Handpicked experience · Kandy
Kandy, Sri Lanka
Admission to Kandy's principal shrine, where the hour you choose matters more than anything else about the visit.
Entry to Sri Dalada Maligawa, the central shrine of Kandy
A visit designed to take about an hour within the temple complex
The chance to observe ritual activity from the public viewing areas
A compact heritage precinct with further historic buildings alongside
Modest dress and removal of footwear required, with on-site signage for photography and restricted zones
This is the one piece of planning that decides everything. The temple holds three daily services, in the early morning, mid-morning and early evening, and only then are the doors of the inner chamber opened for viewing. Arrive between them and you walk through handsome rooms with a closed door at the centre. Arrive for one and you join a slow, dense queue of pilgrims carrying lotus flowers past the opening, with drummers sounding in the corridor. Check the times locally, because they shift a little, and plan the rest of your day around them.
The tooth itself is never displayed. What is visible during the ceremony is the outermost of a series of nested golden caskets, glimpsed from a moving line at some distance. Knowing that in advance stops it feeling like a letdown and lets you pay attention to what is actually remarkable, which is the devotion in the room.
Shoulders and knees covered, shoes and hats removed. The rule visitors most often break is turning their back to a Buddha image for a photograph — this causes genuine offence in Sri Lanka and is taken seriously. Stand alongside rather than in front.
Once your shoes are off you walk the courtyards barefoot, and by midday the paving is punishing. A pair of socks in your bag solves this entirely.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
During one of the three daily ceremonies — early morning, mid-morning or early evening. Only then is the inner chamber open for viewing. Between services the door is closed and the visit is a much quieter thing.
No. The relic is never displayed. During the ceremony you file past the outermost of several nested golden caskets, seen from a distance in a moving queue.
Shoulders and knees covered, and shoes removed before entering. Hats come off too. White clothing is traditional among worshippers but not required of visitors.
In most areas, yes, but never with your back to a Buddha image. Posing that way causes real offence in Sri Lanka and is treated as a serious matter.
About an hour is right for the temple itself. A ceremony visit takes longer because of the queue, and the surrounding palace buildings and museums can easily add another hour.