Kandy National Museum

The Kandy National Museum occupies the former Queen's Palace, directly adjacent to the Temple of the Tooth complex. The collection focuses on the Kandyan period: royal regalia, ornate costumes, ivory carvings, weapons, and everyday objects from the court. The craftsmanship on display — particularly the lacquerwork, silverwork, and carved ivory — is exceptional.

It is a small museum by international standards, but the quality of the collection is high and the building itself is worth seeing. Combined with the Temple of the Tooth next door, this makes for a full morning of history. Entry is included in some temple packages; check on arrival.

things to do museum
A story
The museum building was the Queen's Palace during the Kandyan kingdom — the private quarters of the king's consorts. When the British took Kandy in 1815, they used it as a residence and later converted it into a museum in 1942. The room-sized collection of ivory-handled weapons, royal regalia, and jeweled artifacts occupies the same chambers where Kandyan queens once lived.