Kandy in (and out of) the Rain

After a long road trip from Colombo, we reached Kandy, and immediately the overcast sky opened and poured down the rains. But this city still fascinates. As the Lonely Planet put it, "Some days Kandy's skies seem perpetually bruised, with stubborn mist clinging to the hills surrounding the city's beautiful centrepiece lake. Delicate hill country breezes impel the mist to gently part, revealing colourful houses and hotels amid Kandy's improbable forested halo... Here's a city that looks good even when its raining."

This second city of Sri Lanka is 115 km from Colombo and is at an altitude of 500m. Kandy was 'the capital of the last Sinhalese kingdom, which fell to the British in 1815 after defying the Portuguese and Dutch for three centuries'. The focus of present-day Kandy is its lake (created in 1807), with the city centre being immediately north and west of it. The city also spreads into the surrounding hills.

Just north of the Kandy Lake is Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Tooth Relic, which houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic - a tooth of the Buddha. This was said to have been snatched from Buddha's pyre and later smuggled into Sri Lanka in a Princess's hair. Kandy city is a Unesco World Heritage site, in part due to this temple.

There are many religious and architectural details of note around this temple site. Our freelance guide pointed these out, while outside it just continued raining.

Apart from beautiful doorways, both ceilings and floors too have interesting architectural details e.g. the moonstone or carved doorstep at the temple entrance (no, its not made of the semi precious moonstone).

The Temple of the Tooth Relic is a most visited heritage building, both by worshipers and tourists. It was constructed under Kandyan kings from 1687 to 1707, and from 1747 to 1782 the temple complex was part of the Kandyan royal palace. The famous Kandy Esala Perahera (procession) which takes place annually in July/August, is held to honour the sacred tooth enshrined in this historic temple.

Before leaving Kandy, we took in the view of Kandy Lake and its surrounds from the scenic lookout point of Arthur's Seat. The sky was still grey and overcast when we made our way back to Colombo.

Ref: Atkinson, B. et al. Sri Lanka (Lonely Planet).11th ed., 2009. Ex Libris CNB