Kandy Lake, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Kandy Lake (31 August, 2005)

Kandy Lake is a manmade lake created in 1807 by the last Sinhalese ruler of Kandy, King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, using forced labour. It is the main body of water in the city of Kandy in central Sri Lanka. The king used land which was paddy field to create the lake. It stands as an indictment of the excesses of the Kandyan monarchy for wasting away national resources to built an ornamental lake at a time when the kingdom was under serious threat.

When a hundred of his advisors advised King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe against building the lake, he had them impaled on the reservoir bund of the paddy field which he was converting into the ornamental lake. It was not long before the British captured him, with help from his own noblemen disgruntled by his irrational policies.

Royal Bathhouse, Kandy (31 August, 2005)

Kandy Lake has a perimeter of 2.1 miles and a maximum depth of 60 feet. A decorative wall, called Walakulu wall, runs for 2060 feet along the banks of the Kandy Lake. In the middle of the lake is an island housing the Royal Summer House. Sri Dalada Maligawa, or Temple of the Tooth Relic, is located beside the lake across the road. On the opposite side of the road from the Temple of the Tooth Relic is the Royal Bathhouse, which is used by the king's wives and concubines as a bathhouse. The British added one more storey to the structure to house a library.

It is impossible to miss the Kandy Lake if you are visiting the city, as it is located smack in the middle of town. I had the good fortune to walk around and admire it, when I explored Kandy with a small group of AsiaExplorers members, and am documenting it here for your enjoyment.