Kandy (
Maha nuwara, pronounced ; , pronounced ) is a major city in
Sri Lanka, located in the
Central Province,
Sri Lanka. It is the second largest city in the country after
Colombo. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau, which crosses an area of tropical plantations, mainly tea. Kandy is both an administrative and religious city and is also the capital of the
Central Province. Kandy is the home of The
Temple of the Tooth Relic (
Sri Dalada Maligawa), one of the most sacred places of worship in the Buddhist world. It was declared a world heritage site by
UNESCO in 1988.