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Kandy, often called the “hill capital” lies nestled within a ring of mountains and a large slope of Sri Lanka’s longest river, the Mahaweli. Kandy holds a rich history and a proud people called Highland-Sinhalese. Kandy was the capital of the last remaining independent kingdom in Sri Lanka after the Portuguese and Dutch already had overran almost all lowland areas along the coastlines.
Kandy is home to the most venerated temple in Sinhalese Buddhism, the Dalada Maligawa enshirining the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. Its annual procession, the famous Kandy Perahera end of July or mid of August, is one of the greatest Buddhist festivals in Asia. It is less well-known, that it was introduced by a new dynasty of South Indian origins whose ancestors where Hindus. It included the festivals of nearby shrines for Hindu deities, and they and their priests and temple communities play a major role in the Kandy Perahera till the present day. The begin of the festival fortnight is celebrated by an opening ceremony at the Vishnu temple, venerated by Sinhalese Buddhists under its local form called Upulvan. During the last five nights, marking the high spot of the Kandy Perahera, the chariots of the four temples called Devales follow the Buddhist tooth relic. One of the temples, that for Kataragama (Skanda, Murugan) is a silent refuge in the core of the market and shopping area in Kandy city, but the other three shrines for Hindu deities are located in the vicinity of the Buddhist Tooth temple. There structures are older and well worth a visit and part of the World Heritage Site ensemble in Kandy. Kandy is a favourite destination of Sri Lanka’s Indian guests due to its charming setting at the Kandy lake and in a green hilly landscate. They also estimate opportunities to see cultural performances and love Kandy’s perfect shopping opportunities. Most foreign guests buying Sri Lankan gems do it in Kandy. But Kandy is famous for handicrafts, too. Many tourists enjoy to walk around in the well-kept Royal Botanical Garden in the university suburb called Peradeniya. |
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