Kandy is situated in the hill country, 116 km, away from Colombo. The elevation is 1500 feet (or 465 meters) above the mean sea level. Apart from being the last capital of the Sinhalese kings, Kandy is also the second capital city after Colombo. In 1988 UNESCO has declared Kandy city as a Living World Heritage Site. Thirty two buildings in the city have been identified as heritage buildings and the UNESCO symbol has been demonstrated on the wall of those buildings .
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
Kandy is surrounded by mountain ranges such as Knuckles (Dumbara) and Kadugannawa/Balana. The longest river of the country- Mahaveli, flows like a loop around the city. The temperature is cooler than in Colombo and it ranges within 24-29 degrees Celsius throughout the year.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
Kandy is remarkable for its natural beauty surrounded by a peaceful natural setting with an artificial lake. Once a British Governor has said, that “Kandy is the most beautiful city in the most beautiful country in the world”.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
Temples and shrines of all four main faiths of the country, palaces and the British period buildings showcase a special character, while the religious importance of the Sacred Tooth Relic and the annual procession or the Dalada Perehera contributes a dynamism and unique cultural importance to the historic hill capital.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
The Sacred Tooth Relic is the most venerated object not only to the Sri Lankans, but also to the whole Buddhist world. The tooth relic was brought to Sri Lanka, when the King Sri Megawanna (334-362) was ruling the country from Anuradhapura in the 4th Century AD. The king built a Sacred tooth Relic Temple called Damma Chakka Mandapa in the city of Anuradhapura.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
Since then, the Relic has been regarded as a symbol of the royalty and whoever at the throne should posses the relic. Which means nobody could be a king without possessing the Sacred Tooth. The kings' attentively .guarded the tooth relic and the relic temples were built close to the palace.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
The tooth relic was so important that the king did not want to lose it at any cost. Therefore, the kings took the relic with them, whenever they changed the kingdoms and capitals. So the temples of the Tooth relic too travelled along with the kingdoms. The kings used to build the Tooth relic temple adjoining the royal palace.
Consequently, we can see temples of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Kurunegala, Yapahuwa, and Kotte.
The King Wimaladharmasuriya I in 1592 built the temple of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy. It has two stories and the Tooth Relic is kept in the golden casket, which is placed in the inner sanctum of the second floor. Drummers’ hall and the octagon were added later.
The last King built the octagon and the artificial lake.
Photo credit goes to Keti Barakadze
The Dalada Perahera - the procession to honour the sacred tooth relic, is held during the month of Esala (July/ August ). The perahera parades 10 days in and around the respective temples and on the streets of the city at night.
This is regarded as a unique pageant in the whole Asia, which depicts a cross-section of traditions, arts and crafts, and also the enthusiasm of Sri Lankans to pay homage to the Tooth Relic.