — four devales dedicated to the gods Natha, Vishnu, Kataragama and Pattini, and the main procession from the Temple of the Tooth — and grows in scale and splendour each night until the Randoli Perahera nights, when the Maligawa Tusker, the chief ceremonial elephant, carries a replica golden casket representing the sacred relic through the streets. On a peak night the procession might include 50 to 100 elephants, hundreds of Kandyan dancers and drummers, whip crackers, jugglers, torch bearers, fire dancers and the elaborately costumed officials of the five temples. The crowds on the main Temple Street are enormous and the procession can last two to three hours. Accommodation in Kandy fills months in advance for the Randoli nights — if you are planning your Sri Lanka trip around the Perahera, book your hotel and arrange your driver well ahead of time.
Kandy Lake and the City Precinct
Kandy Lake was constructed in 1807 by the last Kandyan king, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, reportedly using a combination of voluntary labour and the compulsory labour of prisoners. The artificial lake covers about 11 hectares and gives the city its defining character: the reflection of the temple in the still water at dusk, the evening walkers circling the perimeter path, the flocks of egrets roosting in the trees along the southern bank. The small island in the centre — accessible only by permit — was the king's private bathing enclosure and is today maintained by the Sri Lanka Navy. The colonial-era clock tower at the market end of the lake, the Hindu devales lining the temple precinct, and the covered market behind them form a compact cultural geography that takes an easy half-day to explore on foot. The best time to walk the lake is early evening, when the heat has dropped, the temple is lit, and the fruit stalls around the market are at their busiest.
Beyond the Temple: Kandy's Other Highlights
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya, six kilometres west of the city centre, are among the finest in Asia: 60 hectares of themed gardens containing more than 4,000 plant species, including a cannonball tree avenue, a bamboo grove, an orchid house and a remarkable avenue of royal palms planted in 1905. The gardens were established under British colonial administration in 1821 on the grounds of a Kandyan royal pleasure garden and deserve at least two hours to walk the main circuit. Closer to the temple, the Udawatta Kele (Queen's Forest Sanctuary) is a patch of hill forest immediately above the temple compound that offers a quiet escape from the city traffic and reasonable morning birdwatching, including endemic species like the Sri Lanka blue magpie. The Bahirawakanda Vihara, a large white Buddha statue on a hilltop visible from across the city, can be reached by a 30-minute climb up steps and offers a panoramic view of the lake and surrounding hills. Kandy's Arts and Crafts Association is the most reliable place to buy genuine lacquerwork, batik and brassware without the inflated prices that follow tourists at the temple entrance.
Getting to Kandy: Train, Bus or Private Driver
The rail journey from Colombo Fort to Kandy (2.5 to 3 hours) is one of the most discussed train routes in South Asia, and for good reason: the train climbs through increasingly dramatic hill scenery, slowing as it reaches the Kadugannawa Pass, and the journey feels genuinely different from any road trip. First-class seats can be booked in advance through the Sri Lanka Railways website, though the system is sometimes unreliable and many travellers book through third-party agents. Second-class seats are unreserved and can be crowded in peak months. The downside of the train is that it deposits you at Kandy railway station, some distance from the lake, with no flexibility for stops along the way. Buses between Colombo and Kandy are faster on the expressway but crowded and uncomfortable for journeys with luggage. A private driver from Colombo airport or city gives you the option to stop at Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, the Ambuluwawa biodiversity complex tower or a hilltop viewpoint on the way — experiences that train and bus passengers miss — while your luggage stays safely in the car.
Frequently asked questions
What are the visiting hours for the Temple of the Tooth?
The temple is open to visitors daily from 5:30 AM to 8:00 PM, with three puja ceremony windows at 5:30 AM, 9:30 AM and 6:30 PM during which the shrine room opens for worship. The 6:30 PM puja is the most atmospheric for visitors; arrive 30 minutes early to secure a place in the upper gallery queue.
Do you need to wear special clothing to visit the Temple of the Tooth?
Yes. Covered shoulders and clothing reaching below the knee are required throughout the temple compound. Shoes must be removed and may need to be carried with you. Sarongs and shoulder wraps are available for hire at the entrance gate if you arrive in shorts or sleeveless clothing. White clothing is considered particularly respectful at Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
Can tourists see the actual tooth relic?
On ordinary visiting days, no. The relic is enclosed inside seven concentric golden caskets inside the inner shrine chamber. Visitors can observe the outer casket chamber during puja ceremonies, but the tooth itself is not displayed. It is occasionally shown publicly during special national commemorations, which occur very rarely.
When is the Esala Perahera held?
The exact dates are set annually according to the auspicious calendar and typically fall in late July or August. The festival runs for ten consecutive nights, with the most spectacular Randoli Perahera processions on the final three to four nights. Check the Sri Dalada Maligawa official website for confirmed dates as your travel window approaches.
How far is Kandy from Colombo airport?
Kandy is approximately 115 km from Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake. The drive takes about 3 to 3.5 hours, passing through Colombo's suburbs before climbing through the Kadugannawa Pass into the hill country.
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