Malwatta and Asgiriya, the two great monasteries of Kandy

Malwatta and Asgiriya are monastic colleges, each made up of many residential houses for monks grouped around shared ceremonial halls. They are the seats of the two chapters of the Siam Nikaya, and between them they oversee thousands of temples across the island.

The standing of Malwatta and Asgiriya comes from the Tooth Relic. Possession of the relic was the mark of legitimate rule in Sri Lanka, and the monks who served it advised the kings. The two Mahanayakes are still consulted by governments on matters of religion and state.

The Siam Nikaya began with a crisis. By the early eighteenth century, wars and neglect had left Sri Lanka without enough fully ordained monks to perform a valid ordination. King Kirti Sri Rajasinha, prompted by the monk Weliwita Saranankara, sent envoys to the Thai court at Ayutthaya.

Thai monks led by Upali Thera arrived in Kandy in 1753 and conducted ordinations at Malwatta. The restored order took the name Siam Nikaya after its source. The same reign added the Tooth Relic to the Esala Perahera, shaping the Kandy that visitors see today.

Malwatta, the "flower garden" monastery, occupies a slope above the southern shore of Kandy Lake. Its buildings are low, tiled and whitewashed, set among frangipani. The focus is the Poyage, the chapter house where ordinations and the fortnightly recitation of the monastic rule take place.

A visit to Malwatta is informal. Enter from the lake road, walk quietly through the courtyards and look at the octagonal chapter house and the older residential blocks. A small museum of gifts presented to past Mahanayakes is sometimes open. Young monks are often happy to talk.

Asgiriya monastery lies in a quieter quarter of Kandy, north-west of the centre near the cricket stadium of the same name. It claims the older foundation of the two, dating from the fourteenth century, and its buildings are spread along a ridge.

Asgiriya holds several things of interest to visitors. One image house contains a large reclining Buddha. Nearby is the Adahana Maluwa, the cremation ground of the Kandyan kings, with a small shrine. The monastery is rarely visited by tourists, so ask before entering buildings.

Malwatta and Asgiriya are homes and schools before they are sights, and visitors are guests. Dress with shoulders and knees covered, remove shoes and hats where others do, and keep to the courtyards unless invited inside.

Conversation with monks at Malwatta and Asgiriya follows a few customs. Sit lower than a monk if you sit at all, do not offer a handshake, and women should avoid physical contact or handing objects directly. Lankan Stays & Trails can arrange a short, respectful meeting with a monk for travellers who want to ask about monastic life.

Malwatta and Asgiriya explain how the Temple of the Tooth actually works. The drummers, the daily offerings and the Perahera are run under the authority of these two institutions and the lay custodian. Seeing where the monks live makes the ceremony across the lake easier to understand.

The two monasteries are also a relief from the bustle of Kandy. There are no tickets, no sellers and usually no other visitors. For travellers interested in living Buddhism more than in monuments, half an hour at Malwatta is among the most rewarding stops in the city.