When you leave the busy streets of Colombo and start driving up into the hills, the air begins to change. It gets cooler. The roads start to twist and turn, winding through steep valleys and dark green forests. After a few hours of driving, you arrive in a city built around a large, peaceful lake. You are in Kandy, the cultural capital of Sri Lanka.

Kandy is a very special place for Sri Lankans. It was the very last royal capital of the country. For hundreds of years, the kings of Kandy fought off foreign invaders. The Portuguese and the Dutch tried to capture it, but the mountains kept the city safe. It was not until 1815 that the British finally took control. Because it remained independent for so long, Kandy held tightly to its traditions, its art, and its religion. Today, you can still feel that proud history everywhere you walk.

The Story of the Sacred Tooth

To understand Kandy, you have to understand the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. In the local language, it is called the Sri Dalada Maligawa. It is located right in the center of the city, next to the lake. This temple is the main reason thousands of people visit Kandy every single day.

The temple is famous because it houses an actual tooth of the Lord Buddha. The story of how the tooth got to Sri Lanka is fascinating. According to history, after the Buddha passed away in India, his left canine tooth was saved from his funeral pyre. For a long time, it was kept in India. However, during a time of war in the 4th century, a local king worried that the tooth would be destroyed. He gave it to his daughter, Princess Hemamali, and told her to take it to Sri Lanka for safety.

Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha, disguised themselves as ordinary people. To keep the tooth hidden, the princess hid it inside her hair. They traveled across the sea and brought the relic to the Sri Lankan king in Anuradhapura.

Over the next thousand years, the tooth became a symbol of power. People believed that whoever held the sacred tooth had the divine right to rule the entire country. Because of this, whenever the capital city moved, the tooth moved with it. Kings built massive, beautiful temples in Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, and other cities just to house the relic. Finally, in the late 1500s, it was brought to Kandy, where it has stayed ever since.

Walking Towards the Temple

Visiting the temple is a unique experience. As you walk toward the entrance, you will notice a deep moat filled with water running around the front walls. The outer wall is painted bright white and has a distinctive shape. Locals call it the cloud wall because the curved top edges look like white clouds resting on the ground.

Before you go inside, you have to take off your shoes. This is a rule for all Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka to show respect. You leave your shoes at a counter outside. It is also a good idea to buy some flowers from the sellers near the gate. They sell beautiful pink lotus flowers and sweet-smelling white frangipani. Carrying these flowers inside is part of the traditional experience.

You walk over a small bridge covering the moat and enter through a dark, painted tunnel. When you come out the other side, you are standing in the main courtyard. The contrast is striking. The outer buildings have simple white walls, but the inner shrine is heavily decorated. You will see carved wooden pillars, silver doors, and a golden roof shining in the sun.

Inside the Main Shrine

The actual tooth is kept on the upper floor of the main inner building. You cannot see the tooth itself. It is kept inside seven golden caskets, shaped like small stupas, and they fit one inside the other. The caskets are covered in precious gems and jewelry given by kings and wealthy followers over the centuries.

The best time to be inside the temple is during the daily offering times, called the Thevava. This happens three times a day: early morning, late morning, and evening. During the Thevava, traditional musicians play loud drums and blow a type of horn. The sound echoes off the stone walls and fills the entire complex. Monks in bright orange robes carry offerings of food and water to the shrine room.

Hundreds of pilgrims sit on the floor, dressed entirely in white. They hold their hands together in prayer, and the smell of jasmine flowers and burning incense is very strong. Even if you are not religious, watching the devotion of the people is a very moving sight. You simply join the line, walk past the open doorway of the shrine room, look at the golden casket, leave your flowers on a silver table, and move along.

The Grand Festival: Esala Perahera

If you happen to visit Kandy in July or August, you might witness the Esala Perahera. This is one of the oldest and grandest religious festivals in the world. For ten nights, the streets of Kandy come alive with a massive parade.

During the Perahera, a replica of the sacred tooth casket is placed on the back of a large, beautifully decorated elephant. This elephant, known as the Maligawa Tusker, walks on white carpets laid out on the road. The parade features hundreds of traditional Kandyan dancers, fire breathers, jugglers, and musicians wearing bright, elaborate costumes. Millions of people line the streets to watch. It is loud, colorful, and completely unforgettable.

The Royal Forest: Udawatta Kele

After you finish visiting the temple, you might want some quiet time. Right behind the golden roof of the temple is a large, dense forest called the Udawatta Kele Sanctuary. Hundreds of years ago, this was the private garden of the Kandyan kings. No ordinary person was allowed to enter.

Today, it is a protected nature reserve and a great place for a walk. The trees here are massive, and giant vines hang down from the branches. It is very shaded and much cooler than the city streets below. As you walk along the dirt paths, you will probably see groups of macaque monkeys playing in the trees. The forest is also home to many types of birds, wild boars, and small deer. It takes about an hour to walk the main loop, and it is a perfect way to escape the crowds of the city.

A Short Drive Away: The Royal Botanical Gardens

Your visit to Kandy is not complete without seeing the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya. This park is about a twenty-minute drive from the city center, and it is huge. It covers over 140 acres of land sitting right next to the Mahaweli River, the longest river in Sri Lanka.

Like the forest behind the temple, these gardens were once strictly for the royal family. In the 1800s, the British turned the area into an official botanical garden to study plants and grow spices. Today, it is famous for its incredible collection of plants and trees.

One of the best things to see is the Avenue of Royal Palms. This is a long, straight walking path lined with perfectly matching palm trees that reach high into the sky. You should also find the giant Javan fig tree. It looks like a normal tree from far away, but as you get closer, you see that its branches spread out so far they cover an area the size of a large tent. You can stand underneath it and feel like you are in a giant wooden room.

The gardens also feature an orchid house with hundreds of different colorful flowers, a spice garden where you can smell fresh cinnamon and nutmeg growing, and a suspension bridge over the river. Keep an eye up in the tall trees near the river, as you will see hundreds of large fruit bats hanging upside down, waiting for the sun to set.

Practical Tips for Visiting Kandy

If you are planning to visit the Temple of the Tooth, you need to dress properly. Both men and women must cover their shoulders and their knees. If you wear shorts or a sleeveless shirt, the guards at the gate will not let you inside. It is best to wear long, light cotton pants or a long skirt. Also, it is a local custom to wear white when visiting a temple, so a white t-shirt is a great choice.

Since you have to take your shoes off, wear slip-on shoes or sandals that are easy to remove. The stone floors around the temple courtyard can get quite hot in the afternoon sun, so bringing a pair of dark socks to wear while walking outside can protect your feet.

The weather in Kandy can change quickly. Because it is in the hills, it might be sunny one minute and raining the next. It is always smart to carry a small umbrella in your day bag.

Let Us Organize Your Kandy Experience

Kandy is a busy city, and getting around can sometimes be confusing. Trying to find a good parking spot near the temple or understanding the bus routes to the botanical gardens can take up valuable time during your holiday.

We are here to make your trip completely stress-free. When you book your Kandy tour with us, we organize everything from start to finish. We can arrange your scenic train tickets from Colombo, pick you up at the station, and drive you to a comfortable hotel with great views of the lake. We also provide excellent local guides for your temple visit. They know all the hidden details of the carvings and can tell you the full history of the sacred tooth while you walk. Let us handle the planning, so you can just relax and enjoy the rich culture of Sri Lanka’s final kingdom.