Idea for a scheduled morning tour or an afternoon stroll, a visit to Kandy City in Sri Lanka is not complete without a stretch of one’s legs with a circuit of Kandy Lake, a walk which offers beautiful views of the town and hills, though traffic along the south side of the lake can be heavy and smelly. The lake was created in 1807 by the last Sinhalese king, as a form of protection to the palace premises by possible invaders. The island in the lake was the Royal Summer House, often misguided to visitors as the king’s harem. The British forces converted it into an ammunition store during the Second World War.

Passing the Royal Bathhouse, the promenade transforms unnoticeably from city street to parkland walk. This leads you to the Kandyan Arts and Crafts Association, which hosts colourful nightly displays of Kandyan dancing and sells a range of locally made crafts. Slightly further along the lakeshore is the Buddhist Publications Society, at 54 SangarajaMawatha, its shelves stocked with an overwhelming quantity of Buddhist tracts and treatises.

Dotted along the lake bund are many hawkers selling goods to local and foreign pilgrims. The atmosphere is a fairly peaceful buzz with many subconsciously obeying the tranquility required by a holy site.