Temple of Tooth Relic – Kandy

When you visit to world heritage city of Kandy from Green Leaves Garden, you will notice a large and a magnificent pond which is known as the lake of Kandy. Besides this masterpiece, there is a group of ancient buildings which clearly demonstrate the advancement of ancient architecture in Sri Lanka. Among those buildings, the large building is known as “The Temple of Tooth Relic” (Sinhala: SRI DALADA MALIGAWA). The temple of tooth relic is located in the heart of the Kandy city which is about 116km away from Colombo and 26 km away from Mawenelle.

The Temple of Tooth Relic is considered as the most sacred place of Buddhist People because it serves as the house for the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha. According to international statics, more than 20 million people annually visit this sacred place and it ranked among top 5 most visited religious places in a year.

This temple was built in 6th century A.D by king Wimaladharmasooriya the 1st. He built this masterpiece in order to keep the sacred tooth relic and protect it from the foreign invaders. The sacred tooth relic is identified as the symbol of kingship in the country. It is a responsibility of the leader of Sri Lanka to look after and protect the sacred tooth relic.

In the premises of the temple of tooth relic, you can see various archeological factors and ancient buildings, including the old royal palace of the Sri Lankan Kings. The paintings and crafts inside the temple of tooth relic give us a wide knowledge about the Ancient Sri Lankan Art and Craft. Except those ancient buildings, a visitor can see few museums such as world Buddhist museum, the museum of the Temple of tooth relic and the museum of the tusker “Raja”.