Traveling to kandy
Kandy is linked by buses from almost all parts of the county. Buses take about 2.5hrs from Colombo, about 2 hours form Nuwara Eliya and one and a half hour from Sigiriya. Kandy is 116km from Capital Colombo and 138kms from Anuradhapura. Trains are also available from Colombo for Kandy and they take approximate 2 hours. You can also hire a car for Kandy.
The Temple of Tooth
The Temple of Tooth is the most important Buddhist place of worship in Sri Lanka and foremost travel attraction of the town. One of the Buddha's teeth is kept in the temple. The temple was constructed in the 16th century but several additions have been done in it. A golden canopy has been recently added. For entering the temple a dress code has to be followed. The temple follows a set of daily rituals.
Lankatilaka Temple
Lankatilake temple is a fine place located on a lovely location. It is an elegant structure decorated by fine paintings
Gadaladeniya Temple
This temple, made in 14th century, is located 15km off the town. Built on a rock, the temple has been inspired by the South Indian style of architecture
Royal Botanical Garden
Royal Botanical Gardens which once served as a pleasure garden of a Kandyan Queen has numerous tropical foliage. It is reputed as one of the best gardens in the island. and the best in the island. The allied forces had their regional headquarters in the garden during the Second World War.
Embekke Temples
Embekke Temples, built in 14th century, are adorned with intricate wooden carvings. The temple is dedicated to God Kataragama. A Buddhist place neighbors the Embekke Temple. The temple is bedecked with the carvings of dancers, musicians, wrestlers, beasts and birds.
Kandy Lake
This is the last kingdom of the country. Since it was conquered by the British only around 1815 you can still see the living traditions. Kandyans are usually proud of their heritage. Since the western elements has played a comparatively little role in the city most Kandyans are upholding Buddhist values. Since it is in the cultural triangle the authorities try to retain this values as much as possible. Situation had changed recently because of many immigrants coming from other parts of the country. So don't expect to find the honest Kandyans they describe in the colonial literature now. Be careful with your belongings and the people whom you associate with. But this is a peaceful city compared to most other parts of the country with a lesser crime rate.
.Train(from Colombo) - Intercity express train are hassle free and scenic. Reservation are needed for these trains, it can be done just before the departure depending on the period but is best done in advance especially if you are traveling on a weekend or holiday. There is a great observation saloon (first class) in this particular train. Other trains are overly crowded and late. The trip from Colombo to Kandy costs 220 LKR in second class.
.Taxi. If you're just arriving in Sri Lanka, heading for Kandy, you can hire a taxi from one of the stalls in the arrivals hall at Colombo airport for about R6000/-. The journey takes about 3 hours. This saves the hassle of going into Colombo, and is a lot quicker.
Bus from the airport. Take the free shuttle bus to the bus terminal, where the friendly locals will direct you to the bus to Kandy (3.5h, 110 LKR as of March 2011).
Hired mini-vanswith a driver are available from Colombo through travel agencies and hotel concierges. The road to Kandy is astonishingly chaotic and frightening even for seasoned travelers. Be prepared for a long slow slog in traffic, or, if your driver decides to make the journey at a more practical speed, a hair-raising adventure replete with passing around blind corners and games of chicken with the ubiquitous intercity buses.
Intercity air-conditioned bus(from Colombo) is the next best option to the train. If you are female and traveling alone it is best to either sit next to another female or try to sit as close to the conductor as possible (i.e. up front) to avoid any unnecessary surprises.
As the August moon waxes in the Buddhist month of Esala, one of the most important annual Buddhist celebrations takes over Kandy. During the Kandy Perahera (Esala Perahera) religious ceremony, devotees pray for favourable rains to help cultivate successful crops.
One of Buddhism's most sacred relics, the Sacred Tooth, is taken from the Dalada Maligawa Temple in a golden casket and paraded through the streets of Kandy in a procession of richly decorated elephants, fire-juggling acrobats, dancers, musicians, whip crackers, torch bearers and thousands of barefoot pilgrims and swordsmen.
The old cannon booms after dusk and the Perahera (paraders) take to the streets every night, with the parades growing longer each night until the final night of pageantry, when the parade is at its finest.
Legend has it that the Buddha's tooth was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century AD, hidden in the tresses of a princess. The ceremony has happened every year since around 300 AD. Today, pilgrims visit the golden temple, Sri Dalada Maligawa, throughout the year to catch a glimpse of the golden casket which holds the venerated relic.
Kandy’s biggest attraction is the "Esala Perahara". It is a 10-day pageant which leads up to until the full moon of the month of July. There are two kinds of pageants. The first is called the "Kumbal Perahera" which parades for the first 5 nights. Then the "Randoli Perahera", which parades the last 5 nights. The last night’s Perahera is the grandest of all. Randoli means the ‘Queen’s Palanquin’. Up to 1775 A.D palanquins were carried alongside the elephants in the Perahera. The elephants are dressed in colorful silk costumes.
The number of elephants increases daily making the Perahera more spectacular each night. The Maligawa Perahera is followed by those of the 4 devales (Hindu temples). It is illuminated by torchbearers because it is held in the night.
Ves Dance. The most popular udarata form of dance originated from an ancient purification ritual, the Kohomba Kohomba Kankariya. The dance was propitiatory, never secular, and performed only by males. The elaborate ves costume, particularly the headgear, is considered sacred and is believed to belong to the deity Kohomba.
Naiyandi Dance. Dancers in Naiyandi costume perform during the initial preparations of the Kohomba Kankariya festival, during the lighting of the lamps and the preparation of foods for the demons. The dancer wears a white cloth and white rurban, beadwork decorations on his chest, a waistband, rows of beads around his neck, silver chains, brass shoulder plates, anklets, and jingles. This is a graceful dance, also performed in Maha Visnu (Vishnu) and Kataragama Devales temples on ceremonial occasions.
Uddekki Dance. Uddekki is a very prestigious dance. Its name comes from the uddekki, a small lacquered hand drum in the shape of an hourglass, about seven and half inches (18 centimeters) high, believed to have been given to people by the gods. The two drumskins are believed to have been given by the god Iswara, and the sound by Visnu the instrument is said to have been constructed according to the instructions of Sakra and was played in the heavenly palace of the gods. It is a very difficult instruments to play. The dancer sings as he plays,tightening,the,strings,to-obtain-variations-of-pitch.
Pantheru Dance. The pantheruwa is an instrument dedicated to the goddess Pattini. It resembles a tambourine (without the skin) and has small cymbals attached at intervals around its circumference. The dance is said to have originated in the days of Prince Siddhartha, who became Buddha. The gods were believed to use this instrument to celebrate victories in war, and Sinhala kings employed pantheru dancers to celebrate victories in the battlefield. The costume is similar to that of the uddekki dancer, but the pantheru dancer wears no beaded jacket and substitutes a silk handkerchief at the waist for the elaborate frills of the uddekki dancer.
Kandyan Dancing: This form of dance has developed from the period of Kandyan kings and today is regarded as the national dance of Sri Lanka. The dance imitates movements of animals as there are dancing of elephant and peacock, for example, and also depicts scenes of Ramayana epic or stories of kings and heroes. The costumes of Kandyan dancers are striking; male dancers wear a skirt-like garment with their bare chests decorated with exquisitely silver regalia and spectacular headgear; silver bangles are also worn on the arms and ankles. The performance is companied with hectic rhythms of drums called "gata beraya".
The Kandyan Dance is traditionally performed to percussion only. The most common drum is the Geta Beraya, which is only used in Kandyan Dance. To assist the dancer to keep rhythm a small pair of cymbals knows as the Thalampota is also used. The Vannam's however have lyrics that are sung in tune with the movements of the dancer. These lyrics sing about the virtues of the animal that the Vanna is depicting.
