Kandy

Kandy මහනුවර கண்டி
City
Kandy lake and the City centre
Seal
Nickname(s): Nuwara, Senkadagala
Motto: Loyal and Free
Kandy
Coordinates: 7°17′47″N 80°38′6″E / 7.29639°N 80.63500°E / 7.29639; 80.63500Coordinates: 7°17′47″N 80°38′6″E / 7.29639°N 80.63500°E / 7.29639; 80.63500
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Central Province
District	Kandy District
Divisional Secretariat	Kandy Divisional Secretariat
Senkadagalapura	14th century
Kandy Municipal Council	1865
Founded by	Vikramabahu III
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Kandy Municipal Council
• Mayor	Sena Dissanayake
Area
• Total	28.53 km2 (11.02 sq mi)
Elevation	500 m (1,600 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	125,400
• Density	4,591/km2 (11,890/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Kandyan
Time zone	Sri Lanka Time (UTC+05:30)

Kandy Municipal Council
Type
Type	Local authority
Leadership
Mayor	Mahindra Ratwatte Since 8 October 2011
Deputy Mayor	Sena Dissanayake Since 8 October 2011
Municipal Commissioner	Chandana Tennakoon
Seats	24
Elections
Voting system	open list proportional representation system
Last election	Sri Lankan local government elections, 2011
Website
http://www.kandywhc.org/

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sacred City of Kandy
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Location	Sri Lanka
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv, vi
Reference	450
UNESCO region	Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	1988 (10th Session)

Kandy (Sinhalese: මහනුවර Mahanuwara, pronounced [mahanuʋərə]; Tamil: கண்டி, pronounced [ˈkaɳɖi]) is a major city in Sri Lanka, located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies 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.

The city and the region has been known by many different names and versions of those names. Some scholars suggest that the original name of Kandy was Katubulu Nuwara located near present Watapuluwa. However, the more popular historical name is Senkadagala or Senkadagalapura, officially Senkadagala Siriwardhana Maha Nuwara (meaning 'great city of Senkadagala of growing resplendence'), generally shortened to 'Maha Nuwara'. According to folklore, this name originated from one of the several possible sources. One being the city was named after a brahmin with the name Senkanda who lived in a cave near by, and another being a queen of Vikramabahu III was named Senkanda, and after a coloured stone named Senkadagala. The Kingdom of Kandy has also been known by various names. The English name Kandy, which originated during the colonial era, is derived from an anglicised version of the Sinhalese Kanda Uda Rata (meaning the land on the mountain) or Kanda Uda Pas Rata (the five counties/countries on the mountain). The Portuguese shortened this to "Candea", using the name for both the kingdom and its capital. In Sinhalese, Kandy is called Maha nuwara, meaning "Great City" or "Capital", although this is most often shortened to Nuwara.