City Asia
Kandy
Kandy is a city in the hills of Sri Lanka. It has a lake in the middle, and tea grows in the lands around it.
Kandy is a city in the middle of Sri Lanka, about 500 meters above sea level. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings, from 1592 to 1815, and its center looks out over a lake built in 1806. The region around it grows most of Sri Lanka's tea. Sri Lanka's 2024 census counted 94,482 people in the Kandy municipal council area.
Kandy, chef-lieu of the Central Province (Larousse), lies inland at about 500 m (Store norske leksikon); last capital of the Sinhalese kings 1592–1815 and a trade center for the surrounding farming districts, whose region produces most of Sri Lanka's tea (Store norske leksikon). Census of 19 December 2024: Kandy Municipal Council 94,482 (Department of Census and Statistics, via City Population).
Photo: Danuja Jayasuriya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Kandy
Kandy is a city in the hills of Sri Lanka.
Long ago, kings lived there.
Kandy lies inland in Sri Lanka, about 500 meters above sea level, says Store norske leksikon, Norway's big encyclopedia. From 1592 to 1815 it was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings. Today it is the main town of Sri Lanka's Central Province.
Sri Lanka's census of 19 December 2024 counted 94,482 people in the area of the Kandy Municipal Council.
Store norske leksikon ('Kandy', Siv Haugan): a city in Sri Lanka, inland; about 500 m above sea level; 125,400 inhabitants (2016); founded in the 13th century; the last capital of the Sinhalese kings from 1592 to 1815; an administrative, commercial, cultural and educational center; on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Larousse ('Kandy'): a city of Sri Lanka, chef-lieu of the Central Province; 109,343 (2001 census); capital of the island from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century. City Population (Department of Census and Statistics): Kandy Municipal Council 97,872 (1981), 109,343 (2001), 98,828 (2012), 94,482 (census 19 December 2024); Central Province 2,714,045 (2024).
- Where
- inland Sri Lanka, about 500 m above sea level (Store norske leksikon)
- People (census 2024, municipal council)
- 94,482
- Province
- Central Province, with Kandy as its main town (Larousse)
- Royal capital
- the last capital of the Sinhalese kings, 1592–1815 (Store norske leksikon)
City lights in the hills
Look at all the lights at night!
Streaks of light run along a long, straight street.
Danuja Jayasuriya took this photo of Kandy at night on 24 August 2019 and called it a sky view of the city. A long, straight street runs up through the middle, with streaks of white and red light along it, buildings in many colors glow on both sides, and dark trees and hills fill the top of the picture.
Store norske leksikon says the main part of the city looks out over a lake that Kandy's last king had built in 1806. On Wikidata, Kandy Lake is about 0.5 kilometers east-southeast of the city's point.
Commons: File:Beautiful sky view of a city.jpg, by Danuja Jayasuriya (own work, CC BY-SA 4.0), dated 24 August 2019 21:56, uploaded 11 May 2020 in the Wiki Loves Earth 2020 campaign (Sri Lanka); his description: 'Sky view of kandy city'; the category 'Kandy' was set by another user in February 2021 (replacing a campaign category). Seen in the 1,280-pixel copy: a long straight street with light trails of cars, lit buildings in many colors on both sides, dark trees and hills above, a white wall with a scalloped top along the bottom edge. Store norske leksikon: the main part of the city overlooks a beautiful artificial lake built by Kandy's last king in 1806; Kandy has a national museum and an archaeological museum. Wikidata from the city point (Q203197): Kandy Lake (Q5966035) 0.53 km ESE; National Museum of Kandy (Q3533580) 0.79 km E; Udawatta Kele Sanctuary (Q7876953), a protected area, 0.83 km NNE.
- In the photo
- Kandy at night, 24 August 2019 (Danuja Jayasuriya)
- Kandy Lake
- an artificial lake built in 1806 (Store norske leksikon), about 0.5 km east-southeast of the city's point (Wikidata)
- National Museum of Kandy
- about 0.8 km east of the city's point (Wikidata)
The last royal capital
Kandy is a very old city.
Long ago, it was the home of Sri Lanka's kings.
Store norske leksikon says Kandy was founded in the 13th century. From 1592 to 1815 it was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings, and Larousse also calls it the island's capital from the end of the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century.
Kandy's last king had the lake in the middle of the city built in 1806. Today the encyclopedia calls Kandy an administrative, commercial, cultural and educational center.
Store norske leksikon: founded in the 13th century; 1592-1815 the last capital of the Sinhalese kings; the lake built by Kandy's last king in 1806; an administrative, commercial, cultural and educational center; a popular tourist destination for its history and its scenic setting. Larousse: capital of Sri Lanka from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the 19th century. City Population: Kandy Municipal Council 97,872 (1981), 109,343 (2001), 98,828 (2012), 94,482 (2024).
- 13th century
- Kandy was founded (Store norske leksikon)
- 1592 to 1815
- the last capital of the Sinhalese kings (Store norske leksikon)
- 1806
- the lake in the center was built by Kandy's last king (Store norske leksikon)
A railway station and a famous garden
Trains stop at Kandy's railway station.
Nearby there is a famous garden full of tropical plants.
On Wikidata, Kandy railway station is about 0.6 kilometers southwest of the city's point.
About 6 kilometers outside the city, in the suburb of Peradeniya, lies a world-famous botanical garden, says Store norske leksikon. It is known for its rich collections of tropical plants, its avenues of palm trees, its flowering trees and its orchids. The University of Peradeniya is in the same suburb.
Wikidata from the city point: Kandy railway station (Q6361715) 0.61 km SW; Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya (Q3119056) 4.98 km WSW; University of Peradeniya (Q3083280), a state university, 6.05 km SW. Store norske leksikon: about 6 km outside the city, in the suburb of Peradeniya, the world-famous Peradeniya botanical garden, known for its rich and varied collections of tropical plants, its palm avenues, flowering trees and orchids; the University of Peradeniya is also in Peradeniya.
- Kandy railway station
- about 0.6 km southwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Peradeniya
- a suburb about 6 km outside the city, with a world-famous botanical garden (Store norske leksikon)
- University of Peradeniya
- in the suburb of Peradeniya (Store norske leksikon)
Warm all year, with rainy months
It is warm in Kandy all year.
October and November are the rainiest months.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Kandy, from Sri Lanka's National Meteorological Centre, cover 1961 to 1990; the weather station is about 2 kilometers southwest of the city's point. Average highs stay between 27.8 °C and 31.4 °C all year, and average lows between 18.4 °C and 21.5 °C.
About 1,840 millimeters of rain fall in a year. November is the wettest month, with 295.6 millimeters, and October next, with 263.7. March is the driest, with 71.9.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Kandy (National Meteorological Centre; period 1961-1990 as given in the data; station point 7.28° N, 80.62° E, 2.20 km SW of the city point): mean daily maximum 27.8 °C (Jul, Dec) to 31.4 °C (Mar); mean daily minimum 18.4 °C (Jan) to 21.5 °C (May). Rainfall 71.9 mm (Mar) to 295.6 mm (Nov); sum 1,840.2 mm; 5 (Feb) to 17 (Oct) rain days, 146 a year (no rain-day threshold given).
- March, average daily high and low (WMO, Kandy, 1961–1990)
- 31.4 °C and 19.7 °C
- November rain (same table)
- 295.6 mm, the wettest month
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1,840 mm
Tea, rice and a busy market town
Farmers around Kandy grow tea, cocoa, rubber trees and rice.
There is even a museum about tea!
Store norske leksikon says Kandy is a trade center for the farming districts nearby. Tea, cocoa, rubber and rice are grown around the city, and the surrounding region produces most of Sri Lanka's tea. Close by there are limestone quarries, and bricks and tiles are made.
On Wikidata, the Ceylon Tea Museum is about 2.7 kilometers south of the city's point.
Store norske leksikon: a trade center for nearby agricultural districts; tea, cocoa, rubber and rice produced in the surrounding areas; the surrounding region produces most of Sri Lanka's tea, as well as rice and other crops; limestone quarries nearby, with brick and tile making; an administrative, commercial, cultural and educational center. Wikidata from the city point: Ceylon Tea Museum (Q30588328) 2.73 km S; Asgiriya Stadium (Q4804317), a cricket stadium, 0.75 km N.
- Trade
- a trade center for the nearby farming districts (Store norske leksikon)
- Crops
- tea, cocoa, rubber and rice around the city; the region grows most of Sri Lanka's tea (Store norske leksikon)
- Ceylon Tea Museum
- about 2.7 km south of the city's point (Wikidata)
Kandy on the map
Find Sri Lanka on the globe, an island south of India. Look in the middle of the island. There is Kandy!
Kandy lies at about 7.29° north and 80.64° east, in the hills in the middle of Sri Lanka.
On Wikidata, Kandy Lake is about 0.5 kilometers east-southeast of the city's point, the railway station about 0.6 kilometers southwest, the tea museum about 2.7 kilometers south, the botanical garden about 5 kilometers west-southwest and the University of Peradeniya about 6 kilometers southwest.
Kandy lies at about 7.29° N, 80.64° E (Wikidata point of Kandy, Q203197; the sheet point is 4.12 km ESE of it). Wikidata from the city point: Kandy Lake 0.53 km ESE; railway station 0.61 km SW; National Museum of Kandy 0.79 km E; Ceylon Tea Museum 2.73 km S; Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya 4.98 km WSW; University of Peradeniya 6.05 km SW.
- Latitude
- about 7.29° north
- Longitude
- about 80.64° east
- Height
- about 500 m above sea level (Store norske leksikon)
Amazing facts
-
The lake in the middle of Kandy was made by people, not by nature!
Store norske leksikon says the lake that Kandy's center looks out over is artificial: Kandy's last king had it built in 1806.
Store norske leksikon: the main part of the city overlooks a beautiful artificial lake built by Kandy's last king in 1806.
-
The garden near Kandy is famous for its orchids and long rows of palm trees!
Store norske leksikon calls the botanical garden at Peradeniya, about 6 kilometers from Kandy, world-famous for its tropical plants, palm avenues, flowering trees and orchids.
Store norske leksikon: the world-famous Peradeniya botanical garden, about 6 km outside the city, known for its rich and varied collections of tropical plants, palm avenues, flowering trees and orchids.
-
Most of Sri Lanka's tea grows in the region around Kandy!
Store norske leksikon says the region around Kandy produces most of Sri Lanka's tea, as well as rice and other crops.
Store norske leksikon: the surrounding region produces most of Sri Lanka's tea, as well as rice and other crops.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a country's or a kingdom's rulers lived and governed
- artificial lake
- a lake made by people, for example by building a dam
- botanical garden
- a garden where many kinds of plants are grown, studied and shown
- municipal council
- the local government of a town and the area it looks after
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
- quarry
- a place where stone is dug or cut out of the ground
Discovery challenge
-
Kandy is a city in which country?
Kandy, the main town of the Central Province, is in which country?
Kandy, last capital of the Sinhalese kings, is in which country?
- Sri Lanka
- Egypt
- Argentina
Show the answer
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka!
Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka.
-
Which drink's leaves are grown around Kandy?
The region around Kandy produces most of Sri Lanka's what?
Store norske leksikon says the region around Kandy produces most of Sri Lanka's what?
- Tea
- Coffee
- Orange juice
Show the answer
Tea
Tea!
Tea.
Tea.
-
When was the lake in Kandy's center built?
In which year did Kandy's last king have the city's lake built?
Store norske leksikon dates Kandy's artificial lake to which year?
- 1806
- 1592
- 2001
Show the answer
1806
In 1806!
1806.
1806.
-
Which month brings the most rain to Kandy?
In WMO's 1961-1990 averages, which is Kandy's wettest month?
Which month has the highest mean rainfall in WMO's Kandy normals?
- November
- March
- February
Show the answer
November
November!
November, with 295.6 millimeters.
November, 295.6 mm.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Kandy in the hills of central Sri Lanka.
- Learn that Kandy was the last capital of the Sinhalese kings (1592–1815).
- Read a climate table and find a city's rainiest and driest months.
- Explain how tea, rice and other crops shape the trade of a market town.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a king build a lake in the middle of his capital?
- Why might a botanical garden collect plants from many hot countries?
- Why might a hill region be good for growing tea?
Try at home or in class
- Tea leaves: look at dry black and green tea leaves with a magnifying glass and talk about how they look and smell.
- Rain bars: draw twelve bars for Kandy's monthly rain, from 71.9 millimeters in March to 295.6 in November.
- Leaf study: collect three different leaves from a garden or park and draw them, as botanists do in a botanical garden.
Key vocabulary: capital, artificial lake, botanical garden, municipal council, census, quarry
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Kandy , Store norske leksikon
- Kandy , Larousse
- Sri Lanka: Provinces & Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka
- Kandy: climatological information (1961–1990) , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Beautiful sky view of a city.jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.