Dalada
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sri Dalada Maligawa, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a
Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
temple in
Kandy Kandy (, ; , ) is a major city located in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of ...
, Sri Lanka. It is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former
Kingdom of Kandy The Kingdom of Kandy was a monarchy on the Sri Lanka, island of Sri Lanka, located in the central and eastern portion of the island. It was founded in the late 15th century and endured until the early 19th century. Initially a client kingdom ...
, which houses the
relic of the tooth of the Buddha The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Pali ''danta dhātuya'') is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of the Buddha and primarily refers to the purported tooth at the Temple of the Tooth, but can also refer to the one believed to be at ...
. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. The relic was historically held by
Sinhalese kings The monarchs of Sri Lanka, also referred to as the Sinhalese monarchy, were the heads of state and rulers of the Sinhala Kingdoms located in present-day Sri Lanka, from 543 BCE (according to chronicles) until its abolition in 1815 CE. The Sinha ...
. The Temple of the Tooth is a
World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
mainly due to the temple and the relic.
Bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok ...
s of two particular chapters, the Malwathu chapter and the Asgiri chapter, conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the evenings. On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with a herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers called ''Nanumura Mangallaya''; this holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed to those present. The
Kandy Esala Perahera The Kandy Esala Perahera (the Sri Dalada Perahara procession of Kandy) also known as The Festival of the Tooth is a festival held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred T ...
, is conducted annually to pay homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic.


History

After the ''Maha parinirvana'' of
Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...
, according to the legend, the
tooth relic The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Pali ''danta dhātuya'') is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of the Buddha and primarily refers to the purported tooth at the Temple of the Tooth, but can also refer to the one believed to be at S ...
was preserved in Kalinga and smuggled to the island by Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha on the instructions of her father King Guhasiva. Hemmamali hid the relic in her hair on the way to the island. They landed on the island in Lankapattana during the reign of
Sirimeghavanna of Anuradhapura Sirimeghavanna, also known as Kirthi Sri Meghavarnabhaya and Kithsiri Mevan was King of Anuradhapura in the 4th century. According to the traditional chronology, he ruled during 304–332 CE; the modified chronology adopted by modern scholars s ...
(301–328) and handed over the tooth relic. The king enshrined it in ''Meghagiri Vihara'' (present day
Isurumuniya Isurumuniya is a Buddhist temple situated near to the Tissa Wewa (Anuradhapura), Tissa Wewa (Tisa tank) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. There are four carvings of special interest in this Vihara. They are the Isurumuniya Lovers, Elephant Pond and The ...
) in
Anuradhapura Anuradhapura (, ; , ) is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province, Sri Lanka, North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies north of the cur ...
. Safeguarding the relic was the responsibility of the monarch from then, therefore over the years, the custodianship of the relic came to symbolize the right to rule the island. Therefore, reigning monarchs built the tooth relic temples quite close to their royal residences, as was the case during the times of the Anuradhapura Kingdom,
Kingdom of Polonnaruwa The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa () was the Sinhalese monarchy, Sinhalese kingdom that expanded across the island of Sri Lanka from 1070 until 1232. The kingdom started expanding its overseas influence during the reign of Parakramabahu the Great. I ...
, and
Kingdom of Dambadeniya The Kingdom of Dambadeniya was a medieval kingdom in what is present-day Sri Lanka. The kingdom's rulers reigned from 1220–1345. States and territories disestablished in 1345 History Founding The first king to choose Dambadeniya as his ca ...
. During the era of the
Kingdom of Gampola Gampola (Ganga Sri Pura / Gangasiripura) is a town and once an ancient polity located near Kandy in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was made the capital city of the island by King Buwanekabahu IV, who ruled for four years in the mid-fou ...
, the relic was housed in ''Niyamgampaya Vihara''. It is reported in the messenger poems such as ''
Hamsa The ''hamsa'' (, referring to images of 'the five fingers of the hand'),Zenner, 1988p. 284World Institute for Advanced Phenomenological Research and Learning (Belmont, Estados Unidos), 1991p. 219Drazin, 2009p. 268 also known as the hand of Fa ...
'', ''Gira'', and ''Selalihini'' that the temple of tooth relic was situated within the city of
Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (), also known as Jayapura or Kotte, is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, Colombo ...
when the
Kingdom of Kotte The Kingdom of Kotte (, ), named after its capital, Kotte, was a Sinhalese kingdom that flourished in Sri Lanka during the 15th century. Founded by Parakramabahu VI with the help of the Ming, the Kingdom managed to conquer the Jaffna ki ...
was established there. During the reign of
Dharmapala of Kotte Dharmapala or Dom João Dharmapala Peria Bandara (1541 – 27 May 1597) was the last king of the Kingdom of Kotte, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 1551 until 27 May 1597. He is also known as Dom João Dharmapala, the first Christian king in Sri L ...
, the relic was moved and was hidden in Delgamuwa Vihara,
Ratnapura Ratnapura (, ; , ) ("City of Gems" in Sinhala and Tamil) is a major city in Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of Sabaragamuwa Province, as well as the Ratnapura District, and is a traditional centre for the Sri Lankan gem trade. It is loca ...
, in a grinding stone. It was brought to Kandy by Hiripitiye Diyawadana Rala and Devanagala Rathnalankara Thera. King Vimaladharmasuriya I built a two-storey building to deposit the tooth relic and the building is now gone. In 1603 when the Portuguese kingdom invaded Kandy, it was carried to Meda Mahanuwara in Dumbara. It was recovered in the time of Rajasinha II and it has been reported that he reinstated the original building or built a new temple. The present-day temple of the tooth was built by Vira Narendra Sinha. The octagonal ''
Paththirippuwa The Paththirippuwa, also known as the Octagonal Pavilion, is a magnificent architectural structure located at the entrance of the Kandy Maligawa(Palace) in Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Tamil language, whereby "Parthu" means 'to see' ...
'' and
moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...
were added during the reign of
Sri Vikrama Rajasinha Sri Vikrama Rajasinha (Sinhala language, Sinhala:ශ්‍රී වික්‍රම රාජසිංහ, Tamil language, Tamil:ஸ்ரீ விக்கிரம ராஜசிங்கன் Telugu language, Telugu:శ్రీ వి ...
. The royal architect Devendra Moolacharya is credited with building the ''Paththirippuwa''. Originally it was used by the king for recreational activities and later it was offered to the tooth relic, it now houses the temple's library.


Attacks on the building

The temple was attacked in
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
by the militant organisation
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP; , PLF) is a Marxist–Leninist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was formerly a revolutionary movement and was involved in two armed uprisings against the government of Sri Lanka: once in 1971 JVP ins ...
(JVP); it had the intention of capturing the relic. And in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
by the militant organisation
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eela ...
(LTTE); this attack damaged the front side of the royal palace.


Overcrowding deaths and injuries

In April 2025, the Temple of the Tooth held a public exposition of the tooth relic that drew approximately 450,000 devotees in a single day with queues stretching nearly . Severe overcrowding resulted in four deaths and more than 300 hospitalisations, primarily due to heat exhaustion. Authorities suspended additional train services to the city, deployed police commandos for crowd control, and restricted entry to the temple complex.


Architecture

The brick wall which runs along the moat and the Bogambara lake is known as the water waves wall. Holes in this wall are built to light coconut oil lamps. The main entrance gate which lies over the moat is called ''Mahawahalkada''. At the foot of the ''Mahawahalkada'' steps, there is a ''
Sandakada pahana Sandakada Pahana, also known as Moonstone, is a unique feature of the architecture of ancient Sri Lanka. It is an elaborately carved semi-circular stone slab, usually placed at the bottom of staircases and entrances. First seen in the latter sta ...
'' (moonstone) which is carved in Kandyan architectural style. ''Mahawahalkada'' was totally destroyed in a 1998 bomb blast and rebuilt afterwards along with ''Sandakada pahana'' other
stone carving Stone carving is an activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, stone work has survived which was created during our prehistory or past time. Work carried ...
s. Abeywardena 2004: p. 28 Elephants are depicted in stone on either side of the entrance. A ''
Makara Makara () is a legendary sea-creature in Hindu mythology. In Hindu astrology, Makara is equivalent to the Zodiac sign Capricorn. Makara appears as the vahana (vehicle) of the river goddess Ganga, Narmada, and of the god of the ocean, Varun ...
'' ''
Torana A ''torana'' (; '' awr-uh-nuh') is a free-standing ornamental or arched gateway for ceremonial purposes in Hindu architecture, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain architecture of the Indian subcontinent. Toranas can also be widely seen in Southeast Asi ...
'' and two guardian stones are placed on top of the staircase. The''Hewisi'' drummers' chamber is situated in front of the main shrine. The two storeys of the main shrine are known as "Palle Malaya" (lower floor) and "Udu Malaya" (upper floor) or "Weda hitina maligawa". The doors of the ''Weda Hitana Maligawa'' are
Ivory carving Ivory carving is the carving of ivory, that is to say animal tooth or tusk, generally by using sharp cutting tools, either mechanically or manually. Objects carved in ivory are often called "ivories". Humans have ornamentally carved ivory sinc ...
s. The actual chamber in which the tooth relic is kept is known as the "Handun kunama". The golden canopy over the main shrine and the golden fence which encircles the temple complex, was built in 1987 by then Prime Minister,
Ranasinghe Premadasa Sri Lankabhimanya Ranasinghe Premadasa ( ''Raṇasiṃha Premadāsa''; ''Raṇaciṅka Pirēmatācā''; 23 June 1924 – 1 May 1993) was a Sri Lankan politician and statesman who served as the third President of Sri Lanka from 2 January 1989 unt ...
. The tooth relic is encased in seven golden
casket Casket or caskets may refer to: * Coffin, a box used for the display and interment of corpses * Casket (decorative box), a decorated container, usually larger than about in width and length, but smaller than a chest ** Chasse (casket), a decora ...
s which are inlaid with precious
gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...
s. The casket represent a
stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...
; the procession casket which is used during the ''
Kandy Esala Perahera The Kandy Esala Perahera (the Sri Dalada Perahara procession of Kandy) also known as The Festival of the Tooth is a festival held in July and August in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This historical procession is held annually to pay homage to the Sacred T ...
'' is also displayed in the same chamber.


Associated buildings and structures


Royal Palace

The royal palace is situated to the north of the temple. Abeywardena 2004: p. 36 John Pybus, who was on an embassy in 1762, gives a detailed description of the royal palace.
Vikramabahu III of Gampola Vikramabahu III was King of Gampola who ruled from 1357 to 1374. He succeeded his Uncle Parakramabahu V as King of Gampola and was succeeded by his nephew Bhuvanaikabahu V. Embekka Devalaya was built during his rule See also * List of Sri ...
(r. 1356–1374) and Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu of Kandy (r. 1469–1511) built royal palaces on this site.
Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy Wimaladharmasūriya I was a king of Kandy from 1592 to 1604. His reputation was built when he successfully repulsed two major Portuguese offensives on Kandy, the Battle of Danture in 1594 and the Battle of Balana in 1602, in both of which the ...
undertook various decorations to the palace. The Dutch orientalist
Philippus Baldaeus Philips Baelde or Philippus Baldaeus, (baptized on 24 October 1632, Delft – 1671, Geervliet) was a Dutch Minister (Christianity), minister. He went to Jaffna during the Dutch period in Ceylon with an invading Dutch force. As the second Eur ...
visited the palace with General Gerard Pietersz Hulft in 1656. The royal residence was known as "Maha Wasala" in Sinhalese starting in the ''Polonnaruwa'' period. The royal palace is also known as "Maligawa" (Palace). There were three ''Wahalkadas'' and an high wall used as main entrances. The section of the palace facing the '' Natha Devale'' is said to be the oldest. During the beginning of the British period, it was used by the government agent
Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet, of Kandy Sir John D'Oyly, 1st Baronet (6 June 1774 – 25 May 1824) was a British colonial administrator. Life He was the second son of Matthias D'Oyly, Archdeacon of Hastings and his wife Mary. He was educated at Westminster School and matriculated at ...
. Successors of D'Oyly have continued to use it as their official residence. Today it is preserved as an archaeological museum. ''Ulpen Ge'' and Queens Palace are the associated buildings of the palace.


Audience hall

The audience hall or ''magul maduwa'' is where the Kandyan kings held their court. It was completed during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha. The carvings of the wooden pillars which support the wooden roof are an example of
wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...
of the Kandyan period.
Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha of Kandy Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha (Sinhala language, Sinhala:ශ්‍රී රාජාධි රාජසිංහ, Tamil language, Tamil:ஸ்ரீ ராஜாதி ராஜசிங்கம்; reigned 1782–1798) was a member of the Nayaks of Ka ...
built it in 1783. The hall was renovated for the reception of the arrival of
Albert Edward, Prince of Wales Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...
in 1872. Originally the hall was ; after renovation, its length was extended by an additional . Seneviratna 1989: p. 87 Other nearby buildings to the halls are believed to have been demolished during the
British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...
. The audience hall was the venue where the
Kandyan Convention In the history of Sri Lanka, the Kandyan Convention () was a treaty signed on 2 March 1815 between the British governor of Ceylon, Sir Robert Brownrigg, and the chiefs of the Kandyan Kingdom, British Ceylon, whereas, according to the Sinhala ...
was drawn up, it was where the convention was read out to the people and where the conference, about the convention, was held on 2 March 1815. That space was later used to erect the Kandy ''Kachcheri'' and Kandy Supreme Court. Today it is used for state ceremonies and conserved under the Department of Archaeology.


''Mahamaluwa''

''Mahamaluwa'' is public who came to see the annual ''Esala perahera''. Today it contains a statue of
Madduma Bandara Madduma Bandara Ehelapola (b 1806), mostly known as Madduma Bandara, was one of the national heroes of Sri Lanka. Bandara and his family were executed in 1814 by the King for treachery. His bravery at the time of his execution made him a legenda ...
. The memorial which contains the skull of
Keppetipola Disawe Rajapaksa Wickramasekera Mudiyanselage Bandaranayake Monarawila Keppetipola ( Sinhala:රාජපක්ෂ වික්‍රමසේකර මුදියන්සේලාගේ බණ්ඩාරනායක මොනරවිල කැප ...
is another attraction. The statues of Princess Hemamali and Prince Dantha are also located here.


See also

* Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum *
Cetiya Cetiya, "reminders" or "memorials" (Sanskrit ''caitya''), are objects and places used by Buddhists to remember Gautama Buddha.Kalingabodhi jātaka, as quoted in John Strong, ''Relics of the Buddha'' (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004), ...
*
Constantino of Braganza D. Constantino of Braganza (; 1528–1575) was a Portuguese nobleman, ''conquistador'', and administrator of the Portuguese Empire. Born a member of the powerful House of Braganza, he is best known for having served as Viceroy of India and for ...
*
Dāṭhavaṃsa ''Dāṭhavaṃsa'' (also known as the ''Dhātuvansa'', ''Dantadhātu'', or ''Dantadhātuvaṇṇanā'') is a Pali chronicle attributed to Dhammakitti Thero. It is sometimes titled in English as "The History of the Tooth Relic" and contains histo ...
* Diyawadana Nilame (chief lay custodian) *
Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira, or simply Gaspar de Leão Pereira or Gaspar de Leão (Lagos – Goa, 15 August 1576) was the first Archbishop of Goa. After the diocese of Goa was elevated to an archdiocese, he was appointed Archbishop of Goa, P ...
* Relics in Sri Lanka associated with Buddha


Notes


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * *


Journals

*


External links


Sri Dalada Maligawa Official website


{{Authority control Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka Buddhist temples in Kandy Architecture of the Kingdom of Kandy Archaeological protected monuments in Kandy District Buddhist relics