Visit Kandy Temple of Tooth Relic during a sermon
Welcome to beautiful Kandy! A visit to Sri Lanka is incomplete without a visit to the sacred city of Kandy; the second largest city in the island and the gateway to the central highlands. It is one of the most scenic cities in the world surrounded by spectacular mountains, the scenic Kandy Lake, and the longest river in Sri Lanka.
Kandy now declared a UNECO World Heritage Site was once the last royal capital of the country and the last royal stronghold of the Kandyan Kings. It boasts of a rich cultural heritage that spans 2500 years and is home to many interesting historical sites, traditional buildings, cultural monuments and the Royal Botanical Gardens. It is where the Sri Dalada Maligawa- one the most venerated Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka and the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha is sited.
Kandy is famed world-over for the Kandy Esala Perehera (a colourful and elegant pageant held annually in July/August)) recognized as the most impressive and spectacular religious procession in Asia. This entails chieftains in traditional costume, hundreds of gaily dressed elephants, whip bearers, torch bearers, traditional musicians, drummers and dancers with the center of attraction being the head Elephant carrying the casket bearing the Sacred Tooth Relic. While in Kandy don’t forget to shop for some traditional Kandyan souvenirs to take back home.