For those history enthusiasts out there, who are about to visit the city of Kandy, you might find it interesting to know that this was the last independent kingdom of Sri Lanka before the British takeover. Here are a few amazing facts about this historical city.
Naming the city
This great city has been renamed a few times by various rulers in the past and has finally come to be known as Kandy to most. The very first name given to the kingdom is thought to be Katubulu Nuwara. However, the most popular historic name for the city is Senkadagalapura. If you are visiting Kandy, hotels the likes of Earl’s Regency are available in numbers.
Prominent Rulers of Kandy
The very first King of Senkadagala, Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu, ruled the kingdom under the Kotte Kingdom as a semi-independent Kingdom. The next successor was his son. There emerged but one queen who ruled Kandy, Dona Catherina, who happened to be the daughter of Karaliyadde Bandara.
The Nayak influence
The Nayaks, let by King Visvanatha were a clan that hailed from Madurai in south India. The Kings of Kandy often sought assistance from this clan when it came to driving out the Portuguese. It is said that at the battle of Gannoruwa, there were about a 1000 Nayakas who later settled on the island with their families.
The precious mementoes
In the end, the last king of Kandy was overthrown, and the British became the sole rulers of the Kandyan Kingdom and with it the entire island. The valuable remnants of the kingdom such as the throne, sceptre and royal sword are on display at the National Museum in Colombo.
Intrigued by history, art and food, Lavinia Woolf is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary and writes of the exhilarating and enchanting. Google+
