The Sacred city of Kandy, known as Senkadagalapura or Maha Nuwara in Sinhalese was the last Capital city of the Sinhala Kingdom in Sri Lanka which fell to the British in 1815. Kandy, located in the Central Province is surrounded by magnificent hills and is 110km from Colombo. Kandy today is one of the largest cities apart from Colombo and contains a charming mix of old traditional essence with the modern world. This enchanting city is the most sacred place in the country due to the Temple of the Tooth relic or the Dalada Maligawa which houses the tooth relic of the Buddha which had been in possession by the rulers of Sri Lanka since the 3^rd century AD.

Kandy was first founded as a city in the 14^th century during the Gampola period and became the sole independent capital under King Vimaladharmasuriya I in 1594 and remained so till 1815 where it was betrayed to the British. In Kandy sections of the Royal Palace complex could still be seen such as the Medawahala, the Pallewahala, and the Royal palace entrance building which are used as museums today as well as the Magul Maduwa or Audience Hall. These are situated all within the compound of the Dalada Maligawa and together are separated by a moat and an ornate parapet. The Dalada Maligawa housing the tooth relic was said to have been first built as a two storied palace by King Vimaladharmasuriya I and later modified to three stories. It was burnt down on many occasions by the Portuguese and the present two storied building was constructed by King Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe in the early 1700s. The iconic Paththiripuwa or the octagon viewing chamber in the front was added last by the last King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe.

In front of the Temple of the Tooth can be found the historic Natha, Vishnu and Pattini Devalas surrounded by a massive stone wall. To the south of the city is the beautiful Kiri Muhuda or the Lake of Kandy built by the last King. Kandy also had another lake near the present Bogambara Prison which was filled during British times. The general layout of the streets of Kandy is same as it were during the monarchy and some of the Walawas or Mansions of the Nobles which one dotted the city could still be seen. This enchanting sacred capital was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.