Kandy (also known as Maha Nuwara, "Great City") was designated a World Heritage site in 1988, and today has a population of over 100,000. It is an administrative, commercial, cultural, and educational centre that attracts pilgrims and tourists alike.
From the 13th or 14th century, Kandy became a centre for both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, the religion's two major sects. The most important of its many Buddhist temples is the Temple of the Tooth, which enshrines a sacred relic of a tooth of the Buddha. Kandy's annual Esala Perahera, a 10-day torchlight parade of dancers and drummers, dignitaries, and ornately decorated elephants, commemorates the sacred tooth; it is now one of the better-known festivals in Asia, and it may be the largest Buddhist celebration in the world. Significant temples just southwest of Kandy include the Lankatilaka Vihare (Hindu) and the Gadaladeniya Vihare (Buddhist), both of which were built in the 14th century.
