Kandy, Sri Lanka
Kandy, the Capital of the Central Province of Sri Lanka is also known as Nuwara, Maha Nuwara and many other names (In Sinhalese). The meaning of all of these names is “City”, Maha Nuwara means the Main City. This gives us the idea that Kandy was a very important city in Sri Lanka from the very beginning. Considering about the historical value of Kandy, It is known as the Last Kingdom of Sri Lanka and a sacred city for all Sri Lankans. Kandy is the home for the Sacred Temple of Tooth, which is worshiped by all the Buddhists in the Country. The total area of the city is 27 Square Km and the elevation is about 500 meters from the sea level. In 1998, UNESCO declared Kandy as a World Heritage Site considering the Importance of this world famous location.
Kandy
is one of the most beautiful and scenic cities in the Hill Country. There are
many attractive places like tropical tea plantations across the area and many
other valuable monuments in this lovely city. The Royal Palace, Gadaladeniya Temple, Embakke Devale, Lankatilaka
Vihara and Nalanda Gedige are few of the examples for the valuable places to
visit in Kandy. We will discuss about them later in this post. Considering
about parks and gardens, the most famous place is the Royal Botanical Garden of
Kandy. This beautiful park is situated in Peradeniya town. According to the
records, more than one million of visitors visit to this awesome place yearly. Udawatta
Forest, Bible Rock, Camel Hill and Balloon Rock, Royal Palace Park, Kandy Lake, Victoria Golf Club, are other examples for beautiful and interesting places in
Kandy.
The
most popular event in the Kandy is the Annual Procession which is called the
Esala Perahara or Nuwara Perahara. This great function is organized yearly in
order to get the blessings of the Tooth Relic to the City and the Island. Although
it is a Buddhist ceremony, people all over the island belonging to any
religious belief do not hesitate to participate to the procession or to watch
this. They come from all the places to Kandy specially to watch this colorful
event. The Esala Perahara is held in the month of July / August. This is a very
beautiful event which holds in Sri Lanka yearly. The Perahara consists of
Elephants (Tuskers), Traditional Dancers, and Drummers who are dressed in
colorful dresses. Among the traditional dances, we can see fire dances which
are performed with a circle
of fire while rotating them, Traditional Kandyan Dances, which is very popular
among the locals and foreigners, Whip Dances and many other types of cultural
dances. This is an important event which attracts large crowds from all parts
of the country and also many foreign tourists.
By now you have
gained a lot of knowledge about Kandy by reading the above paragraphs. We will
discuss some more beautiful facts about this amazing city. If you are planning
to visit Sri Lanka for a Holiday, especially to Kandy, you might be interested
to know what you can do, where to visit and where to stay. So this post will be
complete guide in the means of tourism related to Kandy.
When discussing about
the attractions in Kandy, we can divide them into two sections as Cultural and
Nature attractions.Waterfalls like Huluganga
Falls, Jodu
Falls, Kothmale Mahakandura Falls, Kurunduoya Falls, Laxapana Falls are
some of the nature attractions in Kandy, comes under waterfalls.
THE TEMPLE OF THE TOOTH
The
Temple of the Tooth is a temple built for the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. This
sacred place is located within the premises of Royal Palace in Kandy. The
reason for the importance of this place is that this is known to be the only
relic of Lord Buddha, available at present. In the meantime, it is believed
that anybody who holds this sacred relic would have the right to govern or rule
the country. Hence all the Sinhalese Kings gave their prominent place to
protect this Tooth Relic from being stolen or derived from them. It is also
apparent that the Sinhalese Kings have chosen Kandy as the Capital City, since
Kandy is naturally a secured place due to its location. This established the
protection of the Kingdom, as well as the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
On
every Wednesdays, a special event named Nanumura Mangallya is held in the
Temple of Tooth Relic. The Relic is bathed with specially prepared herbal
water, and it is believed that this water has the power of healing diseases.
PERADENIYA BOTANICAL GARDEN
The Royal
Botanical garden which is spread across an area of 147 acres , is situated in
Peradeniya, which is about 05
Km away from Kandy. This is famous around the world
because of the collection of Orchid varieties found in the Garden. There are
many of the important Spices and Medicinal plants available in the garden. The According
to the historic records, it is said that The Royal Botanical Garden was first
started at the time of King Wickramabahu III (1357-1374
AD). You can visit the web page of the Royal Botanical Garden via this link.
The Garden is managed by the Department of National Botanical Gardens, Sri
Lanka.
PINNAWALA (PINNAWELA) ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE
Pinnawala
(Pinnawela) elephant orphanage is the largest Orphanage available for elephants
in Sri Lanka. And it is one of the the largest Elephant Orphanage in the World.
In 1975, the Sri Lanka Department of Wildlife Conservation established this orphanage with the idea of creating a place to care and
protect orphaned elephants in Sri Lanka.
The
Orphanage is very popular among the Sri Lankans and the Foreign Tourists.
Visitors love to see the bathing and playing of elephants in the river. The
fees charged upon the admission to the orphanage by the visitors are used for
the well-being of the elephants. Visitors have the ability to witness the daily
routine of the elephants in the orphanage including feeding, bathing and bottle
feeding. The Elephant orphanage is open the public daily. (08.30 am to 05.30 pm).
Feeding Times : 09.15 am, 01.15 pm and 05.00 pm
in the evening.
HOTELS IN KANDY
With
the development of the Tourism in Sri Lanka over the last few years, the number
of Hotels was also increased rapidly in order to provide accommodation for the
increased number of tourists. So, similarly in Kandy also, we can see a
considerable number of new hotels were launched. But still there are only two
05 star rated hotels in Kandy. Namely Earls Regency and Mahaweli Reach Hotel.
Earls Regency Hotel Kandy *****
Earls
regency hotel is an ideal place in Kandy if you are looking for a wonderful
stay. It is located about 05 Km away from the city and located very close to
the Mahaweli River. All the rooms are very well equipped and spacious enough. The
hotel has a restaurant which serves a verity of cuisines. Price Range is
comparatively high with compared to the other hotels in Kandy.
Hotel Facilities
·
Baby Sitting Service
·
Business Center
·
Children's Swimming Pool
·
Internet Access - High Speed
·
Library
·
Reception
·
Sauna
·
Swimming Pool - Outdoor
·
Bar / Lounge
·
Cafe
·
Conference Facilities
·
Laundry Facilities
·
Lobby
·
Restaurant
·
Shopping Arcade
·
Tennis Court
·
Beauty Salon / Hairdresser
·
Children's Playground
·
Gym / Fitness Facilities
·
Laundry Services
·
Parking Facilities
·
Room Service
·
Spa / Wellness Center
·
Tour Desk
Room Facilities
·
Air Conditioning
·
Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
·
Hairdryer
·
Telephone
·
Microwave Oven
·
Wireless Internet Access
Contact Numbers: 081 - 2 422 122 (Hotel)
Reservations: 011 - 2 308 408 (Aitken Spence Hotels)
Mahaweli Reach Hotel Kandy *****
If you
wish to stay in a 05 star rated heritage hotel while you are in Kandy, Mahaweli
Reach is the best option. The hotel has a very good service and hospitality. Hotel
is located very close to the Mahaweli River (on the banks of river) and the
Kandy City. Also if you stay at Mahaweli Reach Hotel, you will find that it is
very short distances to the sightseeing areas from the hotel. All the rooms are
spacious and in good condition.
Hotel Facilities
·
Bar / Lounge
·
Restaurant
·
Business Centre
·
Spa / Wellness Centre
·
Gym / Fitness Facilities
·
Swimming Pool – Outdoor
Room Facilities
·
Air Conditioning
·
Disabled Facilities
·
Mini Bar
·
Refrigerator
·
CD Player
·
Hairdryer
·
Modem / Data Port Connection
·
Spa Bath
·
TV
·
Iron / Ironing Board
·
Radio
Contact Numbers: 081 – 4472727 (Hotel)
Reservations: 081 – 4471883 / 081 – 4471885
Amaya Hills Resort Kandy ****
Amaya
Hills is a four star hotel located 7 km away from the Kandy city center. If you
wish a relaxing holiday in Kandy, this is also a good option.
Hotel Facilities
·
Airport Transfer
·
Banquet Facilities
·
Business Center
·
Conference Facilities
·
Doctor On Call
·
Garden
·
Gym / Fitness Facilities
·
Parking Facilities
·
Room Service
·
Spa / Wellness Center
·
Tennis Court
·
Baby Sitting Service
·
Bar / Lounge
·
Cafe
·
Currency Exchange Services
·
Faxing Facilities
·
Gift Shop
·
Internet Access - High Speed
·
Reception
·
Safe Deposit Box
·
Squash Court
·
Ballroom
·
Billiards
·
Children's Swimming Pool
·
Dining Room
·
Games Room
·
Golf Course
·
Laundry Facilities
·
Restaurant
·
Shopping Arcade
·
Swimming Pool – Outdoor
Room Facilities
·
Air Conditioning
·
Disabled Facilities
·
Iron / Ironing Board
·
Radio
·
Valet Service
·
CD Player
·
Private Bathroom
·
Mini Bar
·
Refrigerator
·
Wireless Internet Access
·
TV
·
Hairdryer
·
Modem / Data Port Connection
·
Telephone
Contact Numbers: 081 – 4474022/8 (Hotel)
Reservations: 011 2 4767888 (Ext: 842) – Direct: 011 2 4767842
Swiss Residence ***
Swiss Residence ***
Swiss
Residence is another good hotel situated in the Kandy City Center (about 01 Km). Hotel provides you with all the comfort and
facilities to make your holiday an unforgettable one. With the location of the
hotel, it makes the guests to easily access many sights in Kandy including the
Botanical Garden, Temple of the Tooth Relic etc.
Contact
Numbers: 081 – 2204646 / 7 (Hotel)
Here we
have discussed only about very few details about the city and the hotels in Kandy. I will bring
you another article with all the hotels in Kandy very soon.
Previous Article
