Kandy Lake, Artificial reservoir in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Kandy Lake is an artificial water reservoir with a rounded shape that stretches across the city, creating a focal point surrounded by green spaces and historic buildings. The water's edge features accessible pathways that allow visitors to walk all the way around and take in the surroundings.

The lake was created in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe on the site of paddy fields called Tigolwela, next to the Temple of the Tooth. Its architect was Deveda Moolacharya, and it was named Kiri Muhuda after a pond that had stood in the fields. A dam built across the fields, dated by D'Oyley to 1810–1812, carried a roadway to the Malwatte Vihare.

The lake's Sinhala name, නුවර වැව, means "city lake"; it is also called Kiri Muhuda, "Sea of Milk", after a pond that once stood in the Tigolwela paddy fields here. The Malwatte temple, one of the two head temples of the Siyam Nikaya sect of Theravada Buddhism, overlooks the water. The triangular holes in the Walakulu Bemma wall held oil lamps on festival days.

A maintained path runs all the way around the lake, connecting different points and making the shoreline easy to access. Walking or cycling around the lake at your own pace is the best way to discover the different areas and viewpoints.

The Walakulu Bemma, or Clouds Wall, runs about 630 metres around part of the lake and was left unfinished when the British captured Kandy in 1815. Its triangular holes once held oil lamps lit on festival days.