Traditions of Kandy
The hill capital of Sri Lanka, whose Perahera of elephants and drummers honours the Buddha's tooth relic.
Kandy is a hill city around a lake, the last royal capital of the island, and the home of the Temple of the Tooth, which keeps a relic said to be a tooth of the Buddha. The place is sacred to Buddhists across Sri Lanka and is also known for tea country, Kandyan dance and wood carving.
The Esala Perahera
Each July or August, the Kandy Esala Perahera runs for ten nights. Whip crackers, fire dancers, drummers, and dozens of elephants in decorated cloth wind through the streets, with a casket carried on the back of a lead elephant. Kandyan dancers wear silver headdresses and beaded costume.
At the table
The island meal is rice and curry with a dozen small dishes, coconut sambol and hoppers for breakfast. At the new year in April, families prepare kiribath, milk rice, with sweets of kavum and kokis. Tea is picked in the hills around the city and served milky and sweet.
Signature traditions of Kandy
Sinhala New YearThe April new year, celebrated with kiribath and games.
Kandyan danceThe classical dance of the hill country.
KiribathMilk rice served at celebrations.Also part of it, and being written: Esala Perahera (The great procession of Kandy.).
A trail idea for Kandy
- Temple of the Tooth Join the evening puja when drums are played.
- Kandy Lake Walk the shore at dusk.
- Peradeniya Botanic Gardens A short ride away, with orchid houses and spice trees.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Sinhala New Year: Anna Anichkova, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kandyan dance: PIERRE ANDRE LECLERCQ, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kiribath: AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0, source