Royal Palace Kandy

  

The Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Kandy was the last Royal Residence of His Majesty King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1798-1815). The Palace is situated to the North of the Dalada Maligawa Temple in Kandy. The first Royal Palace in Senkadagala was built by King Vickramabahu III of Gampola (1357-1374) on the advice of a Brahmin who selected the site as a lucky ground for a Capital city. The original palace has been burnt and destroyed several times and it was rebuilt by subsequent kings. In ancient times the Royal Palace was called “Maha Wasala” or “Maligawa”. The section of the Royal Palace facing the Natha Devale is said to be the oldest part. During King Vimala Dharma Suriya I (1592-1603) was also his royal residence and he made various improvements to the Royal Palace. During the reign of King Senarat (1603-1634), the Portuguese attacked the Kingdom of Kandy and destroyed the Royal Palace. King Rajasinghe II who accented to the throne in 1637 rebuilt it and all the subsequent kings used this as their Royal Residence.

After the British invasion in 1815 the Royal Palace of the Kingdom of Kandy was used by the British Government Agent Sir John D'Oyly and his successors have continued to use it as their official residence. Only the front entrance of the royal palace with a few buildings remaining and today it is preserved as an archaeological museum.

The Raja Wasala (King's Palace) is a long building with a central doorway and a flight of steps entering into an imposing hall decorated with stucco and terra-cotta work. Rooms are found in the two long wings with a long verandah facing the inner courtyard.

To the north of the Palle Wasala, is the Meda Wasala or Queens' Chambers. Although smaller in size, it is similar in architectural character to the Palle Wasala. The building is currently used by the Kandy office of the National Department of Archaeology.

This is where the king used to meet Adigars and other foreign envoys and visitors. It is situated near the Raja Wasala and Magul Maduwa. Today this building is used as the museum building for ‘Raja’ the Maligawa tusker.

The Palle Wasala or Lower Palace was used as the quarters of the harem of the King of Kandy. The main doorway to the structure leads to a small hall in front of the central building. In 1942 this building was converted into the National Museum of Kandy, and is currently maintained by the Department of National Museums.