Kundasale

Kundasale Kundasale Kundasale

Kundasale è una ex città, ora un sobborgo di Kandy nel distretto di Kandy, nella Provincia Centrale dello Sri Lanka. La città si trova a 7 km a sud-est dal centro di Kandy. La popolazione è di circa 150.000 abitanti.

Il re Vira Parakrama Narendra Sinha, l’ultimo re singalese di Kandy, decise nel 1710 di trasferire il suo palazzo da Kandy a Kundasale. Egli incaricò il governatore locale, Ramukwelle Dissawe, di costruire il complesso del palazzo. Rambukwelle Dissawe ingaggiò i servizi di un costruttore, Devendra, che costruì il palazzo interamente in legno sulla cima di una collina in un giardino chiamato Narikele. Si ritiene che il palazzo fosse più una residenza estiva che un palazzo reale. Fu il primo e l’ultimo re ad avere Kundasale come capitale del Regno di Kandy. Il re morì nel maggio del 1739 e nel 1804 le truppe britanniche sotto il comando del capitano Arthur Johnson attaccarono il palazzo, saccheggiarono i suoi oggetti di valore e lo bruciarono completamente. I resti dell’edificio furono utilizzati nella costruzione del vicino Sri Narendrasinhe Rajamaha Viharaya. Le due sculture di elefanti in pietra all’ingresso principale, Mahawahalkada, di Sri Dalada Maligawa (Tempio del Sacro Dente) si dice provengano dalle rovine del Palazzo di Kundasale. Tuttavia, furono distrutte nell’attacco del 1989 al tempio da parte del Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.

Kundasale Kundasale Kundasale

About Kandy District

Kandy district is situated in the centrel province of Sri Lanka. One of the seven World Heritage Sites in Sri Lanka, Kandy was once home to the Kandyan Kings of yore in the 16th-century and a fountainhead for all the music, arts, crafts and culture in the country. About 129 km away from Colombo, Kandy is ensconced amongst a hilly terrain and all eyes are drawn to the centre of the city, where the Kandy Lake forms a charming feature. Kandy retains great religious significance for Sri Lanka, because it is in this charming city that the Dalada Maligawa or "Temple of the Tooth" is located, within which the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha lies well guarded.

The Royal Botanical Garden, Peradeniya is situated about 5 km to the west of the city centre at Peradeniya and is visited by 1.2 million people per year. It is the largest botanical garden on the island. The Udawatta Kele (Udawatta Forest) is a protected sanctuary situated in the heart of the city, just north of Temple of the Tooth.

Kandy is a Sinhala majority city; there are sizeable communities belonging to other ethnic groups, such as Moors and Tamils. Kandy is second only to Colombo the center of the Sri Lankan Economy. Many major co operations have large branch officers in Kandy and many industries include textiles, furniture, Information Technology and jewellery are found here. Many agriculture research centers are located in the city.

And a fountainhead for all the music, arts, crafts and culture in the country. About 129 km away from Colombo, Kandy is ensconced amongst a hilly terrain and all eyes are drawn to the centre of the city, where the Kandy Lake forms a charming feature. Kandy retains great religious significance for Sri Lanka , because it is in this charming city that the Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Toothis located, within which the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha lies well guarded.

About Central Provincce

The Central Province of Sri Lanka consists primarily of mountainous terrain. The province has an area of 5,674 km², and a population of 2,421,148. Some major towns include Kandy, Gampola (24,730), Nuwara Eliya and Bandarawela. The population is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil and the Moors.

Both the hill capital Kandy and the city of Nuwara Eliya are located within the Central Province as well as Sri Pada. The province produces much of the famous Ceylon tea, planted by the British in the 1860s after a devastating disease killed all the coffee plantations in the province. Central Province attracts many tourists, with hill station towns such as Kandy, Gampola, Hatton and Nuwara Eliya. Temple tooth or Dalada maligawa is the main sacred place in Centrel province.

The climate is cool, and many areas about 1500 meters often have chilly nights. The western slopes are very wet, some places having almost 7000 mm of rain per year. The eastern slopes are parts of the mid-dry zone as it is receiving rain only from North-Eastern monsoon. The Temperatures range from 24°C at Kandy to just 16°C in Nuwara Eliya, which is located 1,889 m above sea level. The highest mountains in Sri Lanka are located in the Central Province. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with deep valleys cutting into it. The two main mountain regions are the central massif and the Knuckles range to the east of Kandy.