The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, or Sri Dalada Maligawa, (Sinhala: ශ්රී දළදා මාළිගාව) is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The relic was historically held by Sinhalese kings. The temple of the tooth is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple and the relic.
Kandy (Sinhala: මහනුවර Mahanuwara, pronounced [mahanuʋərə]; Tamil: கண்டி Kandy, pronounced [ˈkaɳɖi]) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings’ era of Sri Lanka. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the Central Province. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.
The Hanthana Mountain Range lies in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, south-west of Kandy. It was declared as an environmental protection area in February 2010 under the National Environment Act. The maximum height of the range is 1,200 m (3,800 ft). The mountain range consists of seven peaks. The highest one being the Uura Kanda. The range is a favorite destination among the mountain hikers in Sri Lanka. University of Peradeniya is situated adjacent to the Hanthana mountain range.
