With history, heritage and tradition melding with modernity, there are many remarkable places to visit in kandy. The cultural epicentre of the island, it is Sri Lanka’s second city, and home to the Temple of the Tooth – the country’s most important religious shrine, and the traditional pageant – the Esala Perahera. The last stronghold of the Sinhalese, the kingdom of Kandy clung to sovereignty for centuries before falling to the British in 1818.

They retained their own distinctive customs and culture. These traditions live on today in the city’s unique music, dance and architecture.