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| Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy photo by Mary M payne |
We are privileged to take in still another world heritage site today, the Temple of the tooth relic of the Buddha (Dalida Maligawa) and it's surrounding palace and ceremonial halls. A local guide, Daya, is to show us around this evening after our morning at the Botanical Gardens.
Since ancient times, the tooth relic has played an important role in Sri Lankan politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the
governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan
kings and is designated a World Heritage site because of the Buddha's purported tooth relic.
The history of this temple and its surrounding palace is extensive and I urge you to read it to understand its significance in Sri Lanka today.
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| Entrance into temple of the tooth relic of the Buddha in Kandy, photo by Mary m payne |
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| Temple of the tooth Relic, interior, Kandy, photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Temple of the tooth relic, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Main shrine, Temple of the tooth relic, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Temple of the tooth relic , main shrine, Kandy, photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Ceiling detail of Golden canopy over main shrine, Temple of the Tooth Relic, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Temple of the tooth relic, one of many statues of Buddha poses, Kandy , photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Temple of the tooth Relic ,one of the paintings showing the history of the tooth relic, Kandy, photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Temple of the tooth relic, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Detail of ceiling , Temple of the tooth relic, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Exterior Temple of Tooth relic, ancient audience hall, photo by Mary M Payne |
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| "Tusker Raga", national treasure, Temple of the tooth Relic, Kandy, photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Sign explaining the taxidermy of a favored elephant, Temple of the tooth relic, Kandy Photo by Mary M Payne |
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| Buddhist Monk and our guide Waruna at evening ceremony of the tooth relic, Kandy , photo by Mary M Payne |
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Pilgrims bearing gifts with permission to pass by the tooth relic inner sanctum, Kandy photo by Mary M Payne
The tooth relic is encased in seven golden caskets in this opening which are each engraved with precious gems. The caskets have a shape of a stupa. We could get only a brief glimpse of the opening where it is housed and protected. |
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| Temple of the Tooth Relic of the Buddha, exterior , photo by mary m payne |
The present day temple of the tooth was built by Vira Narendra Sinha. The octagonal Patthirippuwa and moat were added during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. Well known Kandyan architect Devandra Mulacharin is credited with building
the Patthirippuwa. Originally it was used by the kings for recreational
activities and later it was offered to the tooth relic. Now it is a
library. There was a long line to view the library so we didn't go in it but it is found at the top of the hexagon building.
The building was attacked on two occasions, in 1988 by the militant organization of the Tamil Tigers and again in 1989 by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a communist, marxist party of Sri Lanka. It was quickly rebuilt in both cases.
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| Just married, Sri Lankan couple with Kandyan style wedding garments, photo by mary m payne |
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| Kandyan Bride , outside the Temple of the tooth relic, photo by Mary M Payne |
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Flower offerings to Buddha, Temple of the tooth relic at Kandy, photo by Mary M Payne
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