Kandy
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Approximately 115kms away from Colombo, Kandy is a complete contrast to your tropical climate due to its altitude of 500m. The richness of the area speaks louder than all the other wonderful aspects of Kandy, being circled by blue hills, coloured by the lush foliage and nurtured by fountain pure water of rivers. Kandy is a city with graceful charm, radiating an ambiance of antiquity that you will find only in a Sri Lanka holiday. Do insist on spending at least two whole days in the city of the last Sinhala Kings of the island, your Sri Lanka tour operator will not hesitate!
While the city thrives on the sheer beauty of the area, it is also renowned for the majestic history associated with city of Kandy, which served as the last capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom. With a tremendous effort that nearly took British 03 centuries to conquer, defying Portuguese and Dutch, in the year 1815 the ever imposing capital finally surrendered.
Since Kandy was the last capital during Sinhalese Kingdom it has now become the blessed home for the focal point of Buddhism "The Temple of the Tooth Relic".(Owning the tooth relic was one of the prerequisites to become the King of Sri Lanka). The temple was built within the royal palace complex at the time when the royal blood of Sri Lanka was governing the country.
The most fascinating part about this treasure is that, it is the only surviving relic of Lord Buddha, which is embraced by Buddhists. The decision for keeping the relic in Sri Lankan soil was taken after the bold statement by Lord Buddha declaring that Sri Lanka will be the nation where Buddhism will be safe for 5000 years.
The relic was not only a focal point of Buddhist veneration, but it also played a major role in the local politics since ancient times, due to the belief that whoever holds the relic, holds the authority of the country, which became the reason for many Sri Lankan royals to build temples for tooth relic with prime security... Once they were lucky enough to conquer it.
Thus preserving the aura of an age old royal elegance and a breath-taking natural beauty Kandy promises to offer you more than what you've bargained for.