Hill Country - Kandy Lake Photo and Text by Siri
"Maha Nuwara," or the Great City, in Sinhala language, Kandy is located just 60 miles northeast of Colombo in the hill country. Kandy was the last capital of Sinhala kings, and now, is the cultural, historical and religious center of the country. At 1,600 feet (488 meters), Verdant tea estates, tropical jungles, swiftly flowing rivers and waterfalls surround this once great city. Maha Nuwara became a religious center in the 13/14 centuries and a political center following the fall of Polonnaruwa. When the Portugese invaded in Sri lanka in 1505 and took firm control of the low lands, the Sinhala rulers moved their kingdom to the safety of "kanda", or hill, later anglicized to Kandy. ||- Next -||- Previous -||- Page One -||