Kandy Sri Lanka Travel pictures & information
Temple of the Tooth, Hill capital, Kandyan kings
Built in the 14th century, Kandy is the historical historical 'Hill Capital' of Sri Lanka, and where you'll find the Temple of the Tooth. I'd come here by road, travelling some 75 miles (130 kms) inland from west coastal Colombo, after visitng the Fortress at Sigiriya. From Kandy, I drove back to Colombo, then south to Galle and Bentota. Kandy takes its name from the Sinhala word for hill -- Kanda -- and its Royal City legacy dates from the 16th century when the Kandyan kings ruled. If you go, plan to take in the Sri Lanka performing arts demonstrations (dancing, drumming, singing) at the Cultural Hall -- ask at your hotel or your guide. Tea plantations dot the hillsides around Kandy, and throughout Sri Lanka, I think you will enjoy the Sri Lanka foods.
.
.
Kandy Sri Lanka Temple of the Tooth ~ Dalada Maligawa  Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth (red roof) contains a relic of the Buddha's tooth, dating back to the 16th century. Public honour is paid to the sacred relic during July and or August. Here, the temple is seen from a viewpoint on the road from the hillside Kandyan Resort (now Amaya Hills). That lookout offers the best views of the lake and temple, as the heavy traffic on the street in front of the temple makes it difficult to get a good shot. Visitors were not welcomed this day, as meetings were in session. |
 Kandy market A vegetable seller looks at the digital photos just taken by a visitor. Kandy has a large market, as befits a major centre, with shops inside a main building on two levels as well as streetfront shops. Some vendors simply set up their wares on the pavements. There are a number of shops selling sarongs, saris, scarves and the like -- even bed linens and cushion covers made from the colourful silks. (But do your nose a favour and give the meat market a wide berth). |
 Sarongs Kandy Market
While you wait, the seamstress will hem a sarong in whichever fabric you want, as she is shown here, doing one for me. Of course, too self-conscious once back home in Canada, I never wore it even once. But I do love the colours, so I tied it around a bolster cushion to decorate a room. |
 Silk Store in Kandy
This is the retail area of the shop where the seamstress works. At another nearby shop, also while we waited, we were able to have a large silk scarf cut in half, and the raw edges hemmed to make two smaller scarves. It's best to change your money into Srilanka rupees before shopping, or use one of the nearby ATM bank machines. |
 Kandyan Resort (now Amaya Hills)
I stayed at the Kandyan Resort and Spa, which is located in the hills overlooking Kandy. The front staff wear costumes modelled after those of the Kandyan kings. The resort is being reborn as the Amaya Hills, so look for it under both names; it's a Connaissance property. New arrivals are greeted with herbal tea in china cup and saucer, with a cube of jaggery, the Sri Lankan palm flower sweetener. Traditionally, men wore sarongs, and in many restaurants, the are part of the male staff uniforms, attractive enough to change one's opinion of Men in Skirts . |
 Exterior Amaya Hills
Exterior corridors, one flight up from the main hotel areas, connect the rooms. There's a very good dining room, with a buffet, and a night club on the lower level. The resort's ayurvedic spa offered wonderful services that induced us to forgo an afternoon's touring in favour of massages, herbal facials and baths, and wraps. The outdoor pool has views of the mountains and the valley below, a perfect spot on a sunny afternoon! The property is set in a former lemon grass plantation, where the large clumps of grasses are now growing wild, and a lovely spot for a cool early morning walk. |
 Amaya Hills 'Room with a View' There's traditonal furniture, very comfortable, and satellite TV. When the room staff turned down the covers each evening, they placed small nosegays of flowers on the pillow along with a chocolate. When I stayed here, it was known as the Kandyan Resort. Now under new ownership, and has been renamed 'Amaya Hills'. Many sites show both names; this is the same resort.
See Amaya Hills traveler reviews and address. |
Kandy At Dawn  I took this picture from the hotel room balcony at 6:30 a.m. facing towards the west. |
Kandy overview at mid-morning  This is the view of Kandy from the hillside garden path to a seldom used gravel road that wandered along the mountain above the hotel grounds. Clumps of lemon grass and a few tea bushes grew in the fileds above and below the roadway. One of the hotel staff icame with me off the hotel grounds, to keep me company and ensure I wouldn't get lost. |
Waterfalls near Nuwara Eliya  One day, we drove towards Nuwara Eliya and the tea plantations. As we had elected to stay another night at Kandy, we didn't have time to stay in Nuwara Eliya. Instead, we drove towards the start of the waterfalls area, and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. In the heat of the day, and muttering something about 'mad dogs and Englishmen', I walked down to a lookout near this waterfall.
.
More travel pictures in Sri Lanka |
If you have any questions or would like to Comment on any page, please do so here. If you would like to be notified when your comment is online, please include your email name in your Comment.
Add A Comment