Kandy (Buddha Tooth Temple)

The city of Kandy, or Senkadagalapura, was founded in the XIV century. This ancient capital of the island is located in the mountain range of central Sri Lanka. Since 1988, Kandy has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In the center of the city, on the shore of the lake is the Temple of the tooth of Buddha – a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists around the world. Dalada Maligava (the Sri Lankan name of the temple) was built in the XVIII century specifically to store the priceless relic – the tooth of the Buddha. The tooth appeared on the island in 371. In the old days, only the king and selected monks had access to the shrine, and today you can look at the stupa with it. The temple is decorated with painted ceilings, finished with silver and ivory doors and wood carvings. In addition to the tooth, the temple has a whole emerald Buddha, a crystal and jade Buddha, a golden Buddha, as well as a collection of ancient manuscript books. In the center of the lake, on the island, is the Royal Summer Palace, where Sri Vikrema Rajasinghe kept his harem. Now it's the National Museum. Near the city is the magnificent Royal Botanical Garden. Trees of incredible size, a collection of wild orchids, and not only you will definitely surprise. On the way to Kandy, you will see a pineapple plantation, a rubber grove, tea factories where you can buy quality tea, as well as the famous Elephant Shelter.