Sri Dalada Maligawa - Temple of Tooth Relic

Sri Dalada Maligawa

The Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, also known as Sri Dalada Maligawa, is the last resting place of Lord Buddha's sacred tooth, which was brought to Sri Lanka by prince "Dantha" and Princess "Hemamala" from the kingdom of Kalinga, India, during the reign of the king "Keerthi Sri Megawarna." It is one of the city's landmarks and is located in the heart of Kandy town, surrounded by the lake and the business district. If someone wants to travel to Dalada Malaga, they can do so in a variety of ways, but the Kadugannawa road will take them 95 kilometres.

The Maligawa was once a royal residence for the monarch and his consorts, but after the Kandyan Kingdom disintegrated, it was converted into a Buddhist temple housing Buddha's tooth.

The royal seat is located to the north of the temple. John Pybus, who was in an embassy in 1762, gives a detailed description of the royal residence. Vikramabahu III of Gampola (r. 1356-1374) and Sena Sammatha Wickramabahu of Kandy both erected royal places on this site (r. 1469-1511). Vimaladharmasuriya I of Kandy embellished the palace in a variety of ways. Philippus Baldaeus, a Dutch orientalist, and General Gerard Pietersz Hulft, a Dutch general, paid a visit to the site in 1656. The royal residence was known in Sinhalese as "Maha Wasala" beginning in the Polonnaruwa period. The royal location is also known as "Maligawa." Three Wahalkadas and an 8-foot-high (2.4-meter) wall were the main entrances. It is stated that the section facing the Natha Devale is the location.

The location of the auditorium The audience hall can be seen from the temple's northern façade. The audience hall, also known as magul maduwa, was where the Kandyan kings held court. During the period when it was completed, Sri Vikrama Rajasinha reigned.

The sculptures on the wooden pillars that support the wooden ceiling are from the Kandyan period. It was built in 1783 by Kandy's Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha. In 1872, the receiving hall was refurbished to welcome Prince Albert Edward of Wales. The hall was initially 58 by 35.6 feet (17.7 m 10.9 m), it was lengthened by 31.6 feet (9.6 m). [14] During the British occupation of the spectators, several structures in the neighbourhood of the halls are thought to have been burned.

Esala Perahera

The Esala is considered to have evolved from the union of two separate but interconnected "Peraheras" (Processions) - the Esala and the Dalada. The Esala Perahera, a ceremony held to implore the gods for rain, is thought to have originated in the 3rd century BC. The Dalada Perahera is considered to have begun in the 4th century CE, eight hundred years after Buddha's death, when the Buddha's Sacred Tooth Relic was brought from India to Sri Lanka.

Malwatte Chapter and Asgiri Chapter

Monks from the Malwatte Chapter and the Asgiriya Chapters of the Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka perform the ceremonies associated with the Tooth Relic. It is the Diyawadana Nilame's responsibility to plan the Perahera, thus he summons a large number of Temple of the Tooth officials and entrusts them with various ceremonial duties related to the Perahera's conduct. He first obtains the auspicious period from the astrological expert Nekath Mohottala. The responsibility of organizing the various varieties of drummers is delegated to the Panikka Mura Baarakaruwo, a group of four authorities The Maligawa officials also meet with the elephant owners who would be participating in the Perahera (most elephants are privately owned). 

The Temple of the Tooth has a museum. It is housed at the Temple of the Tooth's first and second floors wing in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

On the first floor, you'll find historical records, lists of Chief Prelates, lists of Kandyan Kings, portrait busts, and other objects. Caskets, statues, jewels, and other historical and religious artefacts are housed on the second floor. A silver water pot offered by King Kirti Sri Rajasimha, a silver hanging lamp offered by King Rajadhi Rajasimha, a painted replica of Buddha's Footprint sent by Thailand's King Borom Kot, and a unique Relic Casket containing the great Thera Moggliputta's bodily relics are among the notable items in the collection. The museum also has King Keerthi Sri Rajasinha's robes and clothing on exhibit.

A Symbol of Royalty

A tale quickly spread about the treasure, claiming that whoever held it had a divine right to control the region. It's not surprising, however, that great monarchs throughout history made it a part of their regal responsibility to safeguard and cherish the sacred tooth. The relic accompanied the island's monarchs when they relocated the kingdom's main city to several places. It aided the monarchs in legitimizing their status as rulers with divine authority over the country's people.

In 1595, King Wimaladharmasuriya I took the tooth relic to its last resting place in Kandy. He was not the rightful heir to the throne of the United Kingdom because he was not the rightful heir to the throne of the United Kingdom.