Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

“A temple by the lake, keeping one small piece of the Buddha”

Open in Google Maps

Go deeper↓

Photo: Dan arndt · CC BY-SA 4.0

Scenes

The white temple reflected in the lakePhilip Nalangan · CC BY 4.0

White walls ringed by waterPhilip Nalangan · CC BY 4.0

Meaning

Inside the white temple by the lake, drumbeats roll through incense and lotus offerings, leading toward the chamber of the relic.

Sri Lankan Buddhist tradition holds that a tooth relic of the Buddha is enshrined here, a sanctuary long bound to the wellbeing of the nation. Each year the great Perahera procession fills the streets.

Voices across time

“Each year the tooth relic is brought forth, and the road it passes is covered with incense and flowers.”
— Faxian, pilgrim monk, who saw the relic's procession on this island — A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms · 5th century

Roads through this light

The Buddha Crosses the Sea — From the Place of Awakening to a Mountain of Stone

“An island temple beside a lake in Sri Lanka, enshrining a tooth of the Buddha carried over the sea”

Field notes

Location: Kandy · Sri Lanka · N7.3° · E80.6°
Best time: Evening puja, when the drums sound; the Perahera festival in July and August
Getting there: On the shore of Kandy Lake, an easy walk from the town center.
Etiquette: Modest dress and bare feet, following the pilgrim flow at times of worship.

Sources

· UNESCO World Heritage
· Encyclopaedia Britannica

Official site Wikipedia

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.