Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa)

ශ්‍රී දළදා මාලිගාව

Kandy

Kandy is one of the most scenic cities in Sri Lanka and lies in the midst of hills. It is the Capital of the Central Province. It is both an administrative and religious city. Kandy is the second largest city in the country and is frequently visited by Buddhists especially of the Theravada School. Kandy is very famous among tourist for three main reasons: It is home to the sacred tooth relic of the Buddha (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic; Dalada Maligawa ), The Botanical Gardens ( Located in Peradeniya) and it always has a special place when it comes to festivities such as the Esala Perahara.

Kandy was the capital of the Singhalese Kings from 1592 to 1815. Fortified by a terrain of mountains and the difficult approach Kandy managed to operate in independence from Dutch, Portuguese and the English till 1815. The city is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO, in part due to this temple.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a temple in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It was built within the royal palace complex which houses the one of the two surviving relic of the tooth of Buddha, an object of veneration for Buddhists. The other tooth relic is believed to be enshrined in a stupa called Somawathi Chethiya.

The Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy, the temple which houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of The Buddha, is possibly the most sacred Buddhist shrine in the world. It is venerated not only by Buddhists in Sri Lanka but by Buddhists all over the world.

King Wimaladharmasuriya I (1592 – 1603), the first to select Kandy as the ruling capital originally built a two storied Temple for the Relic and brought the tooth relic from Delgamuwa near Kuruwita in Sabaragamuwa which has been hidden for protection. Remains of this temple no longer exist. Wimaladharmasuriya II

(1686 – 1706) built a three storied temple and his son king Viraparakrama Narendrasinha (1706 – 1738), the last Sinhalese king to rule the country, built a new two storied temple temple seeing that the old temple built by his father has decayed. The last king of Sri lanka, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe (1797 – 1814) built the Pattirippuwa (the Octagon). Originally, the Pattirippuwa (octagon) was part of the royal palace. It was used by the king to address his follow countrymen. Today the Pattirippuwa has become a part of the temple and houses ancient textures written in ola leaves.

The entrance to the temple complex is through the “Maha Vahalkada”. There are two walls on the sides of the “Vahalkada”. The outer wall is called “Walakulu Bamma” (wall of clouds). This same pattern is also used in the wall surrounding the Kandy lake. The inner wall is called “Diyareli Bamma” (wall of water ripples). Both these walls are built with holes to place oil lanterns during the night.

After passing the “Vahalkada” and the moat, you come to a “Makara Thorana“. Next is the tunnel “ambarawa“. Passing this you come to the ground floor of the temple complex. The lower floor of the building called “pallemaluwa“. This inner chamber is fortified with a large wooden door and decorated with bronze and ivory. The area in front of the door is called the “Hevisi Mandapaya” (Drummers Courtyard) where the daily rituals are carried out.

The tooth relic is kept in the upper floor in the chamber called “Vadahitina Maligawa” The door of this chamber is covered with gold silver and ivory. The tooth relic is encased in seven gold caskets studded with precious stones. The outer casket is studded by precious stones offered to the tooth relic by various rulers.

On the right to the relic is the “Perahara Karanduwa” (relic chamber used in the annual Asala Mangalaya perahara procession) kept inside a bullet proof glass display. This has been donated by India. Over the relic chamber there is a golden lotus flower studded with precious stones hanging from the ceiling.

One of the very few who had seen the tooth relic out side the keepers of this sacred relic is John Davy an Englishman in 1817, who has published it in his book called An Account of the Interior of Ceylon in 1821. According to him it was inside 5 gold karaduwa’s (caskets) . The relic it self was wrapped in a pure gold sheet and put in a gold case studded with emeralds, diamonds, and rubies just the size to receive it. This was kept inside of a gold karanduwa also studded with precious jewels. This in a second, third, forth and caskets which all richly decorated with emeralds, diamonds, and rubies. And this fourth Casket which is about 1 1/2 feet in height was placed inside of the great Karanduwa (casket). He describes the relic it self as yellow in colour and brownish at the truncated base.

On to the left of the temple is the new building which houses the taxidermised remains of the Maligawa Tusker – Raja. This magnificent tusker was captured in the jungles of Eravur in the Batticaloa District 1925. He was purchased by Tikiri Banda Manampitiya Dissawe for Rs 3,300/- in 1937 and was donated to the temple by him. For over 50 years Raja carried the golden casket which carried the tooth relic and in 1984 he was declared as a national treasure by the government. This is only the second time a tusker has been declared a national treasure. Raja died In 1988 after a long illness and then it was decided that he to be taxidermised. This is first time a tusker has been taxidermised.