Kandy, perhaps is Sri Lanka’s most beautiful town.
Set 488 meters above sea level, Kandy is Sri Lanka’s most visited place after Colombo. The focal point of the town is the golden-roofed ‘Dalada Maligawa’,
where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined. There are numerous shrines and temples in and around Kandy, where you will see rare paintings, frescoes,
and stone carvings.
Temple of the Tooth Relic
Visit the Temple of the Tooth Relic. It is located in the royal palace complex which houses the Relic of the tooth of Buddha.
Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.
Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple.
Thereafter you will have the time to do some shopping in Kandy, where you could fetch souvenirs in wood, copper, silver,
brass, ebony, bronze, ceramics, lacquer work, handlooms, batiks, jewelry and reed-ware at bargain prices!!
Next- Sightseeing of Kandy with Upper lake drive, Market square etc
PM- Cultural Dance
These classical dance forms are associated with the performance of various rituals and ceremonies which are
centuries old and are based on the folk religion and folk beliefs going back to times before the advent and acceptance of Buddhism by the
Sinhalese people in the third century B.C. These rituals and ceremonies reflect the values, beliefs and customs of an agricultural civilization
of Sri Lanka.
Udawatta Forest
Afterwards take a walk in the nature reserve Udawatta Forest. Udawatta Forest is a historical forest
not far from the city of Kandy. During the days of the Kandyan kingdom Udawatta Forest was known as "Uda Wasala Watta" in Sinhalese meaning "the garden of the king".
The reserve is famous for its bird life and a wide variety of plant species. The forest is also of religious significance, since there are three Buddhist meditation retreats.
Udawatta Forest was named in 1856 as a forest reserve, and it was a sanctuary in 1938.
Gadaladeniya Raja Maha Viharaya
According to an inscription at the site, Gadaladeniya temple was built by King Bhuvenkabahu the 4th in the year 1344 A.D.
The temple was named Dharmakirti Viharaya after the Buddhist monk who founded it. A couple of Buddhist literary works titled “The Nikaya Sangrahaya” and “Saddharmalankaraya” had named the
temple “Saddharmatilaka” and “Gadaladeniya Viharaya” respectively.
Gadaladeniya was home to the celebrated scholor monks Daharamakirti the second and
Vimakiriti the first whose contributions towards the literary development of the times was of immense value to the nation.
The temple remained neglected till the time of King Narendrasinghe
who dedicated the shrine to Velivita Sangharaja and since then the temple was in the custody of his papillary succession