A Holistic Management Approach for the Sacred Living City of Kandy, Sri Lanka

This tradition has survived throughout history despite facing numerous upheavals and political invasions, but currently, the city’s socio-cultural landscape is confronting several pressing challenges.

The Kandy city development proposal (UDA, 2019) identifies urban sprawl, illegal demolitions, overcrowding, strained infrastructure, and pollution as significant issues. During the Esala Perahera festival, the city’s limited infrastructure is overwhelmed, intensifying traffic congestion and environmental degradation.

Traditional craftsmanship is also in alarming decline, as modernisation draws younger generations to different career paths, leaving fewer artisans to preserve essential skills. (Wijesuriya, G. 2000 & 2005, Cindrebay, 2024) Deforestation and urbanisation further compound this issue by limiting access to raw materials needed for traditional crafts. The 1998 bombing at the Temple of the Tooth exposed this gap. A shortage of trained artisans in traditional skills hindered restoration efforts (stone carving), and sourcing materials (for woodworking) similar to the originals proved challenging. (Wijesuriya 2000; 2005) This growing disconnect between heritage practices and community livelihoods underscores the need for a comprehensive management system supporting tangible and intangible heritage preservation.

The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach (UNESCO, 2011) emphasises integrating heritage into urban life rather than isolating it. It extends beyond preserving physical environments, focusing on tangible and intangible aspects. It advocates a holistic management system combining regulatory, financial, and civic engagement frameworks, integrating both top-down and bottom-up methodologies. It promotes multidisciplinary collaboration among experts and communities to develop an integrated management model considering the historic environment as an urban landscape shaped by the layering of cultural and natural values over time. It extends beyond traditional concepts of historical centres to the broader urban context, including topography, natural features, the built environment (historical and contemporary), open spaces, land use, spatial organisation, visual relationships, social and cultural practices, economic activities, and intangible heritage. These elements form the foundation for a comprehensive and sustainable framework for identifying, assessing, conserving, and managing historic urban landscapes. 

This perspective inspires a holistic, sustainable management approach for Kandy, tackling its unique challenges through strategies beyond conventional top-down methods.

According to the Rahula 1956, Mahavamsa and Chulavamsa chronicles, and Epigraphia zeylanica in Sri Lanka (as cited in Wijesuriya G. 2020, Ratnayake & Mathota 2020), Kandy’s heritage was managed through the “Temple Custodianship System” under the “Rajakariya system“. (Britannica, n.d.) a community-based approach where local communities, under royal guidance, and religious custodians maintained religious sites. This system persisted until British colonization, which replaced it with an expert-driven, monument-focused approach. Some aspects of this traditional system still exist in Buddhist cultural society.

To address Kandy’s heritage challenges, an integrated management system is proposed that blends traditional knowledge systems (Wijesuriya and Court, 2020) with modern frameworks. 

This approach would prioritise educational initiatives to revitalise traditional crafts, incorporating them into school curriculums, apprenticeships, and vocational programs. Recognising artisans as skilled professionals with financial incentives and conservation roles would ensure the future of traditional crafts. Formalising volunteer roles in cultural events like the Dalada Perahera would strengthen community bonds and help preserve vital cultural rituals. Sustainable tourism and improved infrastructure planning would alleviate pressure on Kandy’s heritage during peak periods. while collaborative governance among cultural, religious, and administrative stakeholders would encourage long-term commitment. 

To address the challenges and protect its heritage, a sustainable framework must encourage collaboration across cultural, social, religious, political, and administrative sectors, involving local and international partners. The Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 (UNESCO, 2023) can be used to develop a management system based on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach. Governance arrangements, management planning, civic engagement, and regulatory tools will be key to solving major issues. A comprehensive management plan should integrate these elements, ensuring a long-term commitment to preserving traditional practices and cultural values. Heritage must not simply be part of the community and culture; it must embody them. Heritage management should not be an addition to existing systems but the system itself, intrinsically woven into every aspect of community life and governance. Revitalising traditional management through a mix of expert-led and community-based approaches will create a holistic, integrated model. This framework can serve as an inspiring global example of the connection between heritage and the people who sustain it.