The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka

The tooth sanctuary

The Sacred Relic of the tooth of the Buddha is venerated in Sri Lanka as a relic of the founder of Buddhism. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 513 KB) KANDY TO BERMUDA Description Le temple de la Dent à Kandy au Sri Lanka Der Zahntempel in Kandy (Sri Lanka): Hier wird ein Zahn aufbewahrt, der gemäß der Überlieferung ein rechter Backenzahn des Buddha ist. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 513 KB) KANDY TO BERMUDA Description Le temple de la Dent à Kandy au Sri Lanka Der Zahntempel in Kandy (Sri Lanka): Hier wird ein Zahn aufbewahrt, der gemäß der Überlieferung ein rechter Backenzahn des Buddha ist. ... interior of the Temple of the Tooth, my image File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... interior of the Temple of the Tooth, my image File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Buddhism is a religion, philosophy, and arguably a psychology, focusing on the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni (Siddhārtha Gautama), who lived in ancient India most likely from the mid-6th to the early 5th century BCE. Buddhism spread throughout the Indian subcontinent in the five centuries following the Buddha...

History

According to Sri Lankan legends, when the Buddha died, his body was cremated in a sandalwood pyre at Kusinara in India and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by Arahat Khema. Khema then gave it to King Brahmadatte for veneration. Ever since then, it became a royal possession in Brahmadatte's country and there grew up a belief that whoever who possessed the Sacred Tooth Relic had a divine right to rule that land. Thus, there were wars to take possession of the Relic. Finally, in the 4th century CE, it was in the possession of King Guhasiva of Kalinga, who feared that it would fall into the hands of his enemies. He secretly sent the Sacred Tooth Relic to Sri Lanka with his daughter, Princess Hemamali, and her husband, Danthakumara. Standing Buddha, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, Musée Guimet. ... Kushinagar or Kusinagar is a rural town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 52 km off Gorakhpur, in northern India. ... As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ... Kalinga in 265 B.C. Kalinga was an ancient Indo-Aryan kingdom of central-eastern India, in the province of Orissa. ...

According to this legend, Hemamali hid the Relic in her hair ornament and the royal couple disguised themselves as Brahmins in order to avoid discovery. They set sail in a ship and, after facing the hazards of sea travel, finally arrived in Sri Lanka in 371. At the time, King Kirti Sri Megavanna ruled Sri Lanka. The King was overjoyed when he heard the news and warmly welcomed the royal couple and received the Sacred Tooth Relic with great veneration. He built a beautiful palace within the Royal Palace Complex itself and enshrined the Relic in it. Thereafter, he ordered that an annual perahera be held in honour of the Sacred Relic. As time went on, as the land was threatened with foreign invasions, the seat of the kingdom shifted from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa and thereafter to Dambadernya and other cities. With every change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the Relic. Finally, it was brought to Kandy where it is at present, in a temple called Sri Dalada Maligawa. This page deals with the Hindu varna. ... Events Martin of Tours becomes Bishop of Tours _ year approximate Baekje forces storm the Goguryeo capital in Pyongyang Births Valentinian II - titular Roman emperor - year approximate Deaths August 1 - St Eusebius of Vercelli St Hilarion - year approximate Lucifer of Cagliari - bishop King Gogugwon of Goguryeo Categories: 371 ... Anuradhapura, (අනුරාධපුර in Sinhala), is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, world famous for its well preserved ruins of the Great Sri Lankan Civilization. ... The second most ancient of Sri Lankas kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 CE to reunite the country once more under a local leader. ... The Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy Kandy (මහ නුවර in Sinhala கண்டி in Tamil) is a city in the centre of Sri Lanka. ... Outside view of the Temple The Sri Dalada Maligawa or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a temple in the city of Kandy in Sri Lanka. ...

The Sacred Tooth Relic came to be regarded as a symbolic representation of the living Buddha and it is on this basis that there grew up a series of offerings, rituals, and ceremonies. These are conducted under the supervision of the two Mahanayake Theros of Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters and the Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa. They have a hierarchy of officials and temple functionaries to perform these services and rituals.

Other tooth relics

Aside from this specific tooth relic, another relic of the tooth of the Buddha is currently in Ling Guang Temple in Mainland China, and Fo Guang Shan monastery in Taiwan. The Shari-Den shrine of Engakuji temple in Kamakura, Japan, is also reputed to contain a tooth of the Buddha. The highlighted area in the map is what is commonly known as mainland China. Mainland China (Simplified Chinese: 中国大陆; Traditional Chinese: 中國大陸; pinyin: Zhōnggúo Dàlù; literally The Chinese Massive Landmass or Continental China) is an informal (disputed — see talk page) geographical term which is usually synonymous with the area... Fo Guang Shan (佛光山) (Buddhas Light Mountain) is a Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order that has gained a worldwide presence, and has chapters around the world. ... The great bell ÅŒgune at Engaku-ji A stone carving at Engaku-ji Engaku-ji is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan. ... Kamakura can refer to: The city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan The Kamakura Shogunate period in the History of Japan The Kamakura family name in Japan This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

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