After enjoying a leisurely stroll around the lake ( see the previous article ), it was time for a more action-packed day in Kandy. We started strong with a visit to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic , a major Theravada Buddhist site, then climbed to the Great White Buddha for a beautiful view of the city. And to end on a high note, we enjoyed a traditional dance performance by the lake, booked the day before.
In short, a full day to discover the essentials of this ancient royal capital, listed by UNESCO.
The story of the sacred tooth
Kandy's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is largely due to its Temple of the Tooth. Founded in 1595, it owes its fame to the relic housed there.
As the name of the temple suggests, it is a tooth. Indeed, when Prince Siddhartha Gautama, the last Buddha, died, he was cremated in Kushinagar in India (another major Buddhist pilgrimage site). Among the ashes was found, among other things, an intact tooth which was preserved.
Although the tooth initially remained in India, it eventually arrived in Sri Lanka clandestinely. It stayed in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and then Dambadeniya (at each change of capital...) before being brought to Kandy where it still is today.
This one is in a gold case (more precisely, in a set of cases, 7 boxes stacked like Russian dolls) which is visible to the public only very rarely. This is particularly the case during the procession of the Esala Perahera festival, the 2nd largest celebration in Sri Lanka after the Buddhist New Year (which takes place in April).
I recommend you read the excellent article by my Belgian friends from Un sac sur le dos , who had the chance to attend this exceptional party.
Sri Dalada Maligawa: The temple of the tooth
That's the Sinhalese name for the temple. The entrance fee was 1000 rupees each, and since you have to cover up, Jitima had to pay 200 rupees to rent a sarong because her knees were showing…
Entry is first through a metal detector and a search, largely due to the fact that there was an attack by Tamil separatists in 1998.
Once inside, a few steps give access to a corridor in front of which is the sanctuary of the relic. Upstairs is the altar where the faithful place flowers and come to pray every day in large numbers, often with their families.
Jitima, captivated by the atmosphere of the place and especially by her own Buddhist beliefs, remained for a while in meditation/prayer. This allowed me time to observe the scene of devotion around me and to absorb the atmosphere of the place.
After this moment of serenity, we continued our discovery of the temple. First by taking the time to observe the details of the sculptures decorating the different buildings that make up the temple, then by heading towards the "new palace".
After that, we reached a courtyard. Located behind the sanctuary, there is an audience hall and an ancient court, because the temple enclosure was above all a royal palace.
There is also the Kandy National Museum (which we did not visit), which contains tools, jewelry and weapons dating from the Kingdom of Kandy (between its founding in 1469 and 1815 with the arrival of the British) and from the British colonial era.
The royal and sacred place
Right next to the Temple of the Tooth complex is the royal and sacred square which includes a small temple with a reclining Buddha, a kind of courtyard where mostly women, all dressed in white, gather.
Several of them asked me for a picture of her. It's always weird to get these portrait requests, and as always in these cases, I try to ask for the address so I can send the pictures, which is better than "just" taking the picture, I might as well receive it!
There is also a bodhi tree, the quintessential symbol of Buddhism; as a reminder, it was under a bodhi tree, also called a pagoda fig tree, that the Buddha attained bodhi, that is, enlightenment or supreme knowledge.
It was precisely to make it a strong symbol that the British built a church in these places (Saint Paul's Church) to establish their power, particularly religious.
After visiting the Temple of the Tooth , we were in improvisation mode… because we hadn't really planned anything. It's in moments like these that you appreciate your guidebook; a quick glance allowed us to choose our next stop for the day: the large white Buddha, which we could clearly see from the lake.
Located at the top of the small hill of Bahirawakanda, this Buddha offers a great view of the lake and a good part of the city of Kandy.
Lunch break and stroll in the city center
Before visiting the Buddha, we took some time for lunch. We chose the Bake House , which offers inexpensive snacks; I had a good-sized plate, a picture of which, taken by Jitima, is below:
As indicated on the sketch, the whole thing cost me only 169 Rupees! While Jitima who had a separate dish, had it for 616 Rupees! Appreciating the place, we will return here for our dinner, which will this time cost us 750 Rupees for the 2 of us.
It was also an opportunity for us to wander around the city streets a bit again, before finding a tuk tuk to take us to the viewpoint, realizing after checking that it would be a bit far on foot.
Finally, far, for me it would have been fine, since it was barely more than 1 km, but a good part being uphill (obligatory point of view!), it would have been a little too hard for Jitima ((as a reminder, she is still suffering a little from her recent operation).
The White Buddha from the Kandy viewpoint
It cost us 500 rupees for a tuk-tuk to take us to the top (that included the return trip to town) and 400 rupees (for the two of us) to climb the few steps leading up to the base of the Buddha. Paying the temple entrance fee isn't necessary; the view from the bottom of the stairs is worth it.
The name of the hill, Bahirawakanda, also written Bahirawa kanda in Sinhalese, literally means the hill of the gnome. Indeed, a legend would have it that a gnome fond of fresh flesh haunted this hill, which gave rise to several sacrifices of young virgin girls who, for lack of a gnome, died mainly of dehydration or hunger or even eaten by jackals...
Only the last victim was allegedly saved by her boyfriend who climbed the hill to free her and flee to Colombo, before being able to return to Kandy "thanks" to the arrival of the British in the region, putting an end to this terrible tradition...
Enough with the gloom, here we are at the top of this hill overlooking the city. Admittedly, the view is beautiful , and yet, it doesn't seem to attract many people… It's worth noting that many tour operators only make a quick stop to see the Temple of the Tooth, and that ultimately, Kandy is relatively untouched by tourism. So it's easy to find yourself among the only tourists in the area.
Traditional dance show in Kandy
To conclude this 6th day, marking half of our stay in Sri Lanka , we were going as planned to see the traditional dance show , right next to the Temple of the Tooth, following our visit to the Great White Buddha.
The show started at 17:30 PM, so it's best to arrive a little early to get a decent seat. We paid 500 rupees for the entrance tickets to the Kandyan Art Associations Hall.
We were just early enough to get seats in front, some people reserve seats in advance and are indicated by cards placed on the chairs.
There's plenty of space overall, as the performance takes place in a proper theater with two tiers of seats. However, the general condition leaves something to be desired. We were given a program, which is available in several languages, including French. After a short wait, the show began.
Traditional Kandyan and Low Country Dances
The show consisted of several types of dances , in which the troupe, made up of men and women, shared the roles (meaning the dancers each danced several styles).
The whole thing takes place to the rhythm of drums and songs that accompany the dances. It should be noted that the title of the show here was " Traditional Kandyan and Low Country Dances ".
It's important to know that there are three main types of dance schools in Sri Lanka: the Kandy style (called Kandyan, primarily found in the hills), the southern style (Low Country), and the central style (Sabaragamuwa). Kandy dances have become quintessentially Sinhalese, representing the style of the entire country.
At this show, there were, in order:
- Pooja Dance : Graceful dancing girls carrying oil lamps make an offering (Pooja) of their dancing skills to the deities (Natuma simply means 'dance')
- Panteru Natum : The name of this dance comes from the name of the instrument accompanying it, the panteru, which is a percussion similar to a tambourine.
- Cobra Dance : A dance intended to recreate the undulating movements of the famous snake.
- Mask dance : Also called the devil dance, this dance is part of a ceremony still used to ward off bad luck from a person or family.
- Mayura wannama : Called the peacock dance, it is dressed all in blue that the dancers illustrate seduction like a peacock.
- Raban's Dance : here again the name comes from the name of the percussion accompanying the dancers, the dance itself being close to a circus act since it consists of turning discs on the ends of rods.
- Ves Dance : Exclusively male, this dance is the oldest and was part of a purification ritual.
Then the performers gather to greet the crowd, everyone stands as the national anthem plays. After that, the show is almost over, the highlight being the walking on the embers.
To do this, the performers first perform a blessing ritual to the goddess Pattani (a guardian of the divinities), then they begin to show their "power" to no longer feel pain by rolling the burning torch on the tongue (sensitive souls abstain!) and finally comes the walking on the embers...
Impressive, nothing to say. Hats off to all the artists of this evening!
After that we went to the Queen's hotel, right next to the temple of the tooth to inquire about the bus to go to Dambulla, our next stop.
Did we miss something? Kandy, anyone?
