Kandy
Sign in to saveKandy ( ; ) 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 Kandy 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 Buddh
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Kandy is a major city in central Sri Lanka that served as the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy until 1818 and is now considered the cultural capital of the country due to its architectural heritage and historic significance. The city is home to the Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of Buddhism's most important sacred sites, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
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Place details
- Locality
- Kandy
- Region
- Central Province
- Country
- Sri Lanka
- Population
- 111,701
Article
40 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Founding
- Kandyan Kingdom
- Colonial era
- Contemporary Kandy
- Geography and climate
- Topography
- Climate
- Cityscape
- Neighbourhoods
- Wards
- Government
- Demographics
- Census of population (2012)
- Economy
- Health care
- Infrastructure
- Transportation
- Air
- Roads
- Rail
- Architecture
- Temple of the Tooth
- Royal Palace
- Lankatilaka Temple
- Gadaladeniya Temple
- Parks and gardens
- Education
- Primary and secondary education
- Tertiary education
- Culture
- Leisure and entertainment
- Literature, film and television
- Sport
- Twin towns and sister cities
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Kandy ( ; ) 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 Kandy 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.
== Etymology == The city and the region have been known by many different names and versions of those names. Some scholars suggest that the original name of Kandy was Katubulu Nuwara located near the present Watapuluwa. However, the more popular historical name is Senkadagala or Senkadagalapura, officially Senkadagala Siriwardhana Maha Nuwara (meaning 'great city of Senkadagala of growing resplendence'), generally shortened to 'Maha Nuwara'. According to folklore, this name originated from one of the several possible sources. One being the city was named after a brahmin with the name Senkanda who lived in a cave nearby, and another being a queen of Vikramabahu III was named Senkanda, and after a coloured stone named Senkadagala. In addition, there is another idea that the ancient name Senkadagala was born from the name of Lord Vishnu, who was also known as Chenkatan. The Kingdom of Kandy has also been known by various names. The English name Kandy, which originated during the colonial era, is derived from an anglicised version of the Sinhala Kanda Uda Rata (meaning the land on the mountain) or Kanda Uda Pas Rata (the five counties/countries on the mountain). The Portuguese shortened this to "Candea", using the name for both the kingdom and its capital. In Sinhala, Kandy is called Maha Nuwara, meaning "Great City" or "The Capital", although this is most often shortened to Nuwara in daily use.