Sri Lanka | Kandy – Cultural Capital of Sri Lanka

Kandy Clock Tower Bus Station

Address: Kandy, Sri Lanka 

Recommended time in Kandy: at least a full day 

Walk from Kandy Bus Station to city centre: 15-30 mins 

What To Do In Kandy 

Stroll around Kandy Lake 

Right at the heart of Kandy is the Kandy Lake, a beautiful idyllic lake, also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk. This artificial lake is built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha next to the Temple of the Tooth.

Kandy Lake

Kandy Lake

     

There is a small artificial island in the middle of the lake and around the lake is a wall called walakulu bamma (cloud wall). Various vendors roam around in this area selling everything from balloons to cashew nuts. According to local folklore, the island was once used by the king’s harem for bathing and was connected to the royal palace (which is just next to the lake, by the way) by a secret tunnel. 

MJ and I

Despite the bustling road that winds around the lake, it is surprisingly peaceful and is a great place for a stroll, especially after a visit to the Temple of the Tooth.  It will take about an hour to walk to lake’s circumference (just over 3kms). We didn’t finish the whole loop though.  

Kandy Lake

Address: Kandy, Sri Lanka 

Enjoy the city view from Arthur’s Seat 

Arthur’s Seat is a popular lookout point southwest of Kandy Lake, just past the Royal Palace Park, named after Mr. Arthur, a British tea planter who owned a bungalow nearby and used to view Kandy by standing on a stone seat under a tree in front of the bungalow.

Look out for this statue, it's just opposite Arthur's seat

Otherwise, keep an eye on these carts

 

Fung, MJ and I

View from Arthur's Seat

Also called the Kandy City View Point or Kandy Lookout Point, Arthur’s Seat is a place to capture the picturesque view of the Kandy cityscape. It stands at 550m above sea level and provides panoramic view across Kandy Lake, Temple of The Tooth, the Royal Palace and the city centre. A short tuk tuk ride will take you up there for 10 minutes from city centre. It is a good place to visit during sunrise or sunset to take photos and to soak in the beautiful view.

Isn't it beautiful?

You can see Kandy lake and the city from here

Arthur’s Seat

Address: 20000, Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe Mawatha, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka 

Visit Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic 

Also called Sri Dalada Maligawa,  the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the heart of Kandy. Legend has it that the Buddha’s tooth was given to the Sri Lankan monarchy in ancient times and was passed through various kings who hid, moved, and relocated it across the centuries. As safeguard of the relic was a responsibility of the monarch, the custodianship of relic came to symbolize the right to rule. Therefore, reigning monarchs built the tooth relic temples quite close to their royal residences, as was the case during the times of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, and Kingdom of Dambadeniya. Kandy was the last capital of Sri Lankan kingdom and is therefore the last place to house the tooth relics. 

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

People mountain people sea

 

I seemed to blend in with the people here, wearing white

Many worshipers can visit the relic, which is held in a golden stupa inside the two-story temple. The temple was damaged from bombings by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna in 1989 and by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1998, but was fully restored each time.

Security is tight

The security at the entrance to the temple is high because a bomb detonated near the main entrance in the 1998 bombing. Visitors are required to strictly adhere to their dresscode – knees and shoulders have to be covered. No sarong is available for rent at the entrance, so you will be denied from entering if not dressed appropriately. Fung was wearing a knee length Bermuda that day and was not able to enter.

Too many people, we gave up entering

For MJ and I, we passed the security check but we finally decided to come out as the insane crowd (it was unfortunately Wesak Day when we visited) to enter the shrine is too much for us to handle. After all, we felt bad leaving Fung alone outside and we have a train to catch to Ella.  

Temple of The Sacred Tooth Relic

Address: Sri Dalada Veediya, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka 

Opening hours: 5.30am to 8.00pm daily 

Admission: LKR 1500 per person. South Asian nationals only needs to pay LKR 1000 on entrance fees, Therefore, if you have a South Asian passport, make sure to carry it with you on your visits. 

Dresscode: Shoulder and knees covered  

Shoekeeping fee: LKR 20 per person 

Bonus: See the Bahirawakanda Buddha Statue 

This huge Buddha statue is 80-feet tall and sits on a hillside overlooking the entire Kandy citiscape and can be seen from almost anywhere in Kandy. It is about 2km away from the heart of Kandy and should take about 20 minutes to get there by tuk tuk. Although we didn’t make it there, I reckon this would be a nice place to visit early morning for sunrise of during the evening for sunset or even night view of the city. Visiting at this hour also avoid getting roasted under the hot sun.  

Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya

Address: Bahirawa Kanda Rd, Kandy, Sri Lanka 

Opening hours: 6am – 10pm daily 

Admission: LKR 250 per person 

Getting out of Kandy 

If you are touring Sri Lanka in a clockwise direction starting from Colombo and Kandy will be your last stop for Cultural Triangle cities. Your next sensible destination will be the tea country such as Nuwara Eliya, Haputale and Ella, with you first stop being Nuware Eliya. To get there, opt for none other than the train ride to Nanu Oya as this is the highlight of the trip. From Nanu Oya, it is only a 30 minutes car ride to Nuwara Eliya. 

We read online that the train ride is best taken not later than noon as any late afternoon train will only arrive in Nany Oya after dusk which defeat the whole purpose of enjoying the scenic ride through the tea country. With that in mind, we took the 11.45am train from Kandy and arriving in Nanu Oya by 4.45pm. That means we only have limited time in Kandy!  

However, my experience told me that the best view is the stretch from Nanu Oya to Badulla instead of the one from Kandy to Nanu Oya, so getting a later train will not be such a big deal.  

More about the scenic train ride here >> Sri Lanka | From Kandy to Ella – One of The World’s Most Scenic Train Ride

Kandy Railway Station

Address: William Gopallawa Mawatha, Kandy, Sri Lanka 

Train from Kandy to Nanu Oya: 5 hours (train bound for Badulla, alight at Nanu Oya), LKR 160 per person (second class) 

Van from Nanu Oya to Nuwara Eliya: 30 min, LKR 250 (sharing by 3 person) 

Final Words

Kandy deserves a full day of exploring though we only had half a day due to our detour to Mawanella the day before and for having to rush for an afternoon train to Nanu Oya (Nuwara Eliya). Given a second choice, I would suggest spending one full day in Kandy, then take the night train to Nanu Oya. After all, the most scenic part of the train ride is the stretch from Nanu Oya to Badulla. Once you reach Nanu Oya, there will be plenty of tuk tuk for hire to get to Nuwara Eliya in less than 30 minutes.

I’d say, spend more time in Kandy and save the scenic train ride for the stretch after Nanu Oya. Kandy is worth more than a half day! 

For other places of attractions in Sri Lanka, read my travel guide with sample itinerary and cost breakdown ➢ 12 Days Sri Lanka In Less Than RM2.2K - Visa Application, Sample Itinerary & Cost Breakdown