ABSTRACT
These historical events lend the city of Kandy considerable national importance, for many see the Kandyan region as embodying the very essence of Sinhala Buddhist civilization. Seneviratna has recently even referred to Kandy as the "cultural capital" of Sri Lanka (1983:7). Kandy certainly radiates a strong historical, even sacred, aura. As Goonetileke observes, even amidst the hustle and bustle of
Map 3 Around Kandy.
