The place is one of the most sacred location in Sri Lanka. The sacred tooth of lord buddha which was brought in ancient time sits over there. The history tells that it was brought to Kandy when king “Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe” ruled Sri Lanka. Since then sacred tooth of lord buddha located in the royal palace complex or nowadays we called it as Sri Dalada Maligawa.
How to get there ?
If you are a local visitor get a train, bus or taxi to Kandy. After a big round of Kandy lake, you can see the entrance of Sri Dalada Maligawa.
If you are expecting to come from Colombo Bandaranayka International Airport, take a fast ride through Katunayaka express highway, and take the exit from Kadwatha, then take the direct route to Kandy. Otherwise after arriving to Colombo Bandaranayka International Airport, drive to Kurunagala, Mathale to Kandy .
Here are some useful links about travel around in Sri lanka,
Sri Dalada Maligawa Enterence
Nowadays Sri Dalada Maligawa is one of the most high security places in Sri Lanka. There are 2 security check points. One is located near the main gate of Maligawa and other is situated nearby the temple entrance.
Dress code to Sri Dalada Maligawa
- No slippers or shoes
- Cover the shoulder who wear the arm cut
- No hats or caps
- Cover the knee who wear short skirts, dress or shorts
Sri Dalada Maligawa Thevava
Best time to go Sri Dalada Maligawa is early morning and late evening. If you can try to participate to the special event over there. It is named as Sri Dalada Thevava. Sri Dalada Thevava conducted 3 times daily. It is similar to Buddha puja. Limited monks and people are allowed to take part in Dalada Puja.
Morning time: 5.30 am to 7.00 am | Noon time: 9.30 am to 11.00 am | Evening time: 6.30 pm to 8.00 pm.You can get clear idea about Sri Dalada Thevava from official website sridaladamaligawa
Sri Dalada Maligawa Perahera
Sri Dalada Perahara is one of the most sacred event amount Buddhist in Sri Lanka. Once a year the scared tooth relic leave from the temple. Very Beautiful to see hundreds of dancers, drummers, and around 40 decorated elephants on the streets of Kandy. It is an amazing cultural show in Sri Lanka. Lots of tourists come there on July and August to see this amazing event. Difficult part is to get a seat on the day. My recommendation is to find a seat as early as possible. Otherwise it is very hard to find a good place to witness this event.
Tip to find seat: If you can book a nearby hotel on those days for your stay at Kandy, that will definitely give a chance to watch this. I saw many people recommend “Queens hotel ”, where parade passes and some are able to get front seats also.
Kandy Esala Perahara 2020 Schedule time.
| Date | Event |
| 2020-07-25 | 1st Kumbal Perahera |
| 2020-07-26 | 2nd Kumbal Perahera |
| 2020-07-27 | 3rd Kumbal Perahera |
| 2020-07-28 | 4th Kumbal Perahera |
| 2020-07-29 | 5th Kumbal Perahera |
| 2020-07-30 | 1st Randoli Perahera |
| 2020-07-31 | 2nd Randoli Perahera |
| 2020-08-01 | 3rd Randoli Perahera |
| 2020-08-02 | 4th Randoli Perahera |
| 2020-08-03 | 5th Randoli Perahera |
| 2020-08-04 | Day Perahera (Water Cutting Ceremony “Diya Kepeema”) |
*Dates taken from Dalada maligawa website.
Nearby Hotels to temple of the scared tooth Relic
- Amaya Hills
- Earl’s Regency Hotel
- Queens Hotel kandy
- Ozo Kandy
- Kandy City Hotel
- Oak Ray Heritage hotel
- The Radh