Sunkissed in Sri Lanka (Part 6): I Went to Prison in Sri Lanka

- April 18, 2025, Friday.

- So I went to prison in Sri Lanka. One way or the other, this statement is true. One one hand, I didn't commit a crime and went to prison, but on the other hand, I really did visit a prison in Kandy. The Bogambara Prison was opened in the 1870s as part of the British thrust to organize the prisons in Sri Lanka. It finally closed in January 1, 2014 as the Sri Lankan government wished to improve prison conditions by retiring old prisons. The historic Bogambara Prison, albeit archaeologically and historically significant, was not spared. Many of its buildings were demolished and only a few remain, including the front castle-like gates.

Prison gates.

With my Sri Lankan batik shirt.

- While some of the outer buildings were repurposed, some of the remaining buildings are open to visitors for a minimal fee. What once was one of the most notorious prisons in Sri Lanka is now an eerily empty shell. At the same time, the prison is also being converted to a cultural park. Even today, outside the park there are some stalls selling clothes and food, which takes a bit of the eerie feeling of the prison. I was also really glad there were other tourists inside the prison because the place feels straight out of a horror movie, even during daytime.

Inside the Prison Park.

This place really gives me the creeps.

Empty halls.

Prison cells.

Now this is where things get really scary.

A Ganesh wall painting. Not sure but I guess this is one of those prayer rooms.

I was glad there were people here when I went. Otherwise I would've ran out immediately.

These are Buddhist teachings, reminding people of values they should have.

Jailed.

- After mustering the courage to go around the prison cells (which, I found out could be opened by the same key as the main gate), I dropped by the Central Market again, just beside the Prison Park, to buy more things before having lunch. After several attempts to visit, I was finally able to try Mandiya. It is a restaurant at the back of a mall along DS Senanayake Street. It is a no-fuss restaurant serving Sri Lankan curry. They will serve you all kinds of curry available for the day, and the menu changes daily. Although simple, it was one of the best (and the cheapest!) meals I had in Sri Lanka! 

The bus and the tuktuk. Two of Sri Lanka's most local forms of transport.

Last look of Kandy Lake.

Finally. It was a bit hard to find by the way, but it has a lot of publicity.

This is the actual restaurant. Very simple.

This is my meal. I love it so much huhu.

Kandy's Red Mosque. Smaller than the one in Colombo but is also eye-catching.

- Once I finished lunch I had to quickly make sure I had everything prepared before heading to the railway station. For the next few hours, I encountered a one-hour train delay, as well as a situation with my seats (the conductor placed me in the wrong first-class AC coach, but it got sorted out and it was still first-class AC anyway). Sooner than I realized, I was already back in Colombo!

Look at the train signs!

A newer-looking train and an older-looking train. Both of them have Buddhist flags because many devotees were arriving for the Buddha tooth relic's public viewing.

Sunburnt.

Back in Colombo!

Colonial-era steam train!

- I spent the rest of the afternoon going through Pettah Market to look for candies and play jewelry. I also realized that outside the Customs Headquarters along Main Street is a strip of souvenir stores. (I think it was so random that they were there since not a lot of people pass by there.) Later that evening, I decided to go to One Galle Face Mall to hide from the heat and have some dinner. 

At Main Street. Always nice to see the old British colonial buildings being preserved/repurposed. At the lower left, you can see some of the many souvenir stores lined up.

Possibly an eastern cattle egret.

Malls in Sri Lanka sometimes remind me of Manila so much. This one is inside Odel, their department store.

A nice place to look for souvenirs inside One Galle Face Mall.

Galle Face Center at night.

- Being back in Colombo felt surreal after spending a few days up in the mountains of central Sri Lanka. It's not only because of the change of surroundings, but also because it meant that the end of my trip to Sri Lanka was fast approaching. Still, I still had a couple of places to visit in Colombo before closing the trip!

** Check out my other Sri Lanka adventures here!

Part 1: Colombo Fort, Pettah Market, Lotus Tower, Galle Face Green - here

Part 2: Kandy, Ambulawawa Tower, Three Temple Loop - here 

Part 3: Kandy, Sacred Tooth Relic, Central Market, Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya, Kandy Lake Club - here 

Part 4: Sigiriya and Dambulla Cave Temple - here

Part 5: Nuwara Eliya, Nanu Oya, Ella - here

Part 7: Colombo, Gangaramaya Temple, Independence Memorial Hall, National Museum - here

Sunkissed in Sri Lanka (Part 3): Kandy's Sacred Tooth and More!

- April 15, 2025, Tuesday.

- As one of the most important historical cities of Sri Lanka, Kandy is surely home to many national treasures. One driving force that brings people to Kandy is the Buddha's tooth relic housed in the Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple, also known as the Temple of the Tooth Relic.

- The temple was built in 1595 and is one of the most important Buddhist temples in the whole world today. The tooth relic was said to be brought to Sri Lanka after Siddhartha Gautama's passing. It is also one of the few temples in the world that claim to have Buddha's tooth.

Queen's Hotel. One of Sri Lanka's oldest hotels, it was built originally as a residence for the Kandyan king, before being converted to a hotel in 1869. It is located across the Temple of the Tooth Relic. 

At the temple. Most devotees wear white, so while there is no strict dress code (apart from nor wearing revealing or improper clothing), wearing white is most advisable.

There were already devotees flocking the temple, so it was nearly impossible to get photos without people in the background (but you can actually see part of the crowd at the back, entering the temple.)

- I got to the temple up and early in order to beat the crowds. While there were already some devotees in the temple, most of the tourists had yet to arrive. I also chose the perfect day to visit the temple. I visited a day or two before the Exposition of the Tooth Relic Celebration. The city was preparing for a massive crowd in the coming days, with devotees all over Sri Lanka and abroad; on these days, the tooth relic will be open to the public the whole day. Normally, just like the day I went, the tooth relic is only open to the public twice a day for one hour each, during the designated viewing times. Then, the tooth relic will be kept away from public eyes until the next viewing schedule.    

Shrine at the temple's ground floor.

Tooth relic shrine at the second floor before opening.

A glimpse of the tooth relic (I was not allowed to take photos up close). The tooth is inside that gold thing.

- Within the temple grounds, there are also many things to see and do, such as visiting the Sri Dalada Maligawa Museum (photos not allowed), the Raja Museum, the audience hall, the old palace (which is not a small history museum), and the International Buddhist Museum across the temple.

Audience Hall.

Pillars of the Audience Hall.

Raja Museum. This is the now-stuffed elephant named Raja. He was the carrier of the relic casket since it was donated to the temple in 1937 until its death in 1988.

Inside the old palace which is now a small history museum. This one shows the Kandyan king on the throne. 

Outside the International Buddhist Museum. (Photos not allowed inside). The museum is a comprehensive guide to Buddhist cultures all around the world.

Entrance to the International Buddhist Museum.

Queen's Bathing Pool just across the temple.

The actual pool (which obviously isn't used anymore.)

- Within the vicinity is also the Kandy National Museum. Although opened in 1942, the building that houses the museum used to be part of the Kandyan royal palace, particularly, the harem. Today, the small museum shows various artifacts on the royal heritage of Kandy.

Various Kandyan attires.

Royal.

Kandyan dance.

The museum.

- After my whole morning at the temple grounds, I had brunch at the Mlesna Tea Centre Restaurant. It is a Sri Lankan tea brand that started in 1983. In Kandy, this particular restaurant is in the downtown area. It has an old British feel, and has local and international food. I had a lovely brunch there especially with their signature Ceylonese black tea.

I was the only person there.

I had Sri Lankan a samosa (which has a softer wrapping than Indian samosas), then I had sambol (coconut relish) and egg sandwiches, and black tea. 

I had an eclair for dessert too.

This is what it looks like outside.

- I freshened up a bit at the hotel before going to the Kandy Municipal Central Market. It opened in 1959 and is the perfect place to find both wet and dry goods. There are also many souvenir shops at the second level. The ground level has tea and spice shops which may also carry souvenir items. However, because of the holidays, only a handful of stores were open. Be sure to haggle well too! 

Saw this at one of the underground passes. I wasn't sure what this elephant-octopus is supposed to be.

Central market.

Market from the inside.

- Later that afternoon I rode a tuktuk to the Sri Maha Bodhi Viharaya temple. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks because the large white Buddha on the hill can be seen from the town. It was consecrated in 1972, but only finished in 1993.

It was nearly impossible to have this without people as there were some tourists around.

Looking at this white Buddha statue brings some kind of peace to one's mind.

Another temple, another bodhi tree.

View of Kandy Lake from the hills.

- My last agenda for the day was to go to the other side of Kandy Lake to visit the Kandy Lake Club. I hailed a tuktuk that took me from the hill and around the lake. I was actually in a hurry to catch my cultural performance show. Because of traffic, and the fact that I had to hail a second tuktuk because my first tuktuk suddenly decided he couldn't take me, I thought I was going to be late. Thankfully I also had a reserved seat which I bought from their website (click here). 

- The Kandy Lake Club started in 1982 and performs Sri Lankan dances daily.  The dances range from classical to folk forms. The whole performance lasts around an hour.

Puja natuma - invocation dance.

Devol natuma - dance for healing and warding off evil.

Mayura natuma - the peacock dance; a personal favorite.

Raksha natuma - raksha mask dance, particularly ones depicting a cobra and a bird.

Rabana natuma - the hand drum or the rabana is not just played but also used for particular stunts.

Gini natuma - fire dance.

Ves natuma - Kandy's most iconic dance form with men wearing the traditional Kandyan outfit.

Fire walking.

The Kandy Lake Club's choreographer.

- Going back to the hotel was also a bit of an adventure because no car or tuktuk would pick me up from the Kandy Lake Club as it is a bit off way. The Kandy Lake Club had a tuktuk that brought me downhill to the main street, and helped me hail a proper tuktuk there. Thankfully the tuktuk we found was familiar with my hotel and asked for a price that wasn't too far off from what I would've been charged via the PickMe App.

- Because I was quite tired from my (mis)adventures for the day, I just decided to have dinner at the hotel's roof deck restaurant. Though I covered much of Kandy, the real adventure was just beginning. I had to make sure that I had enough rest for one of the most challenging days of my week in Sri Lanka: hiking up Sigiriya and the Dambulla Caver Temple!

** Check out my other Sri Lanka adventures here!

Part 1: Colombo Fort, Pettah Market, Lotus Tower, Galle Face Green - here

Part 2: Kandy, Ambulawawa Tower, Three Temple Loop - here 

Part 4: Sigiriya and Dambulla Cave Temple - here

Part 5: Nuwara Eliya, Nanu Oya, Ella - here

Part 6: Kandy, Bogambara Prison Park and Train to Colombo - here

Part 7: Colombo, Gangaramaya Temple, Independence Memorial Hall, National Museum - here