Story
The story of Temple of the Tooth
Within the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy stands the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times it has been believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country, so kings built its temples close to their own residences. According to legend, Princess Hemamali and her brother, Prince Dantha, brought the relic to the island from Kalinga, and Hemamali hid it in her hair on the journey.
Over the centuries it moved with the capitals. The present temple was built by Vira Narendra Sinha. Monks of the Malwathu and Asgiri chapters perform rituals three times a day, and every year the Kandy Esala Perahera pays homage to the relic.
Look at the main gate, the Mahawahalkada, with its carved moonstone at the foot of the steps. Destroyed in a bomb blast in 1998, it was rebuilt afterwards.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Kandy
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- British Garrison CemeteryBritish Garrison Cemetery (also known as the Kandy Garrison Cemetery) is a British cemetery in Kandy, Sri Lanka, for British nationals who died in Ceylon.
- National Museum of KandyThe National Museum of Kandy in Kandy, Sri Lanka is located next to the Temple of the Tooth in part of the former Royal Palace of Kandy.
- Lankatilaka ViharaLankatilaka Vihara is a Buddhist temple with integrated Hindu shrines situated in Udunuwara of Kandy, Sri Lanka.
- Kandy LakeKandy Lake, also known as Kiri Muhuda or the Sea of Milk, is an artificial lake in the heart of the hill city of Kandy, Sri Lanka, was built in 1807 by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe next to the Temple of the Tooth.
- Embekka DevalayaEmbekka Devalaya (Embekka Temple) was built by the King Vikramabahu III of Gampola Era in Sri Lanka. The Devalaya is dedicated to God Kataragama. A local deity called Devatha Bandara is also worshiped at this site.