History.
The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a world-renowned place of worship, where the left tooth of Gautama Buddha is enshrined. The temple which is venerated by thousands of local & foreign devotees and tourists daily was named a world heritage by UNESCO in 1988.
The temple which carries a lot of value to Buddhists all over the world also has immense cultural value. The architecture is of unique Kandyan architectural style with a combination of the unique style used to build “Dalada Mandira” the shrines which housed the Sacred Tooth Relic previously in other kingdoms.
The temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is built in the city of Kandy near the ancient Royal Palace which is situated to the North of the temple and the forest reserve called “Udawaththa Kelaya” to the East. The famous Kandy Lake is also known as “Kiri Muhuda” to the South and “Natha & Paththini Devala” to the West. The temple is adorned with intricate carvings using gold, silver, bronze, and ivory.
The Sacred City of Kandy is the final location of the Sacred Tooth Relic of Gautama Buddha. The Sacred relic was brought to Sri Lanka by Princess Hemamala & Prince Dantha from the city of Kalinga in ancient India, during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Meghavarna (Kithsirimevan 301 -328). It became a symbol of Sri Lankan kings and was preciously guarded in a special shrine built within the precincts of the royal palace, wherever the capital was located. The ruins of such edifices remain in the ancient capitals of Anuradapura, Pollonnaruwa, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, Kurunegala, Kotte, and Gampola. While in Kandy the last Kingdom the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic continues to be the greatest shrine to receive the utmost veneration of the Buddhist world.
The first “Dalada Madura” in Kandy, which housed the Sacred Tooth Relic was built by King Wimaladharmasuriya the first during his reign from year 1592 to 1604. History reveals that this was destroyed by the Portuguese during their invasions. The second temple was built in the same location by King Rajasinghe the Second during his reign from 1635 – 1687, which was burnt by the Dutch. The Dalada history says in the year 1687 King Wimaladharmasuriya the Second built a 3 storeyed Dalada Madura and performed Dalada rituals with great devotion but with time the building was decayed and destroyed. Later his son King Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinghe who reigned from 1707 – 1739 built the 2-storeyed Dalada Madura which one can see today. The South Indian Kings who ruled the country from Senkadagala renovated and protected the shrine which was built by King Narendrasinghe.
The temple was finely renovated and beautified by King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe to its present appearance. Paththirippuwa or the Octagonal Pavilion was constructed by King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe who reigned from year 1798 – 1815.
Protecting the Sacred Tooth Relic and conducting religious rituals without a break is being carried out to the present day under the strict surveillance of the three chief custodians of the Tooth Relic, the most Venerable Mahanayake theros of Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters and the lay custodian, the Diyawadana Nilame.
Magul Maduwa ( Audience Hall)
The “Magul Maduwa” of the Palace is where the king met his ministers and carried out his daily administrative tasks. This was also known as the “Maha Naduwa” (high court) by the local residents as this building was used by the king as the court. This building is also called the Assembly Hall or the Audience Hall. The construction of this finely carved wooden structure was started by the king Rajadhi Rajasinhe (1779 – 1797) in 1783. But was unable to complete it within his reign.
Several key events in our history have taken place in this “Magul Maduwa”. The major one was the handing over of the last Sri Lankan kingdom to the British throne in 1815 ending over 2500 years of sovereignty. It was also at this place that the British handed over the death sentence to the Sri Lankan patriots, Madugalle Disave and the Keppatipola Disave.
The Kandy Esala Perahera Festival
The Sacred Tooth Relic, which is housed at the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in the city of Kandy, is being considered and worshipped as the living Lord Buddha. For this very reason, there are daily, weekly, and annual poojas and rituals. Dalada Perahera famously known as the Kandy Esala Perahera held in the month of Esala (July) annually is among them. It is considered the epitome of the country’s Buddhist celebrations and is blessed with divinity. According to Maha Parinibbana sutta of Deegha Chapter, among a few other sacred relics, the four sacred tooth relics remained intact following Mahaparinirvana. Lord Buddha’s left canine tooth out of the four Tooth Relics which was blessed with Sri Saddhamma for 45 years was brought to Sri Lanka due to the continuous conflicts during the reign of King Mutaseewa in the kingdom of Kaalinga. Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha brought the Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka during the reign of King Kithsirimewan, seeking protection for the Sacred Tooth Relic. This incident took place in 310 A.D.
