Soliloquy

by Mohul Bhowmick

A photojourney across Sri Lanka: Kandy

This post is dedicated to the cultural capital of Sri Lanka- Kandy.

The ancient kingdom of Sinhalay was based in this city, which was also known as Senkadagala or Kanda Udarata.

It had some of the finest intrigues that one can expect from a royal court filled in equal measures with conformists and dissidents.

The brilliant story of what led to the fall of Kandy to the hands of the British was told to me by Captain Elmo Jayawardene in The Last Kingdom of Sinhalay.

I did not spend much time in the hill capital as I had my eyes set on moving on to Nuwara Eliya and Ella, but the sole evening spent there was enough to get my mouth to water.

The Sri Dalida Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth Relic, features prominently in this post. A relic of the tooth of the Buddha is housed here.

The Sri Dalida Maligawa, or the Temple of the Tooth Relic.


The devout wait for their turn to get to see the Dante Dhatu, or the Tooth Relic.


Buddhist pilgrims, wearing white and carrying jasmine flowers, enter the temple for the special ceremony at 1830 hours, when the Tooth Relic is shown to commoners.


The veil that covers the Dante Dhatu, or tooth relic.


The bust of King Sriwikrema Rajasinghe, the last king of Sinhalay. Strangely enough, the light fashions his background to light up more than his face.


Priests making their way towards the sacred compartment where the Dante Dhatu is kept.



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Mohul Bhowmick

Mohul Bhowmick is a national-level cricketer, sports journalist, poet, travel writer and essayist from Hyderabad, India.

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Mohul Bhowmick

Mohul is a national-level cricketer, poet, sports journalist, travel writer and essayist from Hyderabad, India.


Copyright © 2015 by Mohul Bhowmick.

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