Kandy

Kandy is originally known as Maha Nuvara, which means capital or great city. This present name is an anglicized version of the local name Kanda Uda Rata. Approximately between 1357 and 1374 CE, the city of Kandy was established by King Wickramabahu II. According to the historical records, Kandy is also referred as Senkadagalapura. It is believed that the name Senkadagalapura has been given after a Brahmin named Senkanda.
In 15th century, Senasammata Wickremabahu came to power. Later important rulers of Kandy were King Jayaweera Astan, Karalliyadde Bandara and Konappu Bandara. The Sri Lankan city of Kandy came under the foreign rules of the Portuguese, Dutch and British rulers.
Kandy is identified as a Heritage City by UNESCO. This city is also recognized as cultural capital of the country. A number of Buddhist temples are located in the district of Kandy. The Temple of Tooth and Huduhumpola Vihara are important places of interest in Kandy.
The modern city of Kandy is a noted place for Buddhist pilgrims and it is also considered to be an important religious center of the Sinhalese. This city functions as the capital of the Central Province of Sri Lanka and is also the second largest city of this country.

Kandy Map

08:16 AM Thursday September 16th, 2010

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