Kandy, the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, is home to many medieval Buddhist temples. Kandy is Sri Lanka’s second largest city after Colombo, filled with fascinating history, rich culture, and spectacular beauty. Kandy’s lush forests, sprawling mountain ranges, the meandering Kandy Lake, known as the sea of milk, and many distinguished colonial buildings and magnificent Kandy-inspired architecture complete this medieval city. this beautiful and tranquil capital is only 72 miles (115 kilometers) inland, but it boasts exceptional cultural and historical attractions, set amidst forested hills. 

Kandy is known as a pilgrimage destination for the UNESCO world heritage-listed temple of the tooth relic (a sacred tooth of buddha) and is a holy city due to the importance and spiritual significance of this temple. it is also known for the vibrant Kandy Esala Perahera festival, also known as the festival of the tooth, a major 10-day religious celebration every august. located at an altitude of 1,640 feet (500 meters) above sea level and surrounded by the knuckles and hunnasgiriya mountain ranges, temperatures around Kandy are slightly cooler and conditions more pleasant than in the lowlands. an important and established Buddhist site, Kandy was previously known as the city of Senkadagalapura. it served as the last capital of the Sinhalese kingdom before it fell to the British in 1815.