Kandy is one of our most beautiful cities.It is awarren of roads that no outsider can maneuver through with ease. Yet one can walk within its green precincts and explore.
In Kandy’s very heart is the peaceful mirror-lake. It reflects the roofs of the Maligawa housing the sacred tooth relic and the overhanging trees, with only gliding pelicans to disturb the glassy surface. Despite this smoothness, the lake’s history is full of turbulence and blood.
Called Kiri muhuda or ‘the milk ocean’ (after a feature of Hindu mythology), the lake was the work of the last Sinhalese king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe.
This lake is the watery grave of the chatelaine and young ladies of the Ehelepola Walawwa (manor house). As Ehelepola, the aristocratic rebel, could not be caught, his family had to pay the price. Stones were tied to their necks before they were cast into the water, and up to this day people claim to see in moonless nights the ‘kumarihamy’ (the lady of the manor) brooding by the lake. A more grim tale has it that the same king impaled, on the reservoir bund, one hundred advisors who advised him against building the lake.
Today, all that is another country; ‘the time of kings’; part of storyland. The shady lake round is all peace and calm. The vista is dominated by the Maligawa with its majestic red and gold roofs. The cool water and deep shade in its very center is a blessing to the city, like the sacred relic of the Buddha enshrined in the Maligawa.
Surrounding the lake is a host of important institutions: famed temples, shrines, schools; all built on what is technically Maligawa land.
But the lake round, of course, is only a part of Kandy. When you venture out of this charmed circle, things get crowded, congested, noisy. A long time ago, the land was wet montane forest with gurgling streams, chattering monkeys and beautiful upland flora like orchids, not to mention bigger fauna.
But there’s no reason to rush the Lake Round experience. There is so much to experience in this small core of Kandy, it will take much more than a day or two. Kandyan architecture appears solid with stout pillars and tiled roofs, but there is intricacy and minutiae in the details inside, like stylized woodcarvings, exquisite metal work, and quaint murals. Through its art royal Kandy still survives.
Also, for some traditional Kandyans, their home is still set apart from the rest of the country. The ‘low country’ is another land.
A pleasant element in the heart of Kandy is the bakeshops. The smell of freshly baked goodies pervades a section of the city. It’s nice to drop in on a weekend morning, and savour Kandy breads or croissants, for the stamp of Kandy is visible on everything coming out of its town. It is a unique town.