This document summarizes the 500-year history of the landscape of Kandy, Sri Lanka from 1312 to 1815. It describes how the city was initially established and gradually developed over time under local kings and foreign powers such as the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. Major developments included the construction of new palaces, temples, monasteries, walls, and canals, transforming Kandy into a beautiful and sacred city. However, in 1815 the British took control of Kandy, bringing the independent kingdom to an end.

1. W.M.S.S.Dias
mihirdias@gmail.com
Department of Geography
University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2.  This chapter discussed five hundred years history of
Kandyan landscape.(1312-1815)
 “It was built by citizens, destroyed by foreign armies
and rebuilt yet again.”
 James S. Duncan
 Local, Foreign, Portuguese, Dutch and British affected
to Kandy during these centuries.
 This chapter is a creation of accumulation of literal
data which written about Kandy by various writers and
officers.

3.  1312, Katupulu named as ‘Senkadagala
Sirivardhanapura’ by General Sirivardhana a nephew of
Pakramabahu 4th.
 Gedige shrine to Natha built according to South Indian
Vijayanagara style.
 In the site of Asgiri monastery.
 Less in information.

4.  1474 General Vikramabahu made Kandy his capital city.
 Built new palace for his mother and a shrine room on
pillars.
 Later constructed Adahana Maluwa Gedige shrine in
Dravidian style and the Asgiri monastery upon his
mother’s ashes. (1474-1475)
 Less information.

5.  1542 King Viravikrama got the relic of the Buddha, and
made a beautiful ‘Dagoba’ near the palace, a two-
storey house (Uposatha ceremony), with eighty six
brick roof dwellings around the town for monks.
 He made a ‘temple of tooth’ 1st time wchich near to
the palace in Kandy by following Anuradhapura and
Polonnaruwa textual records.
 In 1546 he converted to Christianity and convert one
temple to a Christian church. (assumes that it was ‘Our
Lady of Conception’ near Bogambara.

6.  Vimala Dharma Suriya (1592) rebuilt the city with massive
wall, surrounded eighteen towers and two-stored superb relic
temple near the palace after the Portuguese attack to Kandy.
 1596, he constructed beautiful monkhood at Gatambe.
 According to De Queyroz, Kandy has well built houses and
streets, the buildings masonry and thatched with Bamboo
leaves and rattan.
 Pagoda and king’s palace covered with copper, silver and gold.
 There were about 2500 inhabitants.
 There were ‘bazaar’ (large streets) to sell goods.

7.  The walls around the king’s palace is less than one
league, which connected the hills.
 A Pagoda was near the palace.
 There was a well lighted and shined building beautiful
than the other, it called ‘house of tooth’ and it has two
skylights.

8. • Katharagama, Natha, Devatha Bandara, Paththini
Devala.

9.  Due to the Portuguese attacks King Senarath, and Raja
Sinha 2nd rebuilt the city with strong.
 They were tried to make them selves goods by creating
the city same to the Sakra’s heaven.
 According to Knox Raja Sinha 2nd made various ponds
and canals.
 By those ponds( Bogambara lake) he tried to show the
‘lake of Anotat’ or ‘the Milk Ocean’.
 He hidden his treasure inside the lake and put
Crocodiles to represent the mythical beast ‘Makara’
which can see in temple Thorana.

10.  King Narendra Sinha (1707-1739) was moved the place
to Kandy to Kundasale, and did not care about the
Kandy city more.
 But he started a beautiful garden with various kinds of
birds and animals with represent the palace garden of
Sakra.
 He made two storey very beautiful temple of tooth,
the Natha and the sacred Bo tree near the palace.
 According to finding assumes that there were more
than one pagoda in the area during this time.

11.  Sri Vijaya Rajasinha stared the
Vishnu kovil in the area.
 Then Kirthi Sri Rajasinha built
the a new Vishnu Devale next to
the Dewatha Bandara Devale.
 Due to this monks were
struggled and the gave his flower
garden ‘Pushparama’ to built the
‘Malwatta vihare.
 According to British records the
palace is well buitl and managed
than a India city.

12.  He built many religious places around the city.
 Structure of the Palace.

13.  Sri Vikrama Raja Sinha made huge change
an beautiful view to the city of Kandy.
 He built religious buildings,
Paththirippuwa, Kandy lake and canals
etc.
 Because of him the paddy field near the
palce became a beautiful lake.
 He made a island inside the lake named
as ‘Kundasale’ and make a flexible bridge.

14.  However in 1815 Kandy was taken by British, but the
kingship built landscape of the of Kandy is still remaining.
 That is why landscape of Kandy is important as locally as
well as globally as a World Heritage City .