The king of Kandy received numerous embassies from the West, and was compelled to tolerate the presence of a Dutch Resident, but was successful in maintaining his independence until the arrival of the British in 1815.

The Town
Although Kandy has few buildings of any great age, it is a picturesque and attractive town, particularly at the time of the festivals which attract large numbers of worshippers and visitors. A pleasant feature of the town is the Kiri Muhuda or Milky Sea, an artificial lake created by the last king (1803-1807), set in a circle of hills. As well as the stronghold of Ceylonese independence, Kandy is the sacred town of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. Its chief religious shrine is the Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Tooth.

The temple is reached by crossing a bridge over a moat in which sacred turtles wait hopefully to be fed by pilgrims. Visitors must leave their shoes at the entrance to the temple under the vigilant eye of an attendant.

The Tooth (the kings of Sri Lanka believed their fate depend on the sacred relic) was apparently brought to Ceylon for safety in the 4th century A.D. hidden in the hair of a Princess of Kalinga (Orissa, India) on the orders of a Buddhist king who feared attack by a Hindu neighbour. It is also said that the first Temple of the Tooth was built in the reign of Megavanna, Maha Sena's son: these kings belonged to the Mahayana school and favoured the cult of relics which was proscribed by the pure Hinayana doctrine. Each successive capital of Sri Lanka had its Temple of the Tooth; for each time the country was invaded the relic was carried off to safety in the south. In 1285 it was seized by the troops of a Pandya king and taken to Madurai in southern India: whereupon Parakrama Bahu III made his way to Madurai and recognised his allegiance to the victorious king in order to secure the return of the palladium of his dynasty. During the 16th century the Tooth went through a troubled period, being transferred from Kotte to Sitawake and from there to Kandy: apparently at this time each king claimed to possess the authentic Tooth. In 1593 the Tooth was solemnly enthroned at Kandy by Wimala Dharma Suriya.