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Housing a sacred tooth relic of the Buddha that is among the few such surviving relics, the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy is one of the most sacred places for Buddhists from around the world. The tooth relic has featured prominently in Sri Lanka's history since its dramatic 6th century BCE arrival in the country, hidden in a hair ornament of a princess fleeing a war in India aimed at capturing the relic. Since then, gaining custody of the tooth relic was of utmost importance as it was believed that whoever possessed the relic would lead the country. Ancient kings went to great lengths to safeguard it and the relic moved whenever the seat of the kingdom moved. The Sri Dalada Maligawa, which was a part of the royal palace of the monarchs of Kandy, has been the final repository of the sacred tooth relic since the 17th or 18th century. The octagonal structure and the moat that characterizes the building is said to have been added in the early 19th century. It now serves as a library and contains a collection of Buddhist Ola leaf manuscripts. The main entrance to the Sri Dalada Maligawa is past two sets of protective walls said to resemble the waves of the Kandy Lake, over the moat and through the main gate referred to as the Mahawahalkada. The highlights here are the stone elephants on either side of the gate and the semi-circular moonstone carved according to a traditional design. Visitors pass through a 'makara thorana', a decorative archway with traditional guard stones on either side to enter the drummer's courtyard on the ground floor of the two storied main shrine in the middle of a paved courtyard. A gilded roof was added to the building in the late 20th century. The tooth relic is located on the first floor approached through two other rooms, one of which is the perfume room and the other is where the exposition of the relic takes place. The relic chamber has an ivory inlaid red lacquer door with elephant tusks on either side. The relic itself is deposited in the innermost of seven gem-encrusted golden caskets. Access to the relic chamber is heavily restricted. The three storied new wing behind the main shrine has an impressive large shrine hall and the Sri Dalada Museum where all the gifts donated to the shrine are displayed. Three rituals a day ensure the wellbeing of the relic which is treated as if it were the living Buddha. Sri Lankan Dreams is a travel company based out of Sri Lanka and London that endeavours to put together tours to Sri Lanka not only to capture the true heart of the country but also to provide the very best holiday experience at the best possible price. Try their Sri Lanka tour packages for a dream holiday experience. Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and hopes to visit them all someday. Google+
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