The Palladium of the Sinhala Royalty: Historical Exposition of the Tooth Relic after 16 years

This photograph is an adaptation from the original painted Black and White picture by an Army personnel in 1828, which is depicted in the Book by Forbes in his “Eleven Years in Ceylon”

Many have not seen the relic up close, and only a handful have seen the rituals connected with the removal of the Sacred Tooth Relic from its resting place, to which the Mahanayake of Asgiri holds the key and the outer casket keys are held by the Mahanayake of Malwatta

After sixteen years, the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, which was taken directly out of the funeral pyre before it was consumed to ashes by Arahant Khema and handed over to King Brahmadatta of Kalinga (modern Odisha), would be opened for veneration in Kandy at the Sri Dalada Maligawa, built by King Wimaladharmasuriya

The exposition for veneration commences from April 17th to 27th, 2025. The first day would be at 3 pm, as the rituals and the removal of the Sacred Relic take nearly three hours.

Many have not seen the relic up close, and only a handful have seen the rituals connected with the removal of the Sacred Tooth Relic from its resting place, to which the Mahanayake of Asgiri holds the key and the outer casket keys are held by the Mahanayake of Malwatta. The outer keys of the Golden Karaduwa and the Bullet Proof Glass cubicle keys are with the Diyawadana Nilame

With the arrival of the Sacred Relic from Kalinga, brought by the son-in-law, Prince Dantha of King Guhasiva and his daughter Princess Hemamala, the sacred Relic became the possession of the Kings. It became the Palladium of the Sinhala Royalty. A religious object became a Political icon.

However, the Sacred Relic, which was in the capital of Anuradhapura, was shifted to Polonnaruwa due to the invasion of the Cholas in 1017 AD.

Kalinga Magha invaded Polonnaruwa in 1215, when the Sacred Tooth was carried away by the monks to Kotmale.
From then on, the Sacred Relic was never worshipped by the people as it became the heir to Kingship. The Sacred Relic has traversed 12 places before its resting place at Mahanuwara.

They are Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kotmale, Beligala, Dambadeniya, Yapahuwa, and back to Polonnaruwa, Kurunegala, Gampola, Kotte, Delgamuwa and finally to Senkadagala Pura.

In 1284, Arya Chakravarti, a Minister of King Pandya in India, invaded Yapahuwa, the Kingdom of King Bhuvenakabahu I and removed the Sacred Relic to India.

But the son of King Bhuvenakabahu I, King Parakrambahu, brought back the Tooth Relic from India to Polonnaruwa, choosing this as the Capital.

All this time, the Relic was never worshipped by the people and even later, when it was housed in the Temple of King Vimaladharmasuriya I.

When the British entered the City of Kandy, King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last King of the Kingdom of Kandy, had the Sacred Relic removed to Pusulpitiya at Kotmale for safety.

The Resident Representative of the British, Sir John D’Oyly, brought back the Sacred Tooth Relic to Kandy with due pomp and pageantry and deposited the Sacred Relic in the present Maligawa

However, the British were wary about any miraculous powers of the Sacred Relic, and Sir Edward Barnes requested the Relic be brought out of the Maligawa to Maha Malwa for public veneration and for him to test the powers of the Relic.

In 1828, when the Diyawadana Nilame was Kuda Molligoda and the Mahanayake of Asgiri Venerable Yatawatte Sunanda Thera and the Mahanayake of Malwatte Venerable Kandegedara Sri Rewatha Thero, Sir Edward Barnes made this request. The Mahanayakes told the Governor that the relic would be taken to Maha Maluwa and would not be taken back into the Malgawa except at the appointed time and date. On this agreement, the Relic was taken out of the Maligawa amidst a slight drizzle, which turned out into torrential rain and continued for seven days, which was known as the “Dalada Wathura”.

Sir Barnes wanted the priests to remove the Sacred Relic into the Maligawa, with the chaos seen in the country with floods, but they refused.

Then it is the British who allowed people to venerate the Sacred Relic after King Kirthi Sri Meghavarnabhaya, between 301-328, that is 1523 years later.

The Diyawadana Nilame or ‘Dhathurakkadikari’ as set out in the Dalada Siritha is the sole authority for the protection and rituals for the Sacred Tooth Relic. He is the one who should bring the Sri Dalada for the exposition and no one else, says the former Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijerathne, who had held 12 expositions during his period.

The Mahanayakes of Malwatta and Asgiri hold the keys respectively to the seventh Karanduwa or Casket, in the shape of a ‘Corn Cob’ (rarely seen by anyone), which is the original receptacle that was brought in the shape of a hair ornament to bring the Sacred Relic from Kalinga by the Prince and Princess, the son-in-law and daughter of King Guhasiva.