Kandy
(2001 pop. 105,000). Kandy is an ancient capital city situated in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, some 120 kilometers inland by rail from the capital of Colombo. Its hilly location is 560 meters above sea level. Kandy is chiefly famous among Buddhists for the Dalada Malagawa, the Temple of the Tooth, which enshrines as a relic a purported tooth of the Buddha. There are a dozen other Buddhist temples and several Hindu ones. In the center of the town is a beautifully placed artificial lake, constructed by the last king, Sri Vikrama Raja Singha (reigned 1798–1815), in 1806. Nearby, at Peredeniya, a fine botanical garden and the main campus of the University of Sri Lanka can be seen.
In 1472–1473, the city became the capital of a Sinhalese kingdom under Vimala Dharma (reigned 1592–
A row of stores on a street in Kandy, Sri Lanka. (CHARLES & JOSETTE LENARS/CORBIS)
1604). In 1763, it was occupied by the Dutch. Forty years later, the British took possession of the territory, but the garrison was subsequently massacred, and it was only in 1814–1815 that Sri Vikrama Raja Singha was defeated and dethroned. From 1815 to 1948, the kingdom formed part of the British Crown Colony of Ceylon.
A particular style of ritual dancing, called Kandyan dance or "devil dancing," has developed in this area. It is typically marked by loud drumming and stamping with the feet splayed wide apart. It is best observed during the great annual religious procession through the city, called the Perahera.
Paul Hockings
Further Reading
Seneviratne, Henry L. (1978) Rituals of the Kandyan State. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.
This complete Kandy contains 265 words. This
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