Buddha’s Tooth Temple in Kandy

Buddha Tooth Temple in Kandy (Sri Dalada Maligawa)

Sri Dalada Maligawa, Temple of the Tooth – A major religious and historical monument of Kandy, or perhaps the whole of Sri Lanka. It is located on the northern shore of the Kandy Lake. As it appears before us today, it existed during the time of the Kandyan state (1687-1782). In 1998, the temple was badly damaged in a terrorist attack, but was completely reconstructed.

Highlights

The room where the relic is kept is crowned by a majestic gilded roof erected with donations from former President Premadasa, who was killed by fanatics in 1993.

The sacred tooth was found in the ashes at the site of Buddha’s cremation in 543 B.C. It was brought to Sri Lanka in the 4th century A.D. The tooth was originally kept in Anuradhapura, but was later moved to Kandy, where it remained until the Portuguese arrived on the island (16th century).

At a time when Europeans were struggling with local beliefs, the tooth was transported by them to Goa, where it was rumored to have been burned by Catholic priests. However, the people of Kandy never believed this, claiming that the Portuguese were slipped a fake tooth and the real relic was hidden. It was later ceremonially transferred to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple.

Today this temple is the spiritual and cultural center of Kandy. Pilgrims and tourists come here in an inexhaustible stream. The service, puja, is held at 6.00 am, 10.00 am and 6.00 pm. This is the best time to visit the temple.

Don’t forget to dress appropriately: cover your legs and shoulders. As with all Buddhist temples, you must remove your shoes before entering. The puja is accompanied by an incredible cacophony of sounds, from drums to stringed instruments; in short, you are in for a unique spectacle.

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Sri Dalada Maligawa, Dalada Vidiya.

Buddha’s Tooth in 1819

Today, visitors to Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple can get up close to the room where the precious relic is kept and see the ceremony of worshipping the tooth. But the relic itself cannot be viewed. Fortunately, in 1819, just as the sacred tooth stolen by the rebels was being returned to its rightful place at the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, British psychologist and anatomist John Davy was in Kandy. Here is what he recounted:

“Through the courtesy of the Governor I was given the opportunity (rarely afforded to Europeans) to see this precious relic…. I had never seen a relic kept in such luxury. The tooth was wrapped in a sheet of pure gold and placed in a gold casket decorated with emeralds, diamonds, and rubies, selected with great taste. This precious box was placed in a small casket, also of gold and also decorated with rubies, diamonds and emeralds, and that, in turn, in a larger one, also of gold, exquisitely decorated with rubies. This second casket was placed in another, wrapped in muslin, which was then enclosed in the same. Both outer caskets were of gold, skillfully painted and richly adorned with precious stones. Finally, this fourth chest, about a foot and a half high, was placed in the last and largest.”

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John Davy. An Account of the Island of Ceylon (1821)