Kundasale

Kundasale Kundasale Kundasale

Kundasale is een voormalige stad, nu een buitenwijk van Kandy in het Kandy-district, Centrale Provincie van Sri Lanka. De stad ligt 7 km ten zuidoosten van het centrum van Kandy. De bevolking bedraagt ongeveer 150.000.

Koning Vira Parakrama Narendra Sinha, de laatste Singalese koning van Kandy, besloot in 1710 zijn paleis van Kandy naar Kundasale te verplaatsen. Hij gaf de lokale gouverneur, Ramukwelle Dissawe, opdracht om het paleiscomplex te bouwen. Rambukwelle Dissawe schakelde de diensten in van een bouwer, Devendra, die het paleis volledig uit hout bouwde op de top van een heuvel in een tuin genaamd Narikele. Het paleis zou eerder een zomerpaleis dan een koninklijk paleis zijn geweest. Hij was de eerste en de laatste koning die Kundasale als hoofdstad van het Koninkrijk Kandy had. De koning stierf in mei 1739 en in 1804 vielen Britse troepen onder bevel van kapitein Arthur Johnson het paleis aan, plunderden de waardevolle bezittingen en brandden het tot de grond toe af. De overblijfselen van het gebouw werden gebruikt bij de bouw van de nabijgelegen Sri Narendrasinhe Rajamaha Viharaya. De twee stenen olifantenbeelden bij de hoofdingang, Mahawahalkada, van Sri Dalada Maligawa (Tempel van de Heilige Tandreliek) zouden afkomstig zijn uit de ruïnes van het Kundasale-paleis. Ze werden echter vernietigd bij de aanval op de tempel in 1989 door de 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.