Kandy carries the oldest procession in Sri Lanka through its streets each Esala, and keeps the temple, the lake and the hill country open for the rest of the year.
The city itself
Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic
The spiritual heart of the city and a UNESCO World Heritage site, where the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha has been enshrined since the sixteenth century. Daily thevava ceremonies are announced by drums.
Kiri Muhuda, the Sea of Milk
Open access, lakeside path lit until 22:00
147 acres of collections
Daily 07:30 - 17:00
The white Buddha above the city
Daily 07:00 - 20:00
What is on
Festival
, Nightly from 19:30
Sri Dalada Veediya and central Kandy
Culture
, 18:00 - 20:30
Kandy Cultural Centre
Nature
, 08:00 - 17:00
Royal Botanical Gardens, Peradeniya
Take part
The udarata tradition is not staged for visitors. It belongs to the temple calendar and to the workshops around the valley, and you are welcome to stand in it.
Culture
The ves natuma and the geta bera drum are the signature of the hill country. Evening performances at the cultural centre run through the full cycle of dances and end with a fire walk.
1 hour · Nightly at 17:00
Culture
Three times a day the inner chamber of the Sri Dalada Maligawa opens to the sound of drums and horanewa. Dress in white, cover shoulders and knees, and arrive twenty minutes early.
45 minutes · 05:30, 09:30 and 18:30 daily
Nature
Walk the plucking fields with an estate guide, follow the leaf through withering and rolling, then taste the day's grades side by side in the factory tasting room.
Half day · 06:30 - 11:00
Craft
The carving villages east of Kandy still cut the lotus, liya vela and mythical beast motifs that decorate temple timber. Workshops take two hours and you keep what you carve.
2 hours · Weekday mornings
From the notice board
Tourism Department
Provincial figures show sustained growth in overnight stays, with the strongest increase in visitors staying three nights or longer to reach the surrounding hill country.
Kandy Municipal Council
Resurfacing of the northern promenade and repairs to the walled parapet are scheduled for completion before the Esala season, with night lighting upgraded along the full circuit.
Sri Dalada Maligawa
The Maligawa has published the nightly procession order for the ten-night festival, together with guidance on dress, photography and designated public viewing areas.
Department of Archaeology
Conservators have started stabilising four carved moonstones at the entrance to the old palace complex, using a reversible consolidant trialled at Polonnaruwa.
Trains, buses and tuk tuks, a map of the sacred precinct, and the government bodies behind every listing on this site. Ticketing stays with the organisers.