Places to Visit in Sri Lanka 1

 

                    Arthur's Seat

Just after the Royal Palace Park, southwest of Kandy Lake is a well-liked lookout point called Arthur's Seat.

It is situated 550 meters (1,800 feet) above sea level on Rajapihilla Mawatha.[1] A comprehensive view of Kandy Lake, Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Kandy Royal Palace, and the city center is offered.

Folklore in the area claims that a British tea planter named Mr. Arthur owned a bungalow above the lookout from which he used to observe Kandy while seated on a stone bench beneath a tree in front of his home.

In 2015, the Kandy Municipal Council estimated that 500 tourists visited the area daily during the off-season, while 1,500 tourists visited daily from November to May.

The Council started building the new viewing platform at the site in early 2016.[5] The City's Heritage Committee filed complaints against what it deemed to be an ugly structure, which led to the destruction of the original stone seat.[6] The new viewing area is a 35 m (115 ft) by 5 m (16 ft) concrete deck with a seat made from the original rock slab as a symbolic element.[4] The building's construction cost Rs. 6.474M.