February 1, 2026 | Kandy – Ramboda – Nuwara Eliya
We started the day in Kandy, one of the cultural capitals of Sri Lanka. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth, the most important structure of the city, is one of the most sacred places in the country for Buddhists. The sacred tooth relic, believed to belong to Buddha, is preserved here.
During your visit to the temple, you see not only a religious structure but also the living memory of Sri Lanka's faith. Ceremonies, flower offerings and the silent waiting of people increase the impact of the place.
Is “Sri Lankan Buddhism” different?
Sri Lankan Buddhism is the interpretation of Theravada Buddhism combined with the historical and cultural texture of the island.
Root: Theravada and a very old line of tradition
Buddhism reached Sri Lanka through a mission during the reign of Ashoka and took root very early on the island. Encyclopedia Britannica
Living side by side with local culture
In Sri Lanka, Buddhist practice in some places goes hand in hand with local guardian deities and “devala” culture; the Pattini cult is one example of this.
What is the impact on people and culture?
The most visible effects in daily life:
- Calendar and rhythm: In Sri Lanka, there are Poya days on the full moon of every month. These days are included in the official holiday calendar. Sri Lanka Public Holiday Calendar
- Culture of generosity — dāna: Practices such as offering flowers, donations and doing good deeds in temples are part of daily life.
- Art and aesthetics: Drum rhythms, processions, Kandyan architecture and temple decorations… Buddhism is not only a belief but also a cultural language. Dalada Maligawa
- The language of social respect: Behaviors such as people wearing white, queuing silently, respect for elders and monks are very much felt in public spaces.
After Kandy, we set out towards the high parts of the country, Nuwara Eliya. The climate and vegetation changed along the way; the tropical heat has been replaced by cooler, foggy and lush green hills. Nuwara Eliya was one of the places that impressed me the most. One of Sri Lanka's biggest differences is its high mountains. Thanks to the altitude, the temperature decreases, monsoon rains make the soil fertile and a magnificent nature is created.
We took a break at Ramboda Waterfall. Then, we visited a tea factory and tea gardens and saw the journey of Sri Lankan tea from leaf to cup. We learned that the Lipton brand took its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton.
It is possible to tell the colonial history of Sri Lanka through three products: cinnamon, coffee and tea.
The Portuguese came first. The Dutch then controlled the coasts, ports and especially the cinnamon trade. The castles, churches and urban fabric of these periods can still be seen today in cities such as Galle and Colombo.
Then the British came and not only traded; it changed the production structure of the island.
First, large coffee plantations were established in the high regions. However, a disease affecting coffee leaves collapsed coffee production in the second half of the 19th century.
The tea plant has actually been tried in botanical gardens before. Scientific networks established by the British were investigating which plants could grow in which climate. Kew Botanical Garden, colonial administrations, local trial gardens, private companies and plantation owners were working together.
When coffee collapsed, tea quickly became widespread and Ceylon tea was born.
Many Tamil workers were brought from South India to work in these plantations. The "Hill Country" or plantation Tamils living in Sri Lanka today are the grandchildren of this migration.
So the green tea hills we see are not just a beautiful sight. Behind them are stories of colonialism, hard labor, migration and identity.
How did the British realize that tea could grow here?
One day they didn't sit down and understand; they saw it by trying it step by step.
First experiments in the botanical garden — 1824
- The first tea plant, brought from China in 1824, was planted in the Royal Botanic Gardens Peradeniya for experimental purposes.
- In 1839, new trial plants were brought from Assam and Calcutta through the East India Company.
- The aim was to see whether tea grows healthily in this climate, altitude and soil. Tea Exporters Association
First commercial plantation — 1867
In 1867, James Taylor started the first commercial-scale tea planting on the Loolecondera Estate. Tea Exporters Association
The real break: Coffee leaf rust — 1869
Coffee Rust, which hit coffee plantations in 1869, rapidly collapsed coffee and forced large plantations to turn to tea. So it wasn't just the experiments in the garden that made it certain that tea could grow here, but the large-scale spread of tea with the decline of coffee. Sri Lanka Tea Board
The places we visit around the world as "botanical gardens" are not just collections of beautiful plants; they were laboratories where the production lines of the British colonial system were created.
Accommodation: W15 Lake Gregory, Nuwara Eliya