For the inquisitive traveler, Sri Lanka has many things to offer, be it culture, nature, or history. Our trip to Sri Lanka was packed with all these delights. Hobnobbing with the gorgeous locales and culture, we reached Kandy from Sigiriya. The Lion Fortress at Sigiriya was a trip back to ancient times and the experience had left us overwhelmed.
Next, we were eager to soak in some spirituality at Kandy. The tour operator had arranged for some events like cultural song and dance and a visit to the art and craft museums in the afternoon. The events gave a glimpse into the country’s culture and were quite an experience.
But what we were truly waiting for was the visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth in the cultural city of Kandy. Also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, the temple is believed to house the left upper canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself and is a famous center of Buddist faith.
The Temple History
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth was built by the Kandyan Kings between 1687 and 1707, to honor the sacred tooth relic. The temple itself has badly damaged during the 18th century colonial wars against the Portuguese and Dutch, and the wooden structures were subsequently rebuilt using more robust stone. In more recent years, the temple was damaged by Hindu Tamil separatists in 1998, although once again, the tooth relic was unharmed.
The Temple Architecture
The visitors need to leave their shoes at the shoe counter to visit the temple. Many offer flowers at the temple to offer their respects to the Lord. The red and white buildings of the temple cluster around the Kandy Lake. The interiors of the building are richly carved and decorated with woods and ivory. The stone wall around the temple is delicately carved and the entire building lights up in the evening.
The relic of the tooth is kept in a two-story inner shrine fronted by two large elephant tusks. The relic rests on a solid gold lotus flower, encased in jeweled caskets that sit on a throne.
The temple is joined to the Pattiripuwa (Octagon) tower, built-in 1803, that was originally a prison but now houses a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts. The king’s palace is also in the temple compound.
Evening at Kandy:
There are plenty of stay options at Kandy. We stayed at Oak ray serene garden hotel. The rooms were spacious and the food was divine. A band in fact at the dinner especially played Hindi songs to entertain us, making our candlelit dinner truly romantic. What was interesting to note the multi-linguistic skills of the band. They not only played the Bollywood numbers but also went to each table and sang a number in the language of their choice.
After the romantic dinner, beautiful music, and some amazing experiences, the next morning, we started for Nuwara Elia – The “Little England” of Sri Lanka,
