Temple Of The Tooth

Description and is it worth a visit

Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple (Sri Dalada Maligawa, Temple of the Tooth) is the main temple of Sri Lanka, which houses a shrine important to Buddhists around the world. The tooth has been kept in Kandy since the city was declared the capital in 1592 (according to another version, it appeared here only in the XVIII century). It is believed that it was taken from the fire after the cremation of the Great Teacher in about 540 BC, there were four in total. This tooth was for a long time in India, until in 371 (according to another version in 313) it was transported to the island of Ceylon (the old name of Sri Lanka) by the IV ruler of Kalinga in the hair of Princess Hemamali to save it from possible capture. First, the shrine was located in Anuradhapura, then in Polonnaruwe, and as a result came to the temple in Kandy.

Originally it was a wooden church, but it was badly damaged during the confrontation between the Portuguese and the Dutch in the XVIII century. After that, a stone temple was rebuilt. In January 1998, during a decades-long civil war, Tamil Tigers attempted to destroy the relic, planted a bomb and blew up the temple. As a result, the facade and roof were damaged, but the relic was not damaged.

Many pilgrims flock here all year round to get a little closer to the shrine, since it is almost impossible to see it. The tooth is kept in a sarcophagus of seven stupas, nested one in another. To see the stupa, you have to stand a huge queue of pilgrims and believers. But even if you decide not to stand in line, the entire inspection of the complex will take several hours. It includes many pagodas, the Royal Palace (there is an archaeological museum, free of charge), the audience hall, the Queen's Palace, the World Museum of Buddhism and the Sri Dalada Museum. Outside the temple looks simple, but the decoration of the halls inside is made of precious metals, inlaid with semiprecious and precious stones, ivory. Inside and outside are countless Buddha statues, said to be several thousand. The walls are decorated with paintings and murals about the Life Of The Buddha and the history of the tooth in Sri Lanka. In one of the halls of the palace, in the Museum of Rajaa elephant, there is a mummy of an elephant, on the back of which for many years a Gold Box with a tooth was taken out for its review during the great religious holidays of Esal Perahera in July-August. Also, a lot of interesting things for tourists happen on the site in front of the temple: believers are waiting for incense, lamps, break coconuts.

Today, the Temple Of The Tooth of the Buddha can be visited by anyone, including tourists. True, for foreigners, the entrance to the temple is paid, 1500 rupees, but it includes a visit to two museums. Before entering the temple, you need to pass a strict security check, during which the contents of bags and backpacks are carefully checked. By the way, with a large bag or backpack you may not be allowed into the temple even after inspection, because there are always a lot of people inside, literally packed, and you will have to move in a dense stream. Also, they will not be allowed to enter the temple in shorts, trousers or a skirt that does not cover the knees, with open shoulders, in a headdress. At the entrance you will have to take off your shoes and leave them either free of charge in the general pile or in the luggage room for money (200 rupees). And yet, when buying a ticket, you can get a free audio guide, including in Russian, leaving a passport as a deposit.