Kandy is one of the City-States in Civilization VI. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Kandy in central & eastern Sri Lanka throughout the Renaissance Era. Due to European incursions, by the 1590s Kandy was the last independent kingdom on the island. Through a combination of guerrilla warfare tactics and international diplomacy, Kandy spent over 200 years resisting European colonialism until it finally succumbed to the British subjugation and dismantling of its monarchy with the Kandyan Convention of 1815. Many subsequent rebellions were attempted, but all were brutally suppressed by a superior British force supported by local rivals such as the Tamils.
Kandy is home to the Temple of the Tooth, which houses what is believed to be the Buddha's left canine tooth - the only remains of his cremation. Prior to their exile and extermination by the British attackers, Kandy's monarchs were the last in a line of Sinhalese Kingdoms that, since roughly 543BC, had been entrusted as the "protector of the sacred relic" and therefore the only legitimate ruler of the land. The Royal Palace is in close proximity to the Temple of the Tooth, and per Sinhalese tradition was responsible for the upkeep and improvement of the temple in addition to being expected to rule in accordance with the advice of Buddhist officials.
