2-Anciant Kingdoms Private Tour from Kandy

You will be starting the tour from your hotel at 6:00am. You will be travelling for 2.5 hours to get to Panduwasnuwara. If you bring a packed breakfast, you can use the time to have it since you won’t be stopping for a break before lunch. You will get to Panduwasnuwara at 8:30am. The kingdom of Panduwasnuwara flourished between 504 BC and 474 BC. Believed to be established by the King Panduvasudev, the city was abandoned till the 12th century, when it became known as Parakamapura. The ruins that stand today are mainly from that era. Some of the notable sights you will get to see are the ruins of the magnificent royal palace, the remains of the 297 feet wide tower with its extremely thick walls which have many legends surrounding them, the recently restored former temple of the tooth relic and Panda Wewa which is believed to be one of the very first irrigation systems built in the world.

You will travel to Yapahuwa at 10:00am and get there by 11:30 am. You will spend two hours viewing the 13th century rock fortress of Yapahuwa. The fortress played the part of being the last stand of King Bhuvenakabahu, when the Dravidians invaded from India. He attempted to save the Holy Tooth Relic of Buddha there, but the move failed to protect it as it was stolen by the Pandyans immediately following his death. The tooth relic was recovered the year after, but was placed in Polonnaruwa instead. The fortress as you see it now is a beautiful work of art with neatly carved grand staircases, interesting sculptures and pillars. After the fall of the kingdom the fortress was used as a monastery by Buddhist monks. The remains of the stupa that they used can still be seen on the summit of the rock. The stupa contains paintings and Buddha statues from the Kandyan era. At 1:30pm you will finish your visit of the fortress and go for lunch. You can spend approximately an hour and a half enjoying your meal before you return back to Kandy. You will visit the Elephant Rock, ‘Ethagala’, en route. The rock which has a rough shape of an elephant, has some fantastic views from the top, as well as a newly created giant Buddha statue. You will get back to your hotel in Kandy by 6:30pm, completing your tour.