Royal Palace of the Kandyan Kingdom

The Royal Palace of the Kandyan Kingdom, traditionally known as the Maha Vasala, formed the administrative and residential heart of the hill kingdom. The complex evolved through repeated destruction, rebuilding and reuse, and served successive Kandyan rulers until the British occupation in 1815. Only part of the original palace survives as the building commonly identified today as the Royal Palace, while other former royal buildings around the precinct have acquired new civic and museum functions. The surviving entrance building now houses the Department of Archaeology museum.