Kandy Lake (Kiri Muhuda, ‘Sea of Milk’), in the centre of the city, is an artificial reservoir constructed between 1807 and 1810 by the last Kandyan king, Sri Wickrama Rajasinha, using an estimated ten thousand labourers. The lake covers approximately 0.6 square kilometres and features a small island at its centre that once served as the king’s private bathing retreat, with an underground passage linking it to the palace. The lake and its surrounding promenade are a central feature of daily life in the city.
Pedal boats are available for hire on the lake, offering a leisurely way to experience the water and the surrounding view of temple rooftops, colonial-era buildings, and wooded hillsides rising from the lake’s edge. The lakeside promenade along Sangharaja Mawatha â shaded by large rain trees â passes the Royal Audience Hall, the exterior of the Temple of the Tooth complex, and the old Kandyan palace buildings. Waterbirds including purple moorhens, little grebes, jacanas, and kingfishers inhabit the lake and can be observed from the pedal boats at close range.
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