By: Shoubhik Bose & Debanjana Maitra
Shoubhik and Debanjana are senior software engineers based in Boston.They are passionate about travelling and pack their bags to embark upon new adventures whenever they can.
The City Of Kandy, Central Province
The last capital of the Sri Lankan Kings
From Unawatunta we took a tuk-tuk to the Galle Fort railways station and bought a ticket to Colombo Fort.
We had had reserved train tickets from Colombo to Kandy which we had bought two days prior to our trip at the counter.
In short, we took a train from Galle to Colombo, had lunch at the Ministry of Crab — a signature Sri Lankan restaurant opened by the cricketer Kumar Sangakkara, and then took the connecting train to Kandy!
The train ride from Galle to Colombo was picturesque with the Indian ocean on the left.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy.
The temple houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha.
For the belief had taken root among the royalty and the people that whoever possesses the sacred Tooth had the legitimate right to rule the land.
The highlight of our visit to Kandy was the annual Buddhist festival of Perahera.
The empty streets, early closure of business hours and shutdown of schools was the build-up to the evening processions which is attended by Buddhists and tourists all of the world.
Every year the festival is held in July and August to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha.
The Perahera, a gathering of Buddhists from around the world, consists of a procession of fire-dances, whip-dances and many Kandyan dances.
The elephants are adorned with lavish garments, one of which carries the auspicious relic casket.
To Be Continued….
