Recently restored as a museum near the Temple of the Tooth, the Ran Avuda Mandapaya was the Kandyan Kingdom’s royal armory. Housing sacred regalia like the Royal Sword, it managed elite guards and craftsmen, remaining a vital symbol of medieval military administration.
The exhibits of the museum vividly portray 35 lifelike wax figures representing notable individuals from Sri Lankan history. It also exhibits traditional Kandyan architecture, customs, and craftsmanship. There are also themed stalls displaying traditional industries, along with a dedicated dining section that demonstrates how royal meals were prepared in ancient times, complete with authentic recipes.
The title of Adhigar (Adigar) in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka referred to a high-ranking official or noble who held significant administrative and judicial authority. In Sinhala, he is called the Adhikaram. The position was one of the most powerful in the Kandyan court, second only to the king himself. Adhigars were entrusted with overseeing various aspects of governance, including implementing laws, administering justice, and managing royal affairs.
Headman’s Lodge (Muladeni Mandapaya) is an open hall built on wooden pillars with one room at the far end. This building has been built in accordance to the Kandyan Architecture and resembles the Audience Hall of the king of Kandy.
The Ulpange or the Queen’s Bathing Pavilion is situated partly in the waters of the Kandy Lake and the other part on land near the Temple of the Tooth Relic.
Rajapihilla (The Royal Bath) of the ancient kings of Kandy lies hidden on a by lane of Ampitiya Road where no regular tourist visits.
The Maha Vishnu Devalaya is a premier spiritual pillar of Kandy, dedicated to Lord Vishnu as the protective deity of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Rebuilt by King Kirthi Sri Rajasinghe, this architectural gem features a distinctive multi-tiered roof.
The remains we see today of the Royal Palace of Kandy is the residence of the last king of Kandyan Kingdom, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1797 – 1814). But the original palace has been burnt and destroyed several times and rebuilt again by subsequent kings.
At the entrance to the Kandy city as you travel form Colombo we see near the Kandy Police Station, a Hindu Temple popularly known to the Sinhalese as Pillaiyar Kovil dedicated to God Ganesh,
Standing west of Natha Devale, Kandy’s historic Pattini Devale honors the goddess of chastity and healing. This four-century-old shrine, featured in ancient epics and royal processions, boasts elegant Kandyan architecture. Devotees visit this sacred rectangular structure to seek protection from disease, famine, and drought through divine blessings.
The Natha Devalaya is Kandy’s oldest surviving structure, a 14th-century gedige shrine dedicated to Natha, a form of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Standing opposite the Temple of the Tooth, it served as the sacred site for royal coronations and naming ceremonies of the Kandyan Kingdom.
Just above the Malwatu Maha Viharaya in Kandy and near the present Wales Park on the hills is found a small but beautiful old viharaya called Naga Vimanaya. This is a supposed to be a place where Velivita Sri Saranankara Thero lived for some time.
Across the lake from the temple of the Tooth Relic, is situated one of the great centres of the Sangha, belonging to the Siam Nikaya, known as “Malwatu Maha Viharaya”. This great monastery consists of two sections.
The Magul Maduwa, or Audience Hall, in Kandy is a historic wooden pavilion where the last kings of Sri Lanka conducted administrative and judicial duties. Started in 1783, this architectural masterpiece witnessed the 1815 handover of sovereignty to the British and the tragic sentencing of national patriots like Keppatipola Disave.
The Kataragama Devalaya at Kandy is run by Hindu priests unlike the other 3 devales in Kandy. The entrance to the main shrine faces the main street through a colorfully ornamented vahalkada.
Kandy Lake or the Nuwara Wewa was built by the last king of Kandy (and of Sri Lanka), Sri Wikrama Rajasinhe to beatify the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa) by excavating paddy fields in 1807. He called this artificial lake the :Kiri Muhuda” or the Milky Ocean.
The Sri Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth Relic) in Kandy, the temple which houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha, is possibly the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the world. It is venerated not only by Buddhists in Sri Lanka but by Buddhists all over the world.
Rising up above the Kandy town its just 2 km from the Dalada maligawa the temple of the Sacred tooth relic. The name “Bahirawa Kanda” means the gnome mountain.
North from the lake is situated the Asgiri Raja Maha Viharaya, the other monastic center of the Siyam Nikaya founded by Commander Siriwardhana at the inquest of Parakramabahu IV of Kurunegala (1305-1335 A.D.).
