The Sri Dalada Maligawa, also known as, the Temple of the Tooth, is one of the popular landmarks in Kandy and located in heart of the Kandy town. The Sri Dalada Maligawa located in a great location surrounded by the Kandy lake and the Kandy city area. The Sri Dalada Maligawa was located in royal places complex of the former Kindom of Kandy who ruled by King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha who was the last king in Sri Lanka.
After the demise of the Kandyan Kingdom, the palace was transformed into a Buddhist temple that holds Buddha’s tooth. Currently, the Dalada Maligawa is a World Heritage site due to the temple. Two Bhikkus chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya are conducting daily worship in the chamber of the temple. If you are visiting Sri Lanka, it would be the best idea to witness this World Heritage Site. If you visiting Sri Dalada Maligawa, We suggest you to dress-up with a suitable dress and keep in mind that the Sri Dalada Maligawa is a Buddhist shrine and you will need to wear attire that covers your shoulders and legs. Sri Dalada Maligawa is open for all tourist visitors can catch a glimpse of Buddhist rituals, explore the museum that includes several ancient artifacts, and pay your tribute to the tooth relic at one of the Buddhist ceremonies held at the premises. Also, you can explorer the museum of “RAJA” who was the former elephant of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
You can visit Dalada Maligawa every day but it would be crowded for Full Moon Poyadays.
Kandy Esala Perahera of Sri Dalada Maligawa
Kandy Esala Perahera is one of the grand festivals which will be held in the month of August every year in Sri Lanka. It’s called as festival of the Tooth of Load Buddha and this will be the most important festival of the Dalada Maligawa and millions of visitors from Island and around the world join annually for this amazing occasion. Kandy Esala Perahera is very grand with elegant costumes. Kandy Esala Perahera has become a unique symbol of Sri Lanka and this Buddhist festival consisting of hundreds of dances and nicely decorated Elephants. There are fire-dances, whip-dances, Kandian dances, and various other cultural dances. The elephants are usually adorned with lavish garments.
The Esala Perahera which was thought to date back to the 3rd century BC was having to request the gods for rainfall.
Best places to visit in Kandy
As we explained, The Sri Dalada Maligawa was the former Kindom of Kandy, There are many historical places located near buy the Maligawa and you can visit them with a few minutes drive. Also due to the weather condition and geographical conditions, there are many forests, mountains, gardens, and many more to see.
Are you looking for the best places to visit in Kandy? Here is the guidance from us. Kandy is a very beautiful hill country with having a very cool climate with plenty of attractions and exciting places to visit. Here we are listing our some of the most popular as we as uncommon places around Kandy.
Hulu River Waterfall – Hulu River Waterfall is locally known as Huluganga Falls which is very beautiful located in Hulugama Town. It would be a 1-hour drive from Kandy city.
Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage – Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is located in Kegalle District which would be a 2 hours drive from Kandy. There are lots of misplaced or abandoned baby elephants that they can’t survive in the wild. You can enjoy the day with them by watching them and feeding them based on time their time tables.
Kandy Lake – Kandy Lake and also known as Kiri Muhuda is an artificial lake in the Kandy city built by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe. It’s very close to the Sri Dalada Maligawa and you can just walk and enjoy the day with a very clam and quite nature.
Bahirawakanda Temple – Bahirawakanda Temple also known as Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya located 1.5km away (5min Drive) from Kandy. Bahirawakanda Temple is very popular among locals and also tourists due to its giant Buddha Statue around 25 meters in height. It’s one of the tallest statues of Buddha in Sri Lanka.
Wales Park – The Wales Park, also known as The Royal Park or Rajawasala Park is a small park in the Kandy overlooking the Kandy Lake. If you are a nature lover, This is one of best places in Kandy that you should visit.
Ranweli Spice Garden – Ranweli Spice Garde situation in Kawudupelella in Matale. This garden includes lots of herbs and plants which is having medical value. This is an ideal place to learn about Sri Lankan spices and experience yourself. It’s a kind of Natural Surprises. It would be around 10 minutes drive from Kandy city.
The Lankathilaka Raja Maha Viharaya is an ancient temple located 4km away from Kandy. The temple is popular as the Lankathilaka temple or Blue temple. It’s built by King Buwanakabahu iv in 1344 in the Gampola era. The Lankathilaka temple is most popular among locals and tourists as the historical value of this location. The Lankatilaka temple is a most unique structure in itself, having been built entirely atop an uneven rock surface and rising up to a height of eighty feet
The Peradeniya Botanical Gardens also known as Royal Botanical Gardens is located at 5.5km distance away from Kandy. This is the largest botanical garden in Sri Lanka which extent of 147 acres which created around 1750. Garden included more than 4000 species of plants. It’s very close to the Mahaweli River which is the longest river in Sri Lanka. If you are visiting Kandy, this is a place where you should not miss it.
Commonwealth War Cemetery, Kandy and also Formerly known as Pitakande Military Cemetery is dedicated to British Empire who were killed during the World War II and World War I. As per the details, There are around 203 buried consisting 107 Brithm 26 Sri Lankans 35 East Africans, 23 Indians 6 Canadians, 3 Italian 1 Frenchman and 2 unidentified persons.
Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Sri Lanka is also known as Muttiah Muralitharan International Cricket Stadium is a cricket stadium in Kandy, Sri Lanka and built-in July 2010. This is managed by the Sri Lanka Cricket and seating capacity is 35,000. Many International Tests and One day matches played in this stadium for the last 10 years and If you are a cricket lover, then this is the best place to visit in Kandy.
Conclusion: As explained, Kandy is one of the uncommon locations in Sri Lanka and there are many places to watch around and we brought you in a few valuable locations only. If you need more details about Kandy, Please contact us through our contact page or just leave a comment below and we will respond to you quickly.