Highlights of Kandy For Holidays in Sri Lanka

Set in the heart of Sri Lanka like a gem in an amulet, the Sacred City of Kandy is classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its cultural importance. Here is a guide to the historical sites and attractions that make scenic Kandy a must for any holidays in Sri Lanka.

Highlights of Kandy for Holidays in Sri Lanka

The name Kandy is anglicised from the Tamil name for the town, and is known as "Maha Nuvara" in the language of the Sinhalese. Nestled among green hills, Kandy is shaped around its serene lake. The lake is topaz in colour and lined with white walls, with the grand Queens hotel watching over. The city is a fascinating place to include on tours to Sri Lanka.

Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Tooth

At the edge of the lake, within the pale, gracefully undulating ramparts of the Royal Palace, is the Temple of the Tooth. It is a favourite attraction for visitors on their Sri Lanka holidays and a famous site for religious pilgrimage. They all come to see the casket holding the sacred tooth of the Buddha.

Be sure to dress respectfully here and remember to keep your shoulders covered. It is also considered bad manners to turn your back on the statues when posing for a photograph. If you plan your Sri Lanka holidays for the ten days overlapping July and August, you can witness one of Asia's most colourful pageants in Kandy: the Esala Perahera festival. What more could you wish for from a procession than costumed dancers and a hundred elephants?

The Knuckles Mountain Range

If you like your chances of meeting an elephant in the wild, or if you just like a little exercise on your holidays in Sri Lanka, the mountains are the place to enjoy some rare views of the region. The forest department has cleared a number of paths through the mountains, in addition to the ones made by the locals who make their living from the forest. This makes it suitable for trekking and ideal for getting in touch with nature.

Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya

If you prefer nature to be more conveniently arranged and absorbed in a leisurely fashion, the Royal Botanical Gardens may suit the pace of your luxury Sri Lanka holidays. Like the Kandy itself, the garden at Peradeniya is a place of amazing variety. There are hundreds of species of plants, flowers and trees, an orchid house and a spice garden, all joined together by palm avenues.

The Kandyan Lankatilaka Temple

And lastly, on the outskirts of Kandy you'll find the brightly whitewashed brick Lankatilaka temple. As perhaps the best preserved example of traditional architecture, The Lankatilaka Temple is definitely worth a look on your holidays in Sri Lanka. What makes it unusual is that it's home to both a Buddhist shrine and a Hindu temple to the gods. From steps carved into the rock, its arched passageways lead you up to an inner sanctum with ornate decorated halls and statues. The main feature is a colossal, golden, seated Buddha.

As you explore Kandy, you will find the city is home to numerous temples and shrines. Kandy is a beautiful town that provides a cultural element to holidays in Sri Lanka, as well as playing host to spectacle and colour.