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Nestled in the verdant hills of central Sri Lanka, Kandy is the island nation’s cultural heart.
As the last stronghold of Sinhalese rule, this former royal capital safeguarded traditions from Portuguese and Dutch conquest.
The sacred Temple of the Tooth and raucous Esala Perahera festival reveal Kandy’s spiritual significance. Graceful colonial architecture blends with Kandyan style, framed by misty highlands and a temperate climate.
Kandy’s origins date back to the early thirteenth century as the Sinhalese people gradually migrated southward following the collapse of Polonnaruwa. A short-lived capital was established at Gampola, just south of present-day Kandy, before the ruling dynasty relocated to Kotte near modern Colombo.
Some nobles who remained in Gampola soon declared independence and later moved their base to the more remote and easily defensible town of Senkadagala during King Wickramabahu III’s reign (1357-1374). Senkadagala was then referred to by the pleasant name Kandy after Kanda Uda Pasrata, the Sinhalese designation for the mountainous district where it was situated. Although from the eighteenth century onwards the Sinhalese often called the city Maha Nuwara (“Great City”), a name still used today.
Three venues in town host nightly performances of Kandyan dancing and drumming, a popular tourist attraction despite the shows’ formulaic nature. Featuring a typical array of both southern and Kandyan dances, the shows usually climax with an act of firewalking.
Kandy is one of Sri Lanka’s main artisanal centres, with many surrounding villages specializing in particular crafts like metalwork, lacquerware, and leatherwork.
This makes Kandy the best place on the island to find traditional souvenirs, although some arts are becoming more commercialized for tourists. Along with the shops below, Peradeniya Road leading to the Botanical Gardens has several large craft stores and jewellers.
For modern shopping, there is the air-conditioned Kandy City Centre off Dalada Vidiya near Devons restaurant.
Contact: Branson Atterbury, Marketing Director on +44 20 3735 8790 or branson.atterbury@kristall-
