Temple of the Tooth

Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is the most imperative Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka especially for Buddhists. 

It is located in the royal palace complex which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. 

Since antique times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is assumed that whoever holds the relic holds the supremacy of the country. 

Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple.

Monks of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya conduct daily worship in the inner assembly room 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 Sacred Relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers, called Nanumura Mangallaya. 

This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.The temple continued damage from bombings at various times but was fully restored each time.

This is a Painting at Kelaniya Temple of Princess Hemamali and her husband, Prince Dantha which she carried Gautama Buddha's tooth relic hidden in her hair to Sri Lanka. - Painting by Solias Mendis