1688 AD
FOUNDED
UNESCO
HERITAGE
465M
ELEVATION
CULTURAL CAPTAIN
STATUS
Nestled among mist-capped hills in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, Kandy is the island’s cultural capital and the last royal city of the Sinhala kings — a place of profound spirituality and extraordinary beauty. The city is home to the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which houses what is believed to be the Buddha’s left canine tooth and is revered as the most important Buddhist shrine in the world.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth
The gilded octagonal structure that houses this most venerated relic rises beside the mirror-still Kandy Lake. Three times daily, the inner shrine opens for puja, filling the air with jasmine, drumbeats, and the soft glow of oil lamps — an experience of transcendent beauty that touches even the most secular of visitors.
The Esala Perahera Festival
Held each July and August, the Kandy Esala Perahera is arguably the most spectacular pageant in Asia — a ten-night procession of elaborately caparisoned elephants, Kandyan drummers, fire dancers, and whip crackers that fills the city with colour, music, and devotion.
1688 AD
Founded
UNESCO
465m
Elevation
Cultural Capital
Status
Nestled among mist-capped hills in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, Kandy is the island’s cultural capital and the last royal city of the Sinhala kings — a place of profound spirituality and extraordinary beauty. The city is home to the sacred Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), which houses what is believed to be the Buddha’s left canine tooth and is revered as the most important Buddhist shrine in the world.
Temple of the Sacred Tooth
The gilded octagonal structure that houses this most venerated relic rises beside the mirror-still Kandy Lake. Three times daily, the inner shrine opens for puja, filling the air with jasmine, drumbeats, and the soft glow of oil lamps — an experience of transcendent beauty that touches even the most secular of visitors.
The Esala Perahera Festival
Held each July and August, the Kandy Esala Perahera is arguably the most spectacular pageant in Asia — a ten-night procession of elaborately caparisoned elephants, Kandyan drummers, fire dancers, and whip crackers that fills the city with colour, music, and devotion.