Joanna James
Aside from the entrancing views of tea plantations and Buddhist temples, Kandy does offer a variety of other unique things to its visitors. One such thing is its shopping spaces that offer colourful souvenirs and other products with that essential "exotic" touch to gift your loved ones back home.
A public municipality market that can be found close to the clock tower in the heart of the city, Kandy Market Hall is where you can look forward to finding the best quality ingredients at quite reasonable prices. The market is sprawled over two storeys surrounding a charming little courtyard with neatly manicured hedges and bushes in it. This market is indeed an ideal place to witness the local life, particularly in the lower stairs where locals come to buy their goods. It is also a great opportunity to strike up a conversation with the local vendors. The downstairs will let you find lots of delicious sweets, fresh fruit and vegetables, spices. The upstairs is more about clothes, shoes, crafts, and other medicinal herbs.
If you're a fan of native art, then you should definitely make it a point to visit Rangala House Gallery when you travel to Kandy. It is a store that showcases a range of artworks of Sri Lankan artists, captivating handicrafts, and artisanal products. One may observe that many of these artworks depict the local lifestyle and related narrations. The beautifully painted artworks showcasing the authentic village lives are worthy to look at and you can even purchase some of these paintings to support local artists at the same time giving your home a fresh ambience with one of these masterfully-done paintings.
Although the art form of batik is known to have been originated in Indonesia, it has arrived at Sri Lanka and settled incorporating a traditional blend that appeals to many tourists around the world. At Fresco Batik Market in Kandy, you may find the most quality batik materials in the whole country and you can even look forward to selecting a pattern that tickles your fancy from a range of designs such as traditional elephant designs, sea designs depicting fish, and even modern bird designs. The delicately patterned final product is truly breathtaking and gives a quite elegant look to its wearer.
For ardent collectors of authentic antique products, Waruna Antiques in Peradeniya Road, Kandy, offers a unique mélange of items that have come down from generation to generation in Sri Lanka. Here, you may find coins to jewellery and a myriad of other mind-boggling items some of which you can purchase to surprise your loved ones back home. You can even read through internet sources such as Kandy Escapes to find out more vendors that sell vintage antiques similar to these.
Tea lovers would simply love the opportunity of visiting Ceylon Tea Museum! This place offers tea tasting sessions, tea shopping, and one may even get to learn a bit about the history of Sri Lanka's flourishing tea industry.
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