Located in a salubrious setting below the wooded hills of Udawatte Kelle and in front of the Kandy Lake commissioned by the king, the Royal Palace of Kandy was home to the last King of the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka. The last monarch to reside there was Sri Vikrama Rajasinghe (1780-1832) who was deposed in 1815. The large palace complex amongst other buildings included the Magul Maduwa (audience hall) and the Temple of the Tooth as it was believed that whoever had the tooth relic had a claim to the throne. The audience hall, the central buildings of the palace complex is between the main palace building and the Temple of the Tooth. It is an open pavilion with a sloping tiled roof and the pillared hall displays traditional Kandyan architecture and sculpture at its best.
Adjacent to the palace building is a Victorian era structure that served as the Kandy High Court until recently. The palace complex was damaged several times, neglected and changed over the intervening years and the buildings that do not belong to the current Temple of the Tooth Complex were turned into the Kandy Museum. The most prominent feature of the Temple of the Tooth is the octagon dating from the early 19th century said to be where the king addressed his people. The entrance archway to the temple complex and the archways leading to other buildings in the complex display examples of Kandyan wall paintings. The temple complex is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The museum is housed in a part of the old royal palace. The main exhibits are in the Palle Vahala building where the Kings harem used to be housed. Another exhibit is located in the main palace building. The Palle Vahala was used to keep Kandyan crafts made by the Kandyan Art Association from 1832. The museum was opened to the public in 1942. Displays comprise of weapons, jewellery, tools and clothing from the Kandyan era and the Post British Colonial era. The throne and regalia of the last king of the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka was housed there at one time.
Picturesquely located on the banks of the Mahaweli River, away from the bustle of the Kandy city centre yet close enough to access the citys main attractions, Chaaya Citadel Kandy is one of the prominent
Kandy hotels with beautiful river views from its rooms and public areas. The hotel offers a selection of comfortable and spacious air conditioned accommodation options, modern facilities and amenities and excellent dining options comparable to some of the best
Sri Lanka hotels which combined with its rural ambience makes it an ideal place to spend a relaxing holiday.
