COLOMBO / PINNAWALA / KANDY / COLOMBO

Meet and greet by Serendipity Tours representative and leave for Kandy, en-route visits,

SPICE GARDEN
Visit a spice garden in Matale, where they grow the spices and herbs used in Sri Lankan cuisine and medicine. Spices of Sri Lanka attracted the early seafaring merchants who made the long voyages to purchase this precious merchandise.

KANDY
A ruled in Kandy up to 1815, although the rest of the island was under the British regime. Finally, it was ceded to them by the Chieftains of Kandy, who were disappointed over the king’s cruel deeds. Today, Kandy is one of the most important cities because of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth of the Buddha.

Visit the Temple of Tooth Relic in Kandy and enjoy a typical Sri Lankan Cultural Show of Drumming Dancing music, and firewalking.

TEMPLE OF THE TOOTH
Sri Dalada Maligawa (Sinhala), or Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is situated in the royal palace complex, which houses the Tooth Buddha Relic. The relic has played an important role in local politics since ancient times because it is believed that whoever holds it holds the country's governance. Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings and is a world heritage site, partly because of the temple.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the edifice that enshrines the Buddha's sacred tooth, located within the royal palace complex in Kandy. The sacred relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BC and since has been closely associated with the royalty of the island nation, with magnificent temples built to enshrine it in every kingdom. Kandy, also known as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, is famous for the mesmerizing pageant ‘Esala Perehera’ that is held annually in the months of July and August to honor the sacred Tooth Relic. The golden canopy over the main shrine, built in 1987, and the golden fence that encircles the main shrine are other notable features of the temple.

KANDY LAKE
The last Sinhalese king of Kandy, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, converted a large paddy field adjoining the Temple of the Tooth to build this lake in 1807. Its architect was Devendra Moolacharya. There was also a dam across the paddy fields, starting from the Pattiruppuwa (Octagon) side, where the steps leading into the lake by the Mahamaluwa (Great Terrace) are still visible. Today, Kandy Lake undoubtedly enhances the city’s beauty with the unique wall ‘Diyarali Bamma’ depicting ripples of water surrounding it.

ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTER
Arts and crafts are an integral part of Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage. During the Kandyan Kingdom, arts and crafts received royal patronage, which included the formation of guilds, payment standardization, and even the imposition of penalties for bad work. Sri Lankan handicrafts maintain their characteristic identity due to the preservation of traditional skills in their purity.
The Sri Lankan dancer, drummer, musician, artist, and craftsman all continue to contribute significantly to Sri Lanka’s vibrant culture, and a visitor can easily experience the mesmerizing beauty of the traditional Kandyan dance whilst on holiday, purchase authentic arts and crafts, and explore the colorful and intricate murals in historic temple walls.

People all over the world love Sri Lanka's arts and crafts, which are available for purchase in major Sri Lankan cities like Kandy and Colombo. One of the best places to buy souvenirs in Sri Lanka is Kandy, where a large number of shops dedicated to traditional arts and crafts line up on the Kandy-Colombo main road.

THE ROYAL PALACE
The last king to reside in the Royal Palace was King Sri Wickrama Rajasinhe, until he was overthrown by the British in 1815 with the aid of Kandyan chieftains. Once part of a large palace complex that included the Raja Wasala (King’s Palace), Magul Maduwa (Royal Audience Hall), Meda Wasala (Queens’ Palace), Palle Wasala (King’s Harem Quarters), and Ulpange (Queen’s Bathing Pavilion), together with the Temple of the Tooth.

NATIONAL MUSEUM
The Kandy National Museum, opened in 1942, is located next to the sacred Temple of the Tooth and is housed in a section of the Royal Palace where the King’s concubines resided. This museum has over 5000 objects on display, and among the most impressive exhibits are King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe II's golden crown and a copy of the 1815 treaty known as the ‘Kandyan Convention’ by which, on March 2, 1815, Ceylon ceded to the British, ending 2,357 years of monarchy.

AUDIENCE HALL
The ‘Magul Maduwa’, a finely carved masterpiece in timber, is where the king met his ministers and carried out his daily administrative tasks. Many historic events have taken place at this location, and it was here that the British handed over the death sentences to the Sri Lankan national heroes Keppatipola Disave and Madugalle Disave. A replica of the Royal Audience Hall of Kandy was constructed in granite in Colombo in 1948 to commemorate Sri Lanka’s independence from the British.

BOTANICAL GARDEN
The Botanical Garden of Peradeniya was a pleasure garden of a Kandyan King of the 16th century and was later made into a Botanical Garden during the British regime. This garden, one of the best in Asia, is a place of beauty and a site for bird watchers.

CITY & SHOPPING
The city tour will include places of tourist interest such as Kandy Lake, historical churches, Buddhist Hindu temples, tea gardens, tea factories, a gem museum, and a handicraft center.

Shopping at
Silk garden, Hemachandra jewelry, Barefoot, etc.

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