Kandy, the cultural capital of the island of Sri Lanka, is one of the most beautiful royal cities, and is situated in the highlands on Lake Kandy.

The "Palace of the Holy Teeth" is considered the most important pilgrimage site in the country and belongs to the Sinhalese royal palace, is entered via a "Treshold Stone".

The "Court of the Drummers" houses the "Golden Shrine" in its centre, the entrance to which is flanked by giant elephant tusks. This temple was built to house an extraordinary shrine: the oversized upper right canine tooth of Gautama Buddha, brought in the hair of a princess from India in the 4th century. The old royal palace within this walled complex, which is relatively small compared to the Tooth Temple, allows us to understand the importance of religion here.

Peradeniya is the name of the royal Botanical Garden, which was laid out on the outskirts of the city in 1371 as the king's pleasure garden. In 1821, the British established a botanical research station here and 3 years later the first tea bushes were planted on the island.

With over 4,000 plant species and around 10,000 giant trees of all kinds and a fascinating array of different garden designs.

Traditions from the time of the last kings of Kandy give an insight into the art of dance in Sri Lanka. Like the Devil Dance, the Harvest Dance and the Fire Dance. In Kandy, living culture is taught as a binding link to religion.