Travellers to Sri Lanka escape from the energy-draining heat by either sticking to the beach (despite the lukewarm ocean water) or heading for the hill country where the temperature cools down just enough to be comfortable. One popular spot in the country’s interior is Kandy, home of Sri Lanka’s last independent kingdom and considered the cultural capital of the Sinhalese. Despite a long history of invasion by the Portuguese, Dutch and British, the strong cultural legacy lives on in Kandy with its generous offering of dance, music, museums and temples. PT5SXTHMTT7R
Temple of the Tooth
The Buddha’s tooth was said to have been pulled out of the funeral pyre over 2500 years ago and eventually made its way to Sri Lanka where it now resides in the Temple of the Tooth, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in the world. The Buddha’s tooth is a highly revered relic. And it’s not coveted just for spiritual reasons, but also for political reasons since it was believed that whoever held ownership of the tooth held the key to govern the country. After a long history of moving from place to place within the country, the tooth is now housed in the sacred Temple of the Tooth located within the Royal Palace complex.
This sacred site experiences a constant flow of visitors, both Sri Lankan—who believe that the pilgrimage to the temple is a must do at least once in a lifetime—and foreigners. The twice daily puja is a quick affair with intense booming drums welcoming a long stream of visitors who get to catch a few seconds glimpse of the ornate gold casket that the tooth is housed within.
Royal Palace and museums
The Royal Palace is a large complex with various buildings and museums. And the objects on display in these museums are only part of the attraction as the ornate architecture of the complex itself is well worth a long look.
On site is the National Museum that contains over 5000 objects of historical and cultural significance, including tools, jewellery and pots, during the period from 17th to 19th century known as the Kandyan period. And the Magul Maduwa is an audience hall where the Royal Court convened.
Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists will be intrigued by the diverse number of Buddhist sights on display in the International Buddhist Museum. All the major countries that have a Buddhist presence each have their own section to showcase their Buddhist culture, including miniature versions of Buddhist buildings, monk robes and statues. Even for non-Buddhists it’s a fascinating way to see the differences between cultures with Buddhism as the central theme.
Esala Perahera
Sri Lankans love their festivals and Esala Perahera is the mother of them all. This full sensory barrage is a fine showcase of Sri Lankan culture that features dazzling fire dances, whip crackers, drum ensembles, elephants and exquisitely detailed costumes that look like they each took several months to make. During this two-week festival that happens in July and August there are five processions that parade, the main one organized by the Maligawa Perahera or the Temple of the Tooth along with four Hindu shrines.
Kandyan dance
Dance is a central part of Sri Lankan culture, particularly given its importance to the many festivals in Sri Lanka. Kandyan dance is considered Sri Lanka’s prime cultural export. Dancers get dressed up in elaborate colourful costumes with jingling jewellery instruments to perform incredible acrobatics and groovy footwork accompanied by pounding tribal drums. It’s an intense sensory immersion that happens at various places around Kandy and beyond.
Royal Botanic Gardens
Just outside of Kandy in the suburb of Peradeniya lies the spectacular Royal Botanic Gardens. With a wonderful diversity of orchids, palm trees, spices and medicinal plants these gardens offer a remarkable display of tropical plants—and accompanying animals—that you would see in the jungle of Sri Lanka as well as other tropical forests around the world. If you don’t mind getting a little spooked stick around until dusk when the fruit bats swoop around the park in great numbers.
images: The Mindful Word (Creative Commons BY-SA)
