Name: Kandy
Rating: 4.6

Kandy Lake, Kandy Overview

Kandy Lake, also known as Kiri Muhuda, is an artificial lake bordering the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relics. The pathway around the lake stretches for 2.1 miles and is perfect for walking before or after visiting the temple. It provides a panoramic view of the hills and the town. Boating is also popular here.

One can soak in the greenery of the adjacent Udawattekele forest reserve and watch the sunset. The lake surrounds itself with rich fauna and flora bestowed with age-old Nuga, palm, fruit, Sal, and Mara trees. Kandy Lake also provides a bird's eye view of the entire province. Daybreak and sundown are the absolute best times to visit Kandy Lake.

History of Kandy lake

The Kandy lake was once a stretch of paddy fields called Tigolwela. It was converted into a lake in 1807 during the reign of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinha. During its construction, local chiefs objected to the lake and hence they were put to death on the lake bed. Legend has it that the small island in the centre was used by the king's harem for bathing and was sealed to the palace by a secret tunnel. Owing to its secrecy, it was later used by the British to store ammunition. The king first built a dam across the paddy fields, from the Pattiruppuwa (Octogen) side to the Poya-Maluwa. The roadways of the damn helped facilitate travel to the Malwatte Vihare. Such is the architectural marvel of Kandy city and lake.

Landscape of Kandy Lake

The lake spreads its arm for 6,544 long square meters with a circumference is of 3.21 km and a maximum depth of 18.5 meters. The parapet wall that surrounds the lake looks like a cloud and is called Walakulu Bemma. During the process of its construction, Kandy was taken over by the British, and the lake wall still stands unfinished. It has built-in triangle holes that are used as lamp stands by the devotees. Ancient ruins top the building in the centre from the colonial times; it is known as Diyatilaka Mandapaya. It was a recreational centre for royalty. The Malwatte temple that celebrates of Theravada Buddhism also overlooks the lake. It makes up the temples of the Siyam Nikaya. Jayatilleke Mandapaya is a dam for connectivity across the water body. Ulpange was the Queen's bathing pavilion situated partly in the waters which were converted into a library by the British and is now a police post.