One thing I realized while traversing this Island nation, it’s much more than just the white-sand beaches! The greatest train journey in the world and the glorious ancient religious sites are what make Sri Lanka a perfect Holiday destination. This is where Kandy’s role comes in. Home to the mystic hills with the passing by epic blue train carriages, meandering rivulets, the charming tea gardens, and host to a myriad of undisputed religious and cultural sites is the city of Kings, the Kandy!
This city of delightful chaos never fails to excite me even if I visit it countless.
The best-known temple of the tooth relic is the number one to be explored first. The gilded-roofed temple sits north of Kandy lake within the palace complex of the erstwhile Kandyan kingdom. The legendary tooth relic of actual buddha is housed inside several golden caskets makes it the most sacred Buddhist site in Sri Lanka.
The royal botanical gardens of Peradeniya, lying just 5 km from Kandy city is worth breaking a sweat. This massive and most extensive garden in Sri Lanka is insanely grand to keep you wondering for a day. Showcasing Sri Lanka’s unique fauna, The gardens are full of insta-worthy spots like the avenue of royal palms, a popular narrow and scary suspension bridge, palm-framed pathways, cannonball fruit tree, high Burma bamboo, and of course a giant fig tree with its gigantic central trunk and umbrella-like canopy of branches. Be surprised to see roosting fruit bats hanging in some fir trees.
Jump in a tuk-tuk tour of three temple loop; Gadaladeniya Viharaya, Embekke, and Lankathilaka in the lush countryside of Gampola, far away from the hustling downtown Kandy. These three temples are exemplary to the extensive Buddhist craftsmanship and the rich heritage.
The epic train ride from Kandy to Ella is probably the most joyous and picturesque train ride in the entire world. It whistles every time it pulls out of a station and honks loud with the rhythmic clackety-clack of the wheels running over the tracks. The train chugs through the dramatic views of the misty forest, verdant tea gardens, waterfalls cascading high from the mountains, and the scenic towns.
Try avoiding a visit in the middle of April as Sinhalese New Year falls in this period. My favorite region could be too overwhelming with the crowd all over.