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The colonial rulers called it Kandy for Kanda in Sinhala, meaning a hill.
Kandy was also the last kingdom of Sri Lanka before the country fell to the British. Kandy sits pretty in a cool valley 110kms eastward of Colombo.
Today a bustling commercial city, Kandy is famous for the huge cultural pageants that take place in the streets in July when thousands of drummers and dancers perform accompanying a parade of ornamented elephants. The leading tusker carries a tooth of Lord Buddha.
Temples of Kandy : Some Temples of Kandy are Dalada Maligawa, Malwatta ana Asgiriya Monastries, Gadaladeniya, Lankatilaka and Embekkae Temples, etc.
Handcrafts : Kandy is famous for its hand-made silver jewellery and traditional craftsmen working in bronze. Kandy is synonymous with arts and crafts of Sri Lanka than anywhere else in the country. It is probably because the Kandy is where all elite who patronised these crafts survived during 300 years of war with the Europeans. Kandy is probably the best place to buy most of the handicrafts produced in Sri Lanka because there are number of shops catering to the tourists. Tourists could watch local crafts coming into life at the At the Kandyan Art Association.
Festivals : The Kandy Perahera is one of Asia's outstanding pageants and few can compare with it in antiquity, grandeur or barbaric splendor. Taking place once a year in Kandy, it is held for two weeks in July or August - the actual dates depending on the phases of the moon.
Sri Dalada Museum : The latest institution added to the Dalada Shrine is the ` Sri Dalada Museum '.Ever since the Tooth Relic shrine was established in Kandy, different grades of visitors and devotees, ranging from the Roylty and Heads of States to the poorest of the general public, have been offering various gifts to the Sacred Tooth Relic, and these were preciously protected in specially built store-rooms by the successive line of Diyawadana Nilames.
Handlooms : Once thriving handloom industry is now slowly picking up with many upto date designs suitable for modern living. These include shirting, saris and especially upholstery materials.
Furniture : Most popular furniture among the tourists is the Dutch and British era reproductions.
Gems : Ratnapura has been the main source of gems for many centuries
and most of the Country's gem dealers are located in this town. Most gem cutting
centers also offers gems to be set into jewellary by the visitors. Gems are
also available at jewellary shops around the country. The Gem Exchange in Colombo
houses many Gem dealers and a government valuation service.
For
more pictures visit our photogallery.
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