KANDY | NUWARA ELIYA | MATALE

Central Province

Closer to the Gods

The Central Province is one of great importance for Sri Lanka. It is one of the most visited areas of the country. Also, the province houses some of the most invaluable historical architecture of the world. The Central Province has a rough population of 2.5 million people and is the 6th largest province by far. The three districts within the province, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Matale are definitely worth a visit.

The geography of the province can be breathtaking. People visit UNESCO Heritage sites like the Knuckles Mountain Range, Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada Mountain) and Horton Plains.

The climate is cool because most areas of the province are 1500m above. You can definitely experience a cold night or two. The terrain is almost entirely mountainous. There are however deep valleys cutting into it. The population is a blend of people of different ethnicity. Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors make up the population majority

Sacred City of Kandy

Temple of the Tooth: A Holy Relic

The Temple of the Tooth is the city’s crowned achievement. It is the resting place of the Buddha’s Tooth relic safely stored in its chambers. Thousands of pilgrims, local and foreign alike arrive at the temple all year round.

The nation celebrates the Esala Perahera every July. It is a progression that begins and ends from the Temple.The Temple Staff parade the relics around the city on elephant back in the most colorful festival imaginable. Visitors get to see traditional dancers, acrobats and other talented folk in their full glory during the Perahera.

The city of Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka and a must see if you want entrance to the central highlands. Several mountain ranges surround the city. They include the Knuckles and Hanthana mountain ranges.

University of Peradeniya:

When it comes to education, it is every Sri Lankan student’s dream to enter the prestigious University of Peradeniya. It is known not only for its academic achievements but also for its natural beauty. Students of the institution claim that the university’s most beautiful at dawn when the sun rises from the Hanthan mountain ranges that are just adjacent to the campus grounds.

The Paradise of Flowers

Peradeniya is also famous for its Botanical Garden. Employees work tirelessly day by day to care for each plant in the garden. The garden features extremely rare fauna as well as an impressive collection of indigenous plants seen nowhere else in the world.

The Place Elephants Call Home

The Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is one of the most attractive places in the city. It is home to many elephants, mostly those who have had the misfortune of being on the wrong end of human cruelty.

Guests can feed the magnificent creatures under supervision. Every afternoon, all the elephants are escorted to the river to take a bath. Tourists flock by the hundred to observe the spectacle.

The Church of Monte Fano: The Home of the Shroud of Turin

The Catholic Church of Monte Fano is a pillar of the Central Province’s community. It is one of the most popular churches in the city. On the other hand, it is also the home of the legendary Shroud of Turin; a copy of it, anyway.

The Shroud of Turin was the cloth Jesus was buried in after he was crucified. The copy of the shroud was acquired by the church after it was taken up for a forensic experiment by the Vatican.

The Brassware Village: Where the Artists Work

Sri Lanka’s economy relies on many trades and the brass industry is one of the most important. The Brassware village showcases just how just much the industry contributes. It is a literal village of craftsmen and craftswomen, skilled in the art of brassware.

There are shops that sell many of these handcrafted items including jewelry boxes, oil lamps, bells and more.

Arendelle of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tropical country so there is no winter here. However, the central province is a cold place and Nuwara Eliya is the coldest of them all. Anyone who is seeking to escape grueling heat is welcomed to join us at Nuwara Eliya. Tourists usually come to the city for its quote-unquote spring season, which usually spans from March to May.

The Sri Lankan Tea Center

Nuwara Eliya was a great place not only for the 19th century British government to lay roots but also to begin their global tea business. The cool climate as well as the high altitude made it the perfect place for tea growth.

The Paradise of the Wealthy

Golfing is a main event in Nuwara Eliya. From amateurs to professionals, many golfers flock to the city all year round. Their most desired destination is the Nuwara Eliya Golf Club, the most prestigious institution of golfing in the nation.

Horton Plains National Park: Nature at Her Finest
Visiting Horton Plains is a bucket list kind of a thing with tourists and locals. Setting out early in the morning and seeing the occasional grazing deer and the sun rising over the plains is stuff worthy of poetry in and of itself.

It’s not just the bio diversity that is so beautiful here. In the heart of the plains, Baker’s Fall graces the fauna around her ever so gently. Reaching the waterfall can be a bit treacherous but it’s worth the risk.

World’s End: You’ll Almost Believe the World is Flat

Horton Plains Park’s main attraction is World’s End. It’s a sheer cliff with a drop of 4000 ft. Many people visit it year round to get a taste of what makes it so special. Anu Weerasuriya’s Journey to the End of the World shows how thrilling it is to lie flat on World’s End and look down at the world below.

Mountain of the Sacred Foot Print or Sri Pada Mountain

One of the most revered sites for Buddhist pilgrims of the nation, a trip up Sri Pada Mountain is considered a great privilege much like how Tibetans considered it a great deed to walk all the way to Lhasa where the Dalai Lama resided.

Where the Word was Written

Matale is located at the heart of the Central Province. The Knuckles Mountain Range surrounds the city as well as its foothills which were called Wiltshire by the British.

Aluvihare Rock Temple
Matale’s Aluvihare Rock Temple is one of Sri Lanka’s most important temples, historically and culturally speaking. Monks wrote the thripitaka in the ancient temple marking a milestone in the history of Buddhism as the first country to do so.

The history of the temple is still visible today within its countless ruins. The ruins of the old library which used to safeguard the original copies of the written Dhamma is still there for us to see.

Nalanda Gedige

This is an ancient temple of complete stone. Historians state that it used to be a Buddhist monastery of great repute. A closer look at the structure shows us that the structure takes inspiration from Hindu temples of its generation thus making it unique than any other structure found in the area