Kandy, set among green hills in the centre of the island, was the last royal capital of Sri Lanka and is still the country’s spiritual heart. Its sacred temple, cool climate, lake and colourful festivals make it a natural base for exploring the hill country.
A short history
Kandy was the capital of the last Sri Lankan kingdom, which held out against the Portuguese, Dutch and finally the British until 1815. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which houses a relic of the Buddha, has made the city a place of Buddhist pilgrimage for centuries, and the sacred city of Kandy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Each year in July or August the Esala Perahera, a long procession of drummers, dancers and decorated elephants, fills the streets.
Getting there
Kandy is roughly three to four hours by road from Colombo and about two and a half hours from Sigiriya or Dambulla. It is also the starting point for the famous train ride through the tea country to Ella.
