The Kandy House

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Kandy House
General information
Location Kandy, Sri Lanka
Other information
Number of roomsnine
Website
Kandy House website

The Kandy House is a nine-room, [1] 200-year-old [2] manor house which was built by the last Chief Minister [3] of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1804. It was fully restored and opened in 2005 as an upmarket boutique hotel, [4] situated 20 minutes from Kandy. [5] Described as a "showcase of the island's architectural renaissance", [6] it has established a reputation as "the best small hotel in Sri Lanka". [7]

Kingdom of Kandy political entity

The Kingdom of Kandy was an independent monarchy of the island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century.

Kandy City in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Kandy is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. 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, one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988.

Sri Lanka Island country in South Asia

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

Contents

History

The Kandy Hotel is also known as "Amunugama Walauwa" or "Ratwatte Walauwa" [1] was built in 1804 [8] by the Chief Minister, Ratwatte Adigar, to the last King of Kandy. The kingdom at that time forbade any but the royal residences to use roofing tiles but the ambitious Ratwatte Adigar, had the nerve to build himself a replica palace with two sprawling stories of terracotta tiles. Two hundred years on, Geoffrey Bawa's protégé Channa Daswatte began work on a sensitive restoration [9] that has kept the essence of the villa intact but brought it into the 21st century. [10]

Walauwa

Walauwa is the name given to a feudal/colonial manor house in Sri Lanka of a native headmen. It is also reference to the feudal social systems that existed during the colonial era.

Royal Palace of Kandy

The Royal Palace of Kandy, located to the north of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, was the royal residence of the Sri Lankan monarchy of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. The last king to reside in it was King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (1798–1815). Once part of a large palace complex that included the King's Palace, Royal Audience Hall, Queen's Palace, King's Harem Quarters and Queen's Bathing Pavilion (Ulpange), together with the Temple of the Tooth. Adjacent to the Royal Palace is the Victorian era building that until recently housed Kandy High Court.

Deshamanya Geoffrey Manning Bawa, FRIBA was a Sri Lankan architect. He was among the most influential Asian architects of his generation. He is the principal force behind what is today known globally as "tropical modernism".

"It's no exaggeration to say that architect Geoffrey Bawa transformed the look of South-East Asia. And yet what he did is so subtle that we almost take it for granted today. In short, Bawa-tailored modern buildings to a specific environment. It hardly seems revolutionary and yet no one else had done anything like it in the region."

Notable guests

Madhur Jaffrey Indian actress, food and travel writer, and television personality

Madhur Jaffrey, CBE is an Indian-born actress, food and travel writer, and television personality. She is recognized for bringing Indian cuisine to the western hemisphere with her debut cookbook, An Invitation to Indian Cooking (1973), which was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. She has written over a dozen cookbooks and appeared on several related television programmes, the most notable of which was Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery, which premiered in the UK in 1982. She is the food consultant at Dawat, considered by many food critics to be among the best Indian restaurants in New York City.

Gillian Anderson American film, television and theatre actress, activist and writer

Gillian Leigh Anderson, is an American-British film, television and theatre actress and activist. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the long-running series The X-Files, ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies' film The House of Mirth (2000), and DSU Stella Gibson on the BBC crime drama television series The Fall. Among other honours, Anderson has won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She has resided in London since 2002, after earlier years divided between the United Kingdom and the United States.

Prince Michael of Kent Grandson of King George V and Queen Mary

Prince Michael of Kent, is a member of the British royal family. He is a paternal first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, being a grandson of King George V and Queen Mary. He is currently 48th in the line of succession to the British throne, but at the time of his birth was seventh in the line of succession.

Facilities

Awards

Related Research Articles

Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy last king of the Kingdom of Kandy

Sri Vikrama Rajasinha was the last of four Kings, to rule the last Sinhalese monarchy of the Kingdom of Kandy in Sri Lanka. The Nayak Kings were of Telugu origin who practiced Shaivite Hinduism and were patrons of Theravada Buddhism. The Nayak rulers played a huge role in reviving Buddhism in the island. They spoke Tamil, which was also used as the court language in Kandy alongside with Sinhalese

Radala Sinhala aristrocratic subcaste of the Govigamas, tradtionally of the Kandy region in Sri Lanka

Radala refers to a small minority caste in the Kandyan Kingdom of Sri Lanka. They were the Chiefs of the Kingdom of Kandy. The term Radala is coming from the combination of words Radh and Kola or Kula, which literally means the royal caste. The word "Radala" came into existence after the throne of the Kingdom of Kandy went to the Nayak Dynasty. Higher officials in the court of Vira Narendra Sinha were offered this state and Nayakkara prince was selected as king over king's son by a local queen. After capturing the Kandyan provinces in 1815 with the aid of locals from both maritime and Kandyan provinces, the British created an extensive class of loyal 'New Radalas' in the Kandyan territory to assist them in the administration of that province.

Nissanka Wijeyeratne Sri Lankan diplomat

Deshamanya Nissanka Parakrama Wijeyeratne, known as Nissanka Wijeyeratne, was a Sri Lankan politician, civil servant, diplomat and English language poet. He was also the Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy from 1975 to 1985. At the time of death he was serving as the Chairman of The Law and Society Trust in Sri Lanka.

Diyawadana Nilame Lay Custodian of The Sacred Tooth Relic

Diyawadana Nilame is the office of the chief lay custodian of Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Formerly an office of the royal household, at present it is the trustee for the Temple of the Tooth as defined by the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance of 1931. A ceremonial position, enriched with over two thousand years of history to safeguard and carry out ancient rituals for the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. The Diyawadana Nilame has the responsibility of overseeing of all aspects of the Sri Dalada Maligawa. He has the traditional duty of organizing the annual pageant, the Kandy Esala Perahera. The current Diyawadana Nilame is Pradeep Nilanga Dela.

Queens Hotel, Kandy

The Queen's Hotel is an 80-room British Colonial style three star hotel, located at central hill capital Kandy in Sri Lanka. Located in the center of the city at end of the main street, this former Governor's residence is one of the oldest hotels in Sri Lanka with a history of over 160 years. It is currently managed by the Ceylon Hotels Cooperation.

Neranjan Wijeyeratne Sri Lankan politician

Neranjan Priyadarshana Dullewe Wijeyeratne is a Sri Lankan. He was Diyawadana Nilame of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy for 20 years from 1985 to 2005. Wijeyeratne was former United National Party politician and ex chief organiser for the Galagedara Electorate in Kandy District and former Leader of the Opposition in the Kandy Municipal Council.

Kandyan Convention

The Kandyan Convention was an agreement signed on 10 March 1815 between the British and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon for the deposition of King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha and ceding of the kingdom's territory to British rule. The king, of South Indian ancestry, faced powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to limit his power. A successful coup was organized by the chieftains, marking the end of 2358 years of self-rule on the island and resulting in the imprisonment of the king in Vellore. The treaty is quite unique in that it was not signed by the monarch on the throne but by members of his court and other dignitaries of the kingdom.

Sir Jayatilaka Cudah Ratwatte Adigar was a Ceylonese colonial-era politician and headman. He was a member of the State Council of Ceylon (1931–1933), the first elected Mayor of Kandy (1939–40), the first person from Kandy to be awarded a knighthood from the British and was appointed to the post of Adigar.

The Manor House is a boutique hotel in Sri Lanka, located in Aladeniya, about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Kandy.

Ceylon University College

Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of London's external examination. The college was based in Colombo. The college was merged with Ceylon Medical College in 1942 to form the University of Ceylon. The college was also known as University College, Ceylon; University College, Colombo; and Colombo University College. Its buildings and grounds are now occupied by the University of Colombo which is considered its successor.

Raja (elephant) elephant

Raja was a Sri Lankan tusker elephant belonged to the Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy. Raja participated at the annual Esala procession in Kandy for around 50 years and was the sacred casket bearer of the final Randoli perehera for 37 years. He was one of the most celebrated elephants in Asia during his lifetime, and was world famous for his noble behavior. On August 20, 1986 former Sri Lankan President J. R. Jayewardene declared Raja as a national treasure, in recognition of his valuable services to the religion and culture of Sri Lanka.

Rajamanthrilage Walauwa or manor house of Rajamanthri is situated in Kandy, Rajawella (රජවැල්ල) Sri Lanka. Rajamanthri House is a twelve-room, 200-year-old mansion built by the last Chief Minister of the Kingdom of Kandy in 1804. It was fully restored and opened by Prince Seimon Naide Rajamanthri in 1944 at Rajawella, Kandy. The manor house was converted to a resort villa and the estate was divided for various business purposes such as resorts, shopping complexes, international schools, sports grounds, cinema halls and garment factories. The shopping complex began in 1985. The manor house still remains in Rajawella City, managed by two sons of Prince Julius.

Barnes Ratwatte was a Ceylonese colonial-era legislator and a headman. He was a member of the State Council and the Senate of Ceylon. He was appointed to the posts of Rate Mahatmaya of Balangoda and Dissawa by the British. He was the father of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the first female Prime Minister in the world.

Harris Leuke Ratwatte Sri Lankan politician (1900-1964)

Wijewardena Seneviratne Panditha Abeykoon Bandaranayake Wahala Mudiyanselage Harris Leuke Ratwatte was a Ceylonese legislator. He was a member of the State Council of Ceylon, Parliament and the Senate of Ceylon. Ratwatte was award the title of Dissawa by the British Governor of Ceylon and was elected as the Diyawadana Nilame of Sri Dalada Maligawa, Kandy.

Justice Barnes Shelton Carlye Ratwatte II was a Sri Lankan lawyer and judge. He was a former Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Ceylon and Public Trustee.

J. H. Meedeniya

Meedeniye Rajakaruna Senanayaka Panditha Heart Wasala Kupuppu Mudiyanse Ralahamillage Punch Banda John Henry Meedeniya was a Ceylonese legislator and a headmen. He was the Kandyan Sinhalese member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon and elected member of the State Council of Ceylon for Ruanwelia. He was awarded the title of Adigar by the British Government of Ceylon.

Horagolla Walauwa

Horagolla Walauwa is a large bungalow in Atthanagalla, Western Province, Sri Lanka.

The National Museum of Ratnapura is one of the national museums of Sri Lanka. It is located in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka and it was opened on 13 May 1988. The museum building is called “Ehelepola Walauwa”, as it once belonged to Ehelepola Nilame, a courtier of the Kingdom of Kandy, who was the 1st Adigar under the reign King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Sri Lanka, for whom he served as the Disawe of Ratnapura.

Kandy General Post Office

The Kandy General Post Office is the main post office in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

References

  1. 1 2 Loftus, Barbara (17 October 2009). "Serendipity in Sri Lanka". The Irish Times .
  2. ↑ Spowers, Rory (13 October 2007). "Sri Steps to Heaven". The Guardian .
  3. ↑ "Le Sri Lanka: Une Peninsule Epoustouflante", Marie Claire Maison, 28 June 2010, archived from the original on 23 July 2011, retrieved 2 July 2010
  4. ↑ Kurlantzick, Joshua (25 December 2005). "The Rebirth of Sri Lanka". The National . Archived from the original on April 14, 2010.
  5. ↑ Beyfus, Drusilla (4 February 2010). "Sri Lanka: Senior moments on a yoga retreat". The Daily Telegraph .
  6. ↑ Beehner, Lionel (26 March 2010). "Sri Lanka a Heady Mix of Beautiful Beaches". The Denver Post . Archived from the original on October 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ Charlton, Gill (28 January 2010). "Sri Lanka's Calmer Shore". The National .
  8. 1 2 Ellis, Royston (9 March 2008). "A House You Wish Was Yours". The Sunday Times .
  9. ↑ De Lisle, Rosanna (8 April 2006). "As Smooth as Silk, as Sweet as Tea". The Daily Telegraph .
  10. ↑ Wijewardene, Rannish (2005). "The Kandy House". The Sunday Times .
  11. ↑ Jaffrey, Madhur (22 September 2006). "I could settle down and live here". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016.
  12. ↑ De Lisle, Rosanna (20 January 2007), "Travel Special: April to June", The Independent , archived from the original on December 4, 2008

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