KANDY, SRI LANKA
Hey everyone, we are hoomies back again with a new amazing destination. Following our visit to the beautiful city of Bentota, we got tired and we had a great night off. The next morning, we got up all excited to begin our journey to the major city of Sri Lanka, Kandy. The entire city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau and is considered to be the capital of Central province. This city is located at a distance of 180 km from Bentota around four and half hour drive.
ABOUT KANDY
This place is famous for its scenic beauty and is home to various sacred temples. The place is considered to be the heart of Buddhists. This is the second-largest city in Sri Lanka and is completely surrounded by tea plantations with amazing mountain ranges. As it is quite close to both Colombo and Bentota this city is quite famous amongst the tourists and even for local travelers. The city has remarkable beauty with various religious sites. Kandy is home to sacred landscaped temples, gardens, and various landmarks. This lies in the midst of hills and is very famous for tea plantations. The city was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. Apart from the beautiful city, the city is famous for one of the most sacred temples – the temple of tooth.
On arrival, we checked in to our hotel – The Queen’s Hotel. The hotel is located in one of the most famous locations in the city. The hotel is built in British colonial style at the center hill of Kandy. What’s fascinating about the hotel is its location as it is just next to the famous Temple of Tooth. This is one of the oldest hotels which was the former Governor’s residence.
We could see the entire city, the buzzy streets, and the beautiful temple from the hotel balcony. The day was just quite tiring and we had a great night off. The next morning, we got up all excited to visit the very famous temple.
PLACES TO VISIT IN KANDY
THE TEMPLE OF TOOTH
The temple is also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic. This is located in the royal palace complex of the former kingdom of Kandy. One of the most famous Buddhist temples. The entire temple is golden roofed and one of the most sacred temples. This temple was built in the 17th century. This famous temple houses the tooth 🦷 of the Buddha but we don’t get to see the real tooth. The tooth is kept in a golden casket shaped like a dagoba (stupa), which contains a series of six dagoba caskets of diminishing size. The entire temple is open for tourists and is heavily guarded. The pooja in the temple is conducted inside the main chamber and the rituals are performed three times a day.
TIMINGS:
5.30 AM – 8:00 PM
POOJA TIMINGS:
5.30 – 6.45 AM
9.30 – 11 AM
6.30 – 8 PM
TICKETS 🎫:
- The ticket to the temple can be purchased online or in advance.
- Various ticket counters are available outside the temple
- The prices are quite reasonable and vary for localities and tourists.
- Even free guidance and guides are available outside the temple. Guides come at an extra cost.
TIPS:
- Wear comfy full sleeve clothes
- Book tickets in advance
- Arrive at the entrance on time to avoid long queues and rush
- Remove your shoes
- Cameras are allowed inside the temples
- Elevator services are available for people with disabilities.
The temple was just beautiful with a beautiful lake next to it. Various local vendors sit just outside the temple in case one plans to offer flowers to Lord Buddha. Apart from the tooth relic, the premises also house several shrines, museums, and temples tourists can visit.
HOW TO REACH KANDY
- Very close to the railway station just around 2 km
- Rent cars
- Trains
- Buses
STREETS OF KANDY
- The beautiful streets of the city are just amazing. As you walk down the roads the entire place is filled and built of beautiful old colonial architecture buildings. You would just love to walk around and enjoy this very wonderful place.
- Even lots of shopping 🛍 available.
- The place is very famous for silk.
Don’t forget to get yourself a beautiful handicraft piece. The market is very close to the temple. Lots of restaurants with all sorts of food choices.
TIP: Do try coconut 🌴 water
BEST TIME TO VISIT
November to April due to its tropical climate.
CURRENCY
Sri Lanka Rupee
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
- Sinhala
- Tamil
- English
THINGS TO BUY
- GEMS
- BATIKS
- HANDICRAFTS
- HATS
- SILK CLOTHES
THINGS TO PACK
- HATS / CAPS
- SUNSCREEN
- SUNGLASSES
- WATER BOTTLES
- COMFY CLOTHES
- COMFY PAIR OF SLIPPERS
- MOSQUITO REPELLENTS
- VISA DOCUMENTS
- PASSPORT
- CAMERAS
- SMALL BAG PACK (FOR YOUR ACCESSORIES)
Thank you for reading our blog. Do share your views below.
