Relic of the tooth of Buddha - Definition and Overview

The Sacred Relic of the tooth of Buddha has a long and unbroken history spanning over two and half millennia. When Buddha passed away, his body was cremated in a sand a I wood pyre at Kusinara in India and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by Arahat Khema who gave it to King Brahmadatte for veneration. Ever since then, it became a royal possession and there grew up a belief that whoever who possessed the Sacred Tooth Relic had a divine right to rule the country. Thus there were wars to take possession of the Relic and finally when it was in the possession of King Guhasiva of Kalinga, fearing that his enemies would snatch it, he secretly sent the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka through his daughter Princess Hemamali and her husband Danthakumara.

Having placed the Sacred Relic in a golden casket embedded with gems and after hiding it in her hair ornament, the royal couple disguised themselves as Brahmins and set sail in a ship which after facing the hazards of sea travel in those by-gone days, finally arrived in Sri Lanka when King Kirti Sri Megavanna (301- 328) ruled Sri Lanka. The King was overjoyed when he heard the news and warmly welcomed the Royal Couple and received the Sacred Tooth Relic with great veneration. He built a beautiful palace within the Royal Palace Complex itself and enshrined the Relic in it. Thereafter, he ordered that and annual perahera be held in honour of the Sacred Relic. As time went on and being threatened with foreign invasions, the Kingdom was shifted from Anuradhapura to polonnaruwa and thereafter to Dambadernya and other cities. With every change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the Relic. Finally, it was brought to Kandy where it is at present, in the Sri Dalada Maligawa. During the annals of its long history, the Sacred Tooth Relic came to be regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and it is on this basis that there grew up a series of offerings, rituals and ceremonies. These are conducted under the supervision of the two Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and the Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa. They have a hierarchy of officials and temple functionaries to' perform these services and rituals.