Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa )

The Temple of the Tooth is one of the world’s most revered shrines where the left tooth relic of Gautama Buddha resides. This shrine was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the year 1988. The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, which is the pinnacle of the Buddhist community all over the world with its incomparable cultural value, has architectural features, as well as features of ancient Dalada Maligawa designs. Kandy Shangri Dalada Maligawa is located near the royal palace near the Udawatte jungle east of Kandy city. To the north is the royal palace. To the south is the Milky Way or Kandy Lake. To the west are the Natha and Pattini temples. The Temple of the Tooth, which is a living creation, is adorned with carvings of silver, ivory and brass.

The historic Senkadagalapura Kandy Temple of the Tooth is built by Kanjariwa. King Wimaladharmasooriya I who ruled between 1592-1604. History shows that the Temple of the Tooth built by him was destroyed by the Portuguese invaders. Later, King Rajasinghe II (1635-1687) built the Second Temple of the Tooth in Kandy on the same site as the Temple of the Tooth.

It was also burned to ashes by the Dutch and later destroyed. The history of the Tooth Relic states that King Wimaladharmasuriya II, who became the King in 1687, built a majestic three storied Temple of the Tooth and placed the Tooth Relic in it and performed various rituals. As the Temple of the Tooth decayed and was destroyed, his son King Shangari Weera Paraknarama Narendrasinghe (Kanjari 1707-1739) built the present two storied Temple of the Tooth. Later, the Nayakkar dynasty Tamil kings who came to Senkadagala also renovated and protected the Temple of the Tooth built by King Sri Narendrasinghe. King Keerthi Shannari Rajasinghe the Great has renovated the Temple of the Tooth to its present appearance. The Atasagnara building or pattirippu is made of corn. ව. King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe who ruled Kandy between 1798-1815.

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