Kandy … and the Tooth

We decided to take a chance on the local bus but got a tuk-tuk to the bus station so we could guarantee seats and get our luggage stowed. The journey took about 4hrs, but the seats were comfy enough and the open windows and door gave a breeze. There were cheerful tunes playing all the way, and every time we braked, a row of shrines at the front lit with flashing lights! Hawkers got on, sold their wares and got off at the next stop but before long there was little standing room left. And the price of the ticket … 203 rupees each or 88p!

So as I said, the Sinhalese established a new capital further south, well they actually tried out several places finally ending up in Kotte near Colombo … meanwhile the Tamils made a capital in Jaffna in the north… and then a member of the Kotte royal family established a third kingdom in Kandy. It remained the last independent bastion of the Sinhalese long after the rest of the island had fallen to the Portuguese and then Dutch. When the British arrived, and due to the cruelty of the last king of Kandy, the Kandyan chiefs handed over sovereignty in 1815 in return for their laws and customs being preserved. A later Kandyan rebellion was subdued and Kandy became an important centre for British rule and trade. Since Independence in 1948, Kandy has thrived as Sri Lanka’s second city and cultural capital.

So we are staying at Blinkbonnie Inn, a 20 minute walk up out of Kandy which is ideal as the streets seem constantly gridlocked with traffic and its good to be out of the noise and bustle, and we have a great view from our balcony.

The first afternoon we took a walk passed the viewpoint …

… round Royal Palace Park, containing of all things a Japanese howitzer captured in Myanmar in WWII and presented to the city by Lord Mountbatten …

… then down and round Kandy Lake to get our bearings, before having dinner in the guesthouse.

Next morning we made an early start so we could get to the Temple of the Tooth in time for the 9.30 puja (prayers and offerings) ceremony. We bought our ticket, checked our shoes and made our way to the Recitation Hall on the 1st floor and at just after 9.00 there was already a queue of people waiting for the ceremony, but the Hall wasn’t too busy.

Let me tell you about the tooth, which was saved from the fire when the Buddha was cremated, and was smuggled into Sri Lanka in the hair of a princess. It resided wherever the capital was, so moved about a bit, was briefly captured by the South Indian army and taken back to India, but was reclaimed shortly afterwards. The Tooth came to assume political importance as a unique relic but also a symbol of Sri Lankan sovereignty. The Portuguese captured what was claimed to be the Tooth, but either it wasn’t or it miraculously flew back to Sri Lanka. Either way, it arrived in Kandy in 1592, was installed in a specially built temple and became the focus of the huge Esala Perahera. This lavish 10 day festival is held around July culminating in the procession when the Tooth is carried through the city by an elephant. The exact nature and authenticity of the Tooth is unclear as reports from Europeans who saw it in the past suggest it was far larger than a human tooth, but I guess that is rather beside the point, and in fact for security, only a replica is now used in the procession.

The present temple dates from C18th and this is the entrance to the Chamber with an ornate doorway embossed with suns, moons, entwined geese and dwarfs holding urns of plenty. We waited and when the puja began, we could hear drumming from downstairs, and the door were opened. The queue slowly filed by to get a glimpse of the stunning casket containing the tooth and leaving offerings.

We made our way downstairs past the never ending queue …

… to see the drummers …

… and to admire the outside of the shrine decorated with elephant tusks, murals, a moonstone and hares in the moon which represent self-sacrifice.

Next was the New Shrine Room contains Buddhas from round the world …

… and the Audience Hall dating from 1784 and a couple of museums.

Making our way out and collecting our shoes, we headed for a seat on the breezy verandah of the Empire Cafe to indulge in a change from curried fare! I chose the Empire Salad with gotukola (pennywort), basil, lettuce, grated coconut, tomato, caramelised onion, nuggets of paneer, and golden Vada I (dhal fritters) with mustard and coconut milk dressing … and Chris opted for the Kingdom burger and fries with ginger iced tea … perfect fusion for those missing familiar food!

Refreshed, we went to the Central Market for a look, but only purchased some snacks. We’ve noticed very British looking cake in several places … it must be popular here …

… and we even came across some Devon ice cream … very yummy at 22p each!

Kandy lies under the protection of four gods, each honoured by a temple or devale and we went to have a look. Fortunately they were all close by, and show how Hindu and Buddhist beliefs blend together here as the temples seems to be a mix of both.

We entered Kararagama Devale between a pair of newly painted peacocks, and is the most Hindu, even with Bramin priests but their is a shrine to Buddha at the back.

Rain began to threaten as we entered the area containing the last three Devales, each with several shrines and we became confused as to which was which … so here are some images …