Monday, March 19, 2012

Kandy

Esala Perahera
This festival celebrates the Relic Tooth of Lord Buddha which is carried out in a procession for the people to worship and rejoice in its holy vibe.
It is widely well known for the grand show it puts up, with beautiful costumes, well choreographed dances, and decorated elephants. Considered a symbol of Sri Lanka, the Kandy Festival is said to be a culmination to rituals dating back centuries.
One of the rituals was the Esala Perahera, performed to ask the Gods for rain and the other ritual was the Dalada Perahera which celebrates the Relic Tooth of Buddha coming to Sri Lanka. The entire festival originates back to the time of King Rajasinghe in the 18th century who decided to give the public a chance to worship the otherwise secretly kept Relic Tooth.
The processions start with a kappa, where a sacred jackfruit tree is cut and planted in the divine premises dedicated to guardian gods. This is expected to provide more blessings for the royal family and following that Peraheras takes place which includes priests from the premises of the four Devales taking the pole each evening. This is also accompanied by drumming, music, flag and canopy bearers donning sacred badges of the Gods, called Ran Ayudha.
There are many more rituals involved in this ceremony which lasts several days and it takes a great deal of organisation to get right the premiere Sri Lankan festival which has come to define an entire nation.
The high number of visitors, both Sri Lankan and foreign, has also contributed greatly to the current tourism and local industries around Kandy. Despite a peak time rise in travel fares and accommodation, the businesses stay in great demand because of the significance of Kandy Festival

Shopping

Taking a trip to the second largest city of Sri Lanka would be incomplete without dedicating a day completely to shopping. It can be either the traditional handicrafts or antiques or Batiks that fill up the shopping bags as you walk out of the colorful shops lining up the streets, but one thing is for sure, the bags sure won’t return empty!
The heart of the city is definitely where you’d love to start your shopping expeditions from. And vying your attention and those hard earned pennies are several fashion studios with the latest collection of the local specialties. You can either get a souvenir for your loved ones back home or choose an exclusive piece of Batik to please your spouse – the choice is entirely yours! Jewelries and accessories with a special touch of Sri Lankan tourism imprinted on them, clothes with royal or religious motifs with a choice of prints and colors are also available here.
If you belong to the category of prolific shoppers whose aesthetic sense craves for showpieces and exclusive works of art, then taking a short trip to Lasala may be just what you need to make vacation to the island country truly memorable. A Batik Wall Hanging or a Mask or a Sculpture depicting a historic figure or one having engravings – you can make your choice according to your preferences and requirements. Also a popular choice among the travelers is the Waruna Antiques, which has a good stock of masks, jewelry, temple paintings and other popularly demanded memoirs and souvenirs.

Tea

Hill Capital or Cultural Capital or even Tea Capital – Kandy has earned quite a few nick names, so to say!
So what role does Kandy tea, play in the historic development of tea industry in Sri Lanka? The city had quite a significant part to play in catalyzing the entire process of production as well as commercialization of tea plantations across the island nation.
Back then in the end of the 19th century, when Sri Lanka was referred to as Ceylon, Kandy made quite an impact in the international tea market – having attained the position of the administrative capital for tea growers in the country - it has carried forward the tradition ever since. Coming back from a trip to Kandy without a pack of Kandy tea in the shopping bags is something that can’t be even imagined!
What made Kandy important in the world map of tea plantations are a suitable climate and the central location, which makes it quite easily reachable from neighboring tea growing areas. All this worked wonders for this city as a tea growing major and made it a popular destination among those with a sustainable interest in growing tea as well as tasting tea!
To add to this, the city even has a hotel offering exclusive tea trails to the travelers to Kandy. And, if this isn’t enough for a tea-full trip then do remember to drop in at the Ceylon Tea Museum, which not only offers a glimpse into the historic development of tea industry in Kandy but also gives a fair idea about the entire process that contributes in churning out that refreshing taste from a green tea leaf!

Kandy doesn’t just have a singular mountain standing out from the rest of the peaks, but a few beautiful set of mountain peaks which together form the lovely mountain ranges of Kandy.

Knuckles Mountain rangeThe Hanthana Mountain range and Knuckles Mountain range are significant topographical characteristics found in Kandy. While the former has been declared an environmental protection zone, the other consists of a series of folds which give it a knuckle shaped appearance.
The Hanthana Mountain range is made up of various peaks which make this mountain a high solid favourite of mountain hikers. At 3,800 feet above sea level, the mountain also has the University of Peradeniya neighbouring it.

Knuckles Mountain range has a number of folds and peaks to the West which, when viewed from a certain distance, looks like a clenched human fist. Admittedly the name was given by the British while the local people still called it Dumbara Kanduvetiya.
The name is derived from the Sinhalese translation of ‘mist laden mountain’ which goes quite a distance in accurately describing the climate of the mountain – mostly covered in thick layers of cloud. The massif of the mountain is said to be the meeting point of all the climatic patterns in Sri Lanka. It also contains a great range of animal and plant life; some of which don’t exist elsewhere in the world.
In fact these features attract a large number of tourists who are especially enthusiastic about trekking and camping. The physical features along with the bio diversity are explored by these groups as the overall ambience of the mountain is absorbed.
In fact the trails and other trekking features provided by the topography are considered the absolute best by trekkers. The mountains are also blessed with waterfalls, fresh water streams, and magnificent caves, which make the experience of visiting these mountain ranges, truly fascinating.

Peradeniya Garden
It’s a rainbow of colors at the Peradeniya Garden! Located just a few miles away from the heart of Kandy, the Royal Botanical Gardens, as it is also known to the travelers, can be just the right destination to spend a sunny day out with family and friends.
According to official records the initial signs of a botanical garden, being a part of the city’s outer precincts, can be traced back to as early as the 14th century. However, it was only after the British gained control of the region that the garden saw proper maintenance and beautification measures being taken. Earlier it was the site of a temple (built by King Wimala Dharma).
Orchids, medicinal plants and herbs as well as other decorative plants have been an integral part of this garden, adding on to its popularity among the travelers to Kandy. If natural beauty is what appeases you and if it’s their company that you desire then there can hardly be any competitor to the Peradeniya Garden, in this regard.
The garden includes 300 plus variants of the original species of plants and herbs, as mentioned above, spread across a sprawling landscape of 147 hectares. Adored by the residents and the vacationers alike, the garden makes for a perfect getaway for those who wish to spend some time away from the city. Not that it is any less crowded than the places of attraction located in Kandy, with a whopping 1.2 million visitors choosing the garden as their destination of choice, every year!
What’s more? You can also go for snack breaks or dig into a proper Sri Lankan meal at the restaurant located within the garden, offering quite a number of local specialties along with a choice of beverages.
-extract from www.kandycity.org