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We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
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- Destinations
- Asia
- Sri Lanka
- Colombo
- Kandy
Kandy
The relaxed and peaceful atmosphere of the town of Kandy in the
heart of Sri Lanka's hill country, about 75 miles (120km) from
Colombo, is probably the result of being beautifully situated
around a tranquil lake in a bowl of hills. The town is also the
bastion of the island's pervasive Buddhist faith, and plays host to
the country's most venerated religious relic, the sacred tooth of
Buddha. The octagonal Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth,
attracts hundreds of pilgrims to daily ceremonies honouring the
relic, and each year in July and August the tooth is carried in
procession on an elephant during the ancient Esala Perahera parade.
According to legend, the tooth was taken from Buddha as he lay on
his funeral pyre and was smuggled to Sri Lanka hidden in the hair
of a princess in the 4th century. Visitors can't actually see the
tooth as it's in a casket, but the temple is an interesting place
all the same. The ancient city also sports a good museum, the
lovely Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, a bird sanctuary and an
auditorium where folk dances are performed and local crafts are on
display.
Information & Facts
Language
Most people speak Sinhala, which is the national and
official language. Tamil is also spoken, and English is spoken at
most tourist establishments.
Money
The unit of currency is the Sri Lanka Rupee (LKR), which is
divided into 100 cents. Major credit cards are widely accepted, and
travellers cheques in US Dollars are recommended. ATMs are becoming
more common, but outside the main cities they are unlikely to
accept international cards. Credit cards should be used with
caution due to the potential for fraud. Foreign currency can be
exchanged at bureaux de change, banks and hotels, but exchanging
cash is more expensive than exchanging travellers cheques. Banks
are closed on Sundays.
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