| * |
Soak up the
celebrations at the Kandy Perehera in July and
August
|
| * |
Marvel at the tooth relic
of the Buddha |
| * |
Stroll around the Peradeniya
botanical gardens and Udawattekele |
|
* |
Play golf at Victoria golf
club – one of the finest courses in Asia
|
| * |
Visit the ever-popular Pinnewela elephant
orphanage |
* |
Hike around the cooler mountain slopes |
| * |
Check out Kandy’s museums
and temples |
Kandy’s proud heritage and splendid lakeside setting
has long made it a favourite haunt for Sri Lanka travellers.
This bustling hill-country capital is the natural gateway
to a lush central region of tea plantations, gurgling
streams and stirring history.
Kandy was made a world heritage site in 1988. It lies
on a plain surrounded by towering hills, with evocative
names such as Bible Rock, Camel Hill and Balloon Rock.
It is never busier than during the annual Perahera, a
fortnight’s festival in late July and August, when
the town is enlivened by parading elephants, acrobats,
drummers and dancers. This is one of the finest festivals
in Asia and hotel space is limited months in advance.
The pink-painted Temple of the Tooth houses Sri Lanka’s
most sacred religious relic – the tooth of the Buddha,
hidden beneath six caskets of diminishing size –
and it attracts a steady stream of visitors throughout
the year. The national museum lies alongside.
The lake itself , built in 1807, forms an attractive centrepiece
to the town; the island in the middle was used by the
last Kandyan king as his personal harem.
Peradiniya botanical gardens, 6km outside the town, and
bounded on three sides by the Mahaweli River, are the
largest in Sri Lanka and before colonial times were used
as Royal pleasure gardens. Udawattakelle Sanctuary, a
forest reserve on the northern outskirts, and the Royal
Palace Park are other areas where you can take a relaxing
stroll, away from the bustle of the town.
Golfers should not miss the opportunity to sample Victoria
Golf Club, which for its sweeping vistas alone deserves
its fast-won reputation as one of the finest courses in
Asia.
About an hour from Kandy, on the Colombo road at Kegalle,
lies the ever-popular Pinnewela elephant orphanage. This
government-run centre was set up to save abandoned young
elephants and train them to become working animals. The
daily feeding and washing rituals offer a popular tourist
attraction.
The Kandyan kingdom withstood European invasion for more
than two centuries and still proudly regards itself as
the bastion of Buddhist philosophy. The town is easily
explored by foot, with the climate a little cooler and
less humid than in the capital, Colombo.
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