Day Four

Thursday, October 19, 2017



Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya

Today we were picked up at our hotel by a car at 8:30 in the morning. Our Tour Guide for the Temple of the Tooth picked us up in a large van to tour the city and the temple. We were on tour until 6:00 at night and it included visiting the Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya, Sri Maha Bodhi Vihara,


Sri Maha Bodhi Vihara

and the Temple of the Tooth. At the end of the tour we had a Kandy Cultural Dance Show performed for us at the very end. Camille and Madison both wanted to learn the dances because of their interesting movements incorporated.

Temple of the Tooth - Culture: The Tour included a trip to The Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya are gardens dating back to the British era. It was used as an Allied Forces Headquarters during World War 2. for the Asian Region. It contains thousands of plant species that are beautifully placed and smell even better than they look. After that we visited the Sri Maha Bodhi Vihara in Bahiravakanda which was used as a meeting center for


Temple of the Tooth

National and International Buddhist Relations. The monastery boasts a giant Buddha statue that can be seen from all over Kandy. We climbed to the top and reached a room that has ultimate scenic views of Kandy. After a quick lunch we went to The Temple of the Tooth Relic. It has a history spanning over several centuries and homes the Sacred Tooth Relic of Buddha. Finally at the end of the tour we saw a  cultural dance show featuring many traditional Kandyan dances and acts. They performed one called the demon dance, the fire dance and many more beautiful performances.

Festival lights we held

Diwali Festival: Diwali Festival is also known as Festival of the Lights. It is a Hindu festival and represents good triumphing over evil. Diwali is the beginning of a New Year for Hindus The festivities are grand and homes are decorated with designs known as Kolam and Rangoli. Colorful drawings of folk art believed to represent sacred deities

Weather: Today's weather was a little misty when we first woke up so everyone required coffee to get themselves moving for the day. It was lightly raining off and on all morning and afternoon. It made the gardens smell amazing as the water brought all the flowers alive. We were lucky enough to be in the car for most of the showers. When we arrived back, you could feel the tension of the locals who were concerned about to upcoming festival. The worst shower was only a few hours before the main activities would start. Then all of a sudden all the rain stopped and the clouds cleared the sky. The festivals activities would continue on as planned. It was a Diwali miracle.

Hotel: Our hotel in Kandy is Hotel Sunray again tonight. It is about 10 mins away from the town so we are able to go there very easily and by walking.