Barefoot in Kandy

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth

The alarm goes off at 4:45am. I showered and laid out my clothes last night so we are ready to go by 5:00am. Unfortunately the hotel lobby doors are locked and nobody is around. It takes John a few minutes before figuring out how to get them unlocked.

It is still dark when we walk to the other side of Kandy Lake to the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. There are two lineups of people waiting at the front gate; a female line and a men’s line. Every one is dressed in white except for John and I. We somehow missed the memo. This turns out to be the security line. Everyone goes through security with bags being searched.

We walk down a long path with the temple illuminated in front of us and follow others to a second male female line-up where shoes are taken off and handed to the shoe attendant. When the attendant sees that our shoes belong to foreigners we are told to go to another entrance designated for foreigners. It starts to rain and we plod in bare feet to this other entrance where we hand in our shoes and pay $9 CAD each. Locals get in for free. We enter the temple complex.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth is the most important shrine for the Sinhalese (Buddhist) population. The tooth is said to have been taken from Buddha’s funeral pyre and was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century. The temple was built in the late 1600s, early 1700s. The tooth is inside seven golden caskets and is displayed very briefly three times of day, one of the times being between 5:30am to 7:00am.

Besides another couple, (easily spotted because they are also not wearing white), we are the only tourists here. I guess the rest of the tourists are sleeping in and going to the afternoon or evening session.

In the lower area of the complex a number of drummers and a guy with a weedy sounding flute (think snake charmer sound) are playing continuously.

There are hundreds of worshippers all pushing ahead in line so as not to miss the tooth. Many are carrying floral offerings. Everyone is pushed through the line so quickly, that by the time I realize the tooth was in that slightly distant golden box, I am already pushed through and don’t get to actually see the tooth.

Nearby there are a number of other rooms and buildings. We spend much time in a huge hall with a golden Buddha at the front and a story of Buddha’s tooth down each side of the walls.

John and I go in different directions (but are still in the same vicinity), and some women come over and ask if they can take selfies with me. This happened a lot when we were traveling around India but is the first time in Sri Lanka.

We walk around to a number of the outside areas in our bare feet before we collect our shoes to head back to our hotel for breakfast.

Wedding in Kandy

While walking back around the lake, we pass a number of brides and grooms getting wedding photos done.

After we finish our buffet breakfast at the hotel, at 9:00am a prearranged tuk-tuk comes to pick us up for our three temple and botanical gardens tour.

Three Temple Tour

We head out of busy Kandy (which is the second largest city in Sri Lanka), into the suburbs and then the countryside.

The first temple on this tour is the 14th century Galadeniya Viharaya. Our tuk-tuk driver suggests we leave our shoes in the tuk-tuk because we have to remove them to go into the temple complex. 

The actual temple is a stone building on a rock. We meet the temple manager who is also a talented artist. He explains the meanings of a number of the original temple paintings which are still surprisingly colourful.

Upon returning to the tuk-tuk, our driver suggests we don’t bother putting our shoes back on since we will be removing them for all the other temples.

The countryside gets even more beautiful as we drive to the next temple; Lankathilaka Vihara. There is a very steep rock we need to drive up in the tuk-tuk. It is not even a road, but a rock. I have concerns as the tuk-tuk’s motor works at full strength. Surprisingly we make it. 

This 14th century temple is half Buddhist and half Hindu. There are a number of historical details and unique features including a standing Ganesh. The surrounding rice fields, forests and villages are equally breathtaking.

Our final temple for the day is Embekke Devalaya (which has a different spelling depending on the source).  This  was also built in the 14th century and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Mahasen (he is a guardian deity and often depicted sitting on a peacock).

What makes this temple famous are it’s beautiful carved wooden pillars.

Upon returning to our tuk-tuk, our driver says we can put our shoes back on. Many locals go barefoot all day. One of our car drivers was barefoot for a three hour ride. You don’t realize how soft your undersoles are until spending awhile on stones an gravel.

Royal Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

Our driver next takes us to the Royal Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Once upon a time these gardens were only for the royalty of Kandy. There are over 4,000 spieces of plants here. These are the largest botanical gardens in Sri Lanka.

We hear thousands of loud squeaking voices before we see many trees filled with India Flying Foxes, a large fruit bat with a wing span between 4-5 feet.

John finds a cannonball tree that was planted by  King George and Queen Mary in 1901.

I notice a directional sign to a Foreigners Only washroom. Hmmm.

I am feeling quite tired and I’m getting a blister on my baby toe in the heat so I start walking towards the garden gates while John climbs one more hill. 

Once again, on my own I am approached by a number of women asking to have their picture taken with me. A man also comes over with his young son and asks if he can take a picture of his son and I.

The original women come back and say their picture didn’t turn out (or something like that, they didn’t speak much English) so we take some pictures with my phone and I Whatsapp them to her.

The Big White Buddha (Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue)

John returns and we meet our tuk-tuk driver. We ask him if he can take us to one last place, the Big White Buddha, properly known as Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue.

The traffic is insane. Remember, Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka. There are separate lanes but people will pass slower vehicles either by driving on the shoulder or in the opposite going lane. click here for a short video.

It rains on and off during our ride to see the Buddha.

Then we finally turn out of the traffic and go up and up and up. Once again I am worried if the tuk-tuk has the strength to carry us up such steep inclines but it does.

The Bahirawakanda Vihara Buddha Statue  is situated on top of a very high hill and can be seen from almost anywhere in Kandy. 

Once again, we take off our shoes to visit the Buddha, having to walk through many warm puddles along the way. I see another one of those Foreigners Only bathroom signs.

This Buddha is 27m high, making it one of the highest in Sri Lanka. We are able to climb up the Buddha, however the tile stairs are very slippery due to the water left from the rainfall. One British man falls. I hear him expel the F-bomb as it happens.  I ask if he’s ok. He says his pride is hurt more than his body. 

We climb up and up and up the big white Buddha. The stairs seem to go on forever but the views are worth it despite it being overcast.

From the top we can see the huge jail that the British built but is no longer in use. We also have a great view of Kandy Lake and the Temple of the Sacred Tooth. I can even see the big hill where our hotel is. And the views are 360° around so I can see city & countryside.

Bracelets for Luck and Protection

Once we climb down the Buddha, without incident, a man calls John over to the office and starts to wrap white string around his right wrist while chanting and ties it in a knot three times for luck. The string bracelet represents protection, blessings and a connection to the Buddha’s teaching. It is a reminder to act with compassion and absorb negativity. It wards off evil and brings good luck and spiritual protection, especially during illness. It is meant to be worn until it falls off on its own and cutting it off is not a good idea. The man does the same for me and we give a donation to the temple and head back to the tuk-tuk.

Evening in Kandy

Once we arrive to the Lotus Lake Residence, the staff jumps to attention and two staff members open each of the two doors as we arrive and the manager warmly greets us. John wants to climb another nearby steep hill for another great vantage point but I’m pooped and need a rest so he toddles off on his own.

He returns in under an hour, happy with what he saw and we head into the old town for coffee and then out for supper.

The restaurant (called the Dope House Lounge)  is quite nice. I have a soup brimming with seafood, vegetables and garlic. Yum. John has a chicken stew spiced with capicium. He says it’s a bit spicy but good.

The waiter is very nice and chats to the diners on the deck. He says to one couple, “Enjoy the moment.” But both the couple and us thought he said “Enjoy the woman.”. We chuckle when all is clarified.There is a Christian church across the street and way behind it we see the Big White Buddha lit up on its hill, high above.

Walk Back to the Lotus Lake Residence

We feel very safe as we walk half an hour back to our hotel. The streets are very busy and a noisy.  I see a very strange sign in one of the shop windows. I am not sure what to make of it.

I am surprised at the number of birds (all different kinds of birds including the odd crow), that are still chirping in the trees of the old town despite the sun having set well over an hour ago. I can see them packed into the trees. Who knows, maybe big city birds stay up later.

There is a full moon tonight which looks very pretty.