landmark
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist temple, housing a relic of the tooth of Buddha in the hillside city of Kandy.
1 km · about 5 min drive
AsiaSri LankaCentral Province
Kandy
Central Province, Sri Lanka · Asia
About Kandy
Kandy is worth a stop: 25 minutes from Kadugannawa, 56km from Adam's Peak (Sri Pada).
Kandy is in Central Province, Sri Lanka, with about 110,000 people. The nearest town is Kadugannawa, about 13 km away.
Kandy (Sinhala: මහනුවර, romanised: Mahanuwara [mahanuʋərə] ; Tamil: கண்டி, romanised: Kaṇṭi [ˈkaɳɖi] ) is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the KandyRead more
plateau. Kandy is the administrative capital of the Central Province, and considered as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, due to its architectural heritage. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most important places of the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Kandy?
Within an hour or so of Kandy: Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic (1 km), Ambuluwawa Tower (17 km), Ramboda Falls (26 km), Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) (56 km).
Where is Kandy?
Kandy is in Central Province, Sri Lanka, about 13 km from Kadugannawa.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 111,701
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Region
- Central Province
- Timezone
- Asia/Colombo
- Coordinates
- 7.2906, 80.6336
Tags
Worth the detour from Kandy
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
photogenic
Ambuluwawa Tower
A vertigo-inducing spiral tower on a hilltop near Gampola whose staircase narrows to shoulder width and ends with no handrail, giving a 360-degree view over the central highlands.
17 km · about 20 min drive
waterfall
Ramboda Falls
A 109 m waterfall in two tiers falling right beside the A5 at Ramboda Pass, on the tea-estate road between Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. Visible from the highway without leaving the car.
26 km · about 30 min drive
natural wonder
Adam's Peak (Sri Pada)
A 2,243 m conical peak sacred to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike, climbed overnight by pilgrims up thousands of steps to reach the summit footprint shrine at dawn.
56 km · about 65 min drive
natural wonder
World's End, Horton Plains
A sheer escarpment in Horton Plains National Park dropping about 1,200 m straight off the edge of the highland plateau. Best before 10am, before cloud fills the void.
59 km · about 70 min drive
Driving roads near Kandy
- 66 kmNine Arch Bridge, DemodaraA soaring colonial-era railway viaduct of brick and stone curving through tea-clad jungle near Ella. A short drive-and-walk brings you trackside as blue trains rumble across its nine arches.
- 71 kmLipton's SeatThe ridge above Dambatenne where Thomas Lipton surveyed his tea empire, at 1,970 m. The narrow road climbs through Lipton's own estate and on a clear morning the view runs to the southern coast.
When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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