Temple of Sacred Tooth - Relic of Buddha's Tooth
Author : Peter Vredeveld
Temple of Sacred Tooth, located in Kandy, Sri Lanka, holds the relic of the left upper canine tooth of Lord Buddha himself.
The Temple of Sacred Tooth is one of the famous Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka and is popularly known as Sri Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka. The temple of Sacred Tooth is situated in the royal complex in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The City of Kandy was an ancient kingdom during the lifetime of Lord Buddha. The temple of Sacred Tooth is essential since it holds the relic of the natural tooth of the Lord Buddha. Sri Dalada Malagawa is believed to hold the left upper canine tooth of Lord Buddha. The relics of Buddha's sacred tooth hold a pretty important role in the political reign of the Sri Lankan Government since whoever holds the relic of the holy tooth of Lord Buddha holds the power of the country's government.
Rituals and worship are performed daily by Buddhist monks of Malwatte and Asgiriya. These Buddhist monks worship and perform various rituals in the temple's inner chamber. These rituals are performed thrice: at dawn, noon, and evening. The temple of Sacred Tooth of Kandy is enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its ancient history and relics of Lord Buddha.
History of Temple of Sacred Tooth
The Temple of Sacred Tooth's origin goes back to when Lord Buddha was alive. Before attaining Final Nirvana, Lord Buddha suggested that his disciples who genuinely understand the Dharma needn't keep the relic of his ashes and worshipped them. According to some legends, a Buddhist monk named Khema successfully took the left upper canine tooth during Lord Buddha's funeral. The same tooth was believed to be enshrined in the inner chamber of the Sacred Tooth temple.
Lord Buddha's tooth was an object of great importance and reverence and was decorated with nested jewelry. No date can be found when the tooth was enshrined in Sri Dalada Maligawa. The sacred tooth was believed to be moved, and a separate temple was built to honor such great relics. The temple was built when the capital was moved to Kandy, and its construction started during the late 17th century. Various attacks and bombarding took place to destroy the temple by the Portuguese, Dutch, and Hindu Tamil separatists. But the relic of Lord Buddha survived and can still be found and worshipped.
Sacred Tooth Temple
A beautiful garden surrounds the Temple of Sacred Tooth, and the temple has various associated buildings and structures, such as the royal palace, audience hall, and Mahamaluwa. The temple is not decorated magnificently and has red and white roofs, whereas the inner temple is decorated magnificently and richly carved. The relic of Lord Buddha's tooth is enshrined in a two-story inner chamber, and two large elephant tusks are placed in the front of the shrine. The whole building and complex is a stone wall with white paintings, and during the various festivals and celebrations, candles are lit in the front.
Esala Perahera
Esala Perahera is one of the grand festivals celebrated in Asia and is even considered the world's largest Buddhist celebration. Esala Perahera is held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This festival is celebrated to respect, worship, and pay homage to the relic of the Sacred Tooth of Lord Buddha. Esala Perahera is a ten-day festival, and parades of dancers and drummers are invited to the festival. In the procession, a royal male elephant is chosen to carry the great relic of Sacred Tooth, followed by two perfectly matched female elephants. Since 1990, a casket has been carried instead of the relic due to fear of robbery by Tamil Tigers. Since it is the world's largest Buddhist celebration, the festival's attendance reached up to a million devotees and interested people.
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