Temple of The Tooth Relic

 

 

Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in city of Kandy, Sri Lanka This is located in the royal palace complex of former kingdom of Kandy.And this Tooth Relic received a major place in ancient Sri Lankan politics because whoever holds the Tooth Relic holds the government of sri Lanka.Kandy was the last kingdom was the last kingdom of ancient kingdoms in Sri Lanka.The Temple of the Tooth Relic is a world heritage site.The Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha is kept safely inside a Casket in a chamber inside the temple and only government leaders or president can enter it as normal people.Bhikkusof two chapters called Malwathu and Asgirido daily worshipping  inside the chamber.On Wednesdays there is a special festival with bathing of the sacred relic with herbal preparation made from scented water and fragnant flowers.It is called Nanumura Mangallaya.This holy water is believed to contain healing powes and is distributed among those who present.

History of the sacred Tooth Relic


According to the stories, after the pirininvana of Gauthama Buddha,the,the Tooth Relic was preserved in Kalinga in India and brought ancient Sri Lanka by the princess Hemamala and the prince Dantha on the instructions of the king of kalinga,the king Guhasiva.They landed the island in LankaPatuna and handed over the sacred Tooth Relic to the king of ancient sri lanka at that age,the king Sri Megawanna of Anuradhapura.The king kept the Tooth Relic safe in Meghagiri Vihara.In present Isurumuniya is the Meghagiri Vihara in past.It is a responsibility of the monarch to ensure the safeguard of the Tooth Relic and because of that the early mentioned rule came through thousands of years.When the kingdoms are vanishing and new ones originating the Tooth Relic also brought there kept in temples made specially to keep and ensure the protection of  the Tooth Relic.These temples established very close to the Royal Palace for safeguard and to give more defense.As in the reports,Hansa,Gira and Selalihini,the temple of the Tooth Relic was kept in the city of Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte when the kingdom of kotte established.During the time of Dharmapala of kotte,the Relic hidden in Delgamuwa Vihara,Rathnapura in a grinding stone.Later the Hiripitiye Diyawadana Rala and Devanagala Rathnalankara Thero brought it 5to Kandy.And the king Vimaladharmasuriya built a two storied building as the temple of the Tooth Relic and deposited the sacred Tooth Relic in it.But now this building is gone.In 1603 the Portugese attacked Kandy and the Tooth Relic was carried to the Medamahanuwara in Dumbara by the king where kings in kandy fallsback and hide in enemy attacks.And again the king Rajasingha 11 recovered the Tooth Relic and rapaired the temple.The present temple of the Tooth Relic was built by the king Veera Narendrasingha and additional parts like Patthirippuwa and moat were added by Sri Vikrama Rajasingha.The architect of the Patthirippuwa is the raoyal architect Devendra Moolacharya.First it was built for kings recreational activities and later it was offered to the temple and at present it is using as the temple library.


Mahamaluwa

Mahamaluwa is public to all who comes to watch the annual Esala Maha Perahera.At present it contains a Madduma Bandara’s statue.The memorial of which contains the skull of Kappetipola Disawa is another attraction.The statues of princess Hemamala an the prince Dhantha also located here.