Visit to the Temple of Tooth

What is there to see?

The Dalada Maligawa – the Temple of Tooth Relic – is the most religious place of Sri Lankan Buddhists. They worship there because it houses the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. This is called the ‘Dalada’ and in Sri Lanka the Dalada hold the greatest place. In the past, wherever the tooth relic was held was the place suited for the King. The Dalada therefore was placed in many different locations in the past (kingdoms) but now is in Kandy. The temple that holds the Dalada is called Dalada Maligawa (Temple of Tooth Relic). The present Dalada Maligawa is the palace of the last Sri Lankan King, Sri Wikrama Rajasinghe, who ruled the Kingom of Kandy. The dalada is safely covered and locked and ordinary people are not allowed to see it. However, in some years there is a ‘Dalada Dekma’ the showing of the Dalada to the public.