A Walk around the Kandy Lake

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Kandy is all about the Sacred Temple of the Tooth and the Kandy Lake. The lake has a circumference about 3.24 kilometers, with larger trees grown around providing shelter. The lake has a small artificial island in the middle with colourful flowers and a water fountain. It is an amazing place to have a nice walk around, there are vendors who sell popcorn rice which you can use to feed fish in the lake.

The artificial lake was built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe in a paddy field called Tigolwela next to the sacred Temple of Tooth. It was believed that there has been a pond in the paddy fields called “Kiri Muhuda” and the lake subsequently was known as “Kiri Muhuda”. A local architect “Deveda Moolacharya” has architectured the lake.

Half of the lake is surrounded by a white wall known as the Wall of Clouds. According to folklore the king was not able to finish the wall as in 1815 the Kandyan Kingdom was acquired by the British.

The current police post which is built on top of the waters of the lake was also built by the king. Its pavilions were used by the king concubines for bathing. The British expanded this building adding another floor and used it as a library.