We made a short stop at Kandy en route from Galle to Tea Trails. Visited the Temple of Tooth and after a brief stroll had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the city.

Kandy - a major tourist destination - is also known as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka. Nestled in the hills at an altitude of 488 m, it is located at a distance of 115 km from Colombo. A bustling commercial city, Kandy has a rich history. It was originally known as Senkadagala pura after a hermit named Senkada who lived there. Many of Sinhalese people call it Mahanuwara meaning the Great City. The name Kandy was derived by the colonial rulers from the word Kanda in Sinhala, meaning a hill.

Today , Kandy is famous for the Kandy Perahara-a huge cultural pageant that takes place in the month of July or August. It is one of the most colorful processions of the world. Thousands of drummers and dancers accompanying a parade of ornamented elephants perform in the streets. The leading tusker carries the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha, while the spectators pay homage to it. The procession moves along the streets for seven consecutive nights and concludes on the day of the August full moon.

The Temple of Tooth, also known as Dalda Maligawa, is one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the world. Here, one of the Buddha's teeth is kept. The temple was built in the 17th century. A golden canopy has been added recently.

There are many Buddhist temples surrounding Kandy and four Hindu shrines dedicated to Gods Vishnu and Natha and Goddess Patthini.


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