Temple of the Tooth Relic (Kandy) | Sri Lanka's Most Venerated Shrine

Temple of the Tooth Relic (Kandy) | Sri Lanka's Most Venerated Shrine

T emple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී දළදා මාළිගාව; Tamil: தலதா மாளிகை) is a Buddhist place of worship situated in the heart of the City of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is considered the most venerated Buddhist shrine in the country, as it houses the left eye tooth of the Buddha that was brought to the country in the 4th century A.D. (Abeywardana, 2004). The Mahanayake Theras (the chief monks) of the Asgiriya Vihara Chapter and Malwathu Vihara Chapter as well as the Diyawadana Nilame (the chief lay custodian) hold the custodianship of the Tooth Relic (Wijesuriya, 2000). The temple is also the key feature of the Kandy World Heritage Site, declared in 1988 (Wijesuriya, 2000). World Heritage Site: Sacred City of Kandy Location: Central Province, Sri Lanka Coordinates: N7 17 37 E80 38 25 Date of Inscription: 1988 Description: This sacred Buddhist site, popularly known as the city of Senkadagalapura, was the last capital of the Sinhala kings whose patronage enabled the…