Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka

Without any doubt, the Sacred Tooth Relic (Dâlada) of the Buddha is the most venerated object of worship for Buddhists.

Its present house, the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dâlada Mâligâwa) in Kandy, Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is considered the foremost sacred place of worship in the Buddhist world.
It has come through a long and hard journey through all these years to rest in safety inside a sanctuary inlaid with silver and ivory, where the bell-shaped shrine that protects the Tooth is placed.

This sanctuary also adds in to the significance of the Tooth Relic with its two pairs of elephant tusks on either side and the six inner shrines inside it which are ornamented with precious stones of rare value.

Sri Lanka’s Sacred Tooth Relic is the left canine of Lord Buddha’s bodily remains. This worship of corporeal remains of the Buddha, as recorded in the Mahaparinibbana-sutta (the Record of the Demise of the Buddha), was sanctioned by the Buddha himself on the verge of his passing away.

The Buddha declared that four noble persons are worthy of their bodily remains being enshrined and honoured, the Buddha, the Personal Buddhas (Pacceka Buddhas,) the Arahanths (Buddha's disciples) and the Emperors ( Cakkavatti kings). The bodily remains of the Buddha, after their distribution among various states that claimed for the relics, were enshrined in the funerary mounds known as stupa.

However, the four canine Teeth were said to have been separately enshrined and worshipped. The right canine was worshipped in the heavenly domain of the king of gods, Sakra, while another was worshipped by the king of Gandhara in modern Pakistan. The third was taken away by the Nagas and worshipped placing it in a golden shrine room. The fourth, the left canine was removed from the funerary ashes by a monk and was handed over to the king of Kalinga in Eastern India, as recorded in the Digha Nikaya. It is this left canine which is now resting inside the Temple of tooth in Kandy.

Thenceforth, the Tooth relic of the Kalinga became an object of great veneration by generations of Kalinga kings until it earned the wrath of brahmanical followers. Other states attempted to possess the Tooth relic for personal veneration. Thus, from the beginning itself, the Tooth relic came to be considered as an important symbol of veneration. The last Indian ruler to possess the Tooth relic was Guhasiva of Kalinga (c.4th century AD).

However, at the region of Guhansiva in which the neighboring states reinitiated a war for the possession of the Tooth relic caused it to leave the Indian shores. By this time, Buddhism was well rooted in Sri Lanka, and the island rulers maintained close relations with the Indian states. After about eight centuries of its Existence in India, the Tooth relic was secretly taken away by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala, said to be the son-in-law and daughter of Guhasiva. It is recorded that the prince and the princess donned the garb of ascetics and carried the Relic hidden within the coiffure of Hemamala not to be noticed by passersby. A twentieth century wall painting of the well known monastery of Kelaniya (about 5 miles east of Colombo), depicts this episode in a classic style executed by a local artist (Solius Mendis).

The Relic was reported to have performed several miracles en route on the ship itself, thus being venerated by human and superhuman beings. The Tooth Relic finally reached the Sri Lankan capital, Anuradhapura, and according to the Sinhala text, Dalada Sirita, the Relic was kept at the Megagiri vihara in the park Mahameghavana.

At the time of its arrival, the Indian ruler Guhasiva's friend, king Mahasena had passed away and his son, king Kirti Sri Meghavanna (4th century AC), who himself was a pious Buddhist, had succeeded him. The Tooth Relic was well received by the king and placed on the throne itself with much veneration. The king built a special shrine and enshrined the Tooth Relic therein. This shrine has now been identified as the ruined edifice lying almost next to the great refectory known as Mahapali.

The next great ruler to build a formidable Relic shrine for the accommodation of the sacred Tooth and Bowl Relics was Nissankamalla (1187-1196). As recorded in his inscriptions, he had the Relic Shrine Hatadage built and this edifice lying almost adjoining the Atadage, represents a larger version of the Atadage.

At the end of the Polonnaruwa region of which’s glory was waned with the invasion of Kalinga Magha, the Tooth Relic and the Bowl Relic had again been taken away by the monks to a safer location in Kotmale in the central hills. Later, King Vijayabahu III, in the Dabadeniya period, is reported to have brought down the two Relics and enshrined them in a beautiful edifice built for the purpose on the hill top of Beligala.

After him the guardianship of the Relics was handed over to his elder son, who succeeded to the throne under the name Parakramabahu II (1236-1270), who was well known for the compilation of classical literary texts, including the Kavusilumina.

Parakramabahu II brought down the Relics from Beligala in a procession with great veneration and placed them in a shrine built near the palace at the Damabadeniya rock According to the text Dalada Pujavaliya, Parakramabahu conducted the Relics to Srivardhanapura, the city of his birth, and held a great ritual worship. He was responsible for the building of the Tooth Relic shrine at the Vijayasundararama at Dambadeniya, where the Relic was deposited and festive rituals were conducted by the king.

sacred Tooth Relic also had to under go more discomfort because of the invasion of Chandrabhanu of Java. However, the king was able to expel the enemy and bring back the country to a stable status again. It is recorded that during a severe drought, the sacred Tooth Relic was taken out of the shrine and a great procession held. He placed the Relic on the throne and having worshipped the Relic for seven days, offered the kingdom to the sacred Tooth Relic, which resulted in the termination of the drought. This incident indicates the esteem that the sacred Tooth Relic enjoyed as a symbol of kingship.

Yapahuva (ancient Subha-pabbata) comes into prominence around this time with the appointment of his brother Bhuvanekabahu as the sub-ruler of this province. This location, simulating the well known Sigiriya rock fortress, found itself to be a very secure place for the Relics. However, Chadrabhanu of Java invaded the country for the second time and after defeating the local sub-ruler at Yapahuva, demanded the Tooth Relic from Vijayabahu of Dambadeniya. Yet, the Sri Lankan ruler was able to defeat him and bring peace to the island again.

After Vijayabahu, Bhuvanekabahu built a shrine for the sacred Tooth Relic at Yapahuva with a grandeur stairway the ruins of which still portray the aesthetic achievement of the 14th century. As the chronicle records, he continued the tradition of paying homage to the sacred Tooth Relic daily.

With the end of his region there was again a devastation caused by an invasion from the Pandyan country in South India, under the great warrior Arya Cakravarti. He devastated the country and plundered much wealth and treasure, including the Tooth and Bowl Relics, which he handed over to the Pandyan king Kulasekera.

However, the next king, Parakramabahu III visited the Pandyan capital and after friendly discussions, brought back the Relics and initiated the traditional rituals.
According to Marco Polo, the well known traveller, the Chinese Emperor, Kublai Khan, sent a messenger to obtain the Tooth, Hair and Bowl Relics from the king. However, the king was able to please the Chinese Emperor by dispatching two fake teeth, which were graciously received by the Emperor who established ritual worship for the objects.

The next important scenario in this spectacular history of the Tooth relic is in Parakramabahu IV’s region in which there was a religious revival. He reorganized the rituals connected with the sacred Tooth Relic in a systematic manner as recorded in the text Dalada Sirita. Thereafter, Bhuvanekabahu V (1372-1408) shifted the capital to Jayavardanapura Kotte closer to Colombo. Although he did not bring the Tooth Relic to the capital, he is reported to have conducted many ritual performances for the Relic. It was his successor, Virabahu, who brought down the Tooth Relic to Jayavardanapura Kotte from Gampola.

The subsequent period, which saw the arrival of the first colonial power, the Portuguese, in 1505, brought about the deterioration of Buddhist activities. The calamitous situations resulted by their invention leaded to the Tooth Relic to be secretly carried away by the faithful monks to safer locations.

Thus, the Relic was shifted to the next kingdom, Sitawaka ruled by Mayadunne. According to Dathadhatuvamsa, prior to the bringing of the Tooth Relic to Ratnapura, it was taken as far south as the Mulgirigala Vihara and then to the Ridivihara in the Kurunegala District. The Tooth Relic was finally hidden in a coirn located in the Delgamuva Vihara in Ratnapura, and it was from this temple that the Tooth Relic was brought to its final and present resting place in Kandy by Vimaladharmasuriya I (1592-1603).

Still the Sacred Tooth relic has been resting in Senkadagala Pura for more than four centuries. It is considered as the palladium of kingship. No one can attain the power of Sri Lanka without owning a direct link to it. Presently, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the guardian of the Sacred Tooth Relic. The Diyavadana Nilame Hon. Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara (2005- to date) is the present representing warden for it.

Through out the years it has been regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and will be remaining in the same position until the time in which the Buddhist faith in Sri Lanka will reach its termination. Until that time it is our duty to safeguard it as our forefathers did.
sources-  www.sridaladamaligawa.lk
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