Kandy - Kandy, Sri Lanka
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Kandy - Wikipedia
Kandyan Kingdom[edit]. Contemporary Kandy[edit]. Geography and climate[edit]. Neighbourhoods[edit]. Census of population (2012)[edit]. Population by ethnicity according to urban area (2007)[edit]. Infrastructure[edit]. Transportation[edit]. Temple of the Tooth[edit]. Lankatilaka Temple[edit]. Gadaladeniya Temple[edit].
Kandy (Sinhala: මහනුවර Mahanuwara, pronounced (help·info) [mahanuʋərə]; Tamil: கண்டி Kandy, pronounced (help·info) [ˈkaɳɖi]) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka.[1] The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.[2] Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.
Many names have been given to the city and its region, as well as variations of these names. Scholars believe that Kandy's original name was Katubulu Nuwara, which is located near the current Watapuluwa. The more well-known historical name of Kandy is Senkadagala, or Senkadagalapura. This was officially Senkadagala Siriwardhana Maha Nuwara, which means 'great city, Senkadagala, growing resplendence'. It is often abbreviated to 'Maha Nuwara. Folklore suggests that this name is derived from one of several sources. One was Senkanda, a brahmin who lived in a nearby cave. Another was Senkanda III, a queen from Vikramabahu III, named Senkanda after a coloured rock called Senkadagala. There have been many names for the Kingdom of Kandy. Kandy is an anglicized version of Sinhala Kanda Uda Rata, meaning the land on the mountain, or Kanda Uda Pas Rata, which refers to the five counties/countries that are located on the mountain. It was first known as Kandy in English during colonial times. This was shortened to \"Candea\" by the Portuguese, who used the name for both its capital and the kingdom. Maha nuwara in Sinhala means \"Great City\" or the \"Capital\", but it is more commonly shortened to Nuwara. [3]