Temple of the Tooth
The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy is undoubtedly Sri Lanka's most famous tourist attraction. Set high in the hills of central Sri Lanka, Kandy was the last stronghold to resist British subjugation. The temple is famous for housing a tooth of the Buddha, extricated from his mortal body before cremation. The tooth itself has an illustrious history, defying pulverization by non-believers, reconstituting itself from dust, and returning magically to its new homeland after abduction--the stuff of legends! It is housed in the temple shown here, and is only taken out and paraded once a year, to great pomp and fanfare. The photo to the left shows the esplanade walkway to the Temple of the Tooth, while the photo to the right is a close-up of the Pattirippuva Octagon tower at the end of the esplanade, from which the king gave audiences.
Entrance to the temple complex
is gained through an elaborately decorated tunnel, a sample of which is
shown at the photo to the left. The tunnel opens unto a small entrance
area where admission fees are paid. From there one enters the
temple proper, through a second tunnel (photo at bottom left) which
leads to the two-storied pillared hall or digge. The area
between the tunnel and the lower level of the inner chamber is termed
the vestibule (Aramudala). This lower vestibule area (shown in the photo at the bottom right) is reserved for
drummers and other traditional forms of music during religious
services. The Aramudala also
contains the
stairway by which daily offering are
taken
to the Sacred Tooth Shrine upstairs. (photo at upper right) The inner
chamber, also pictured in the photo at the bottom right, is similar to
the Buddhist
image shrines found 
at Polunnaruwa, where
the Tooth Relic
was previously stored. The entrance to the inner shrine is flanked by
elephant tusks and brightly decorated wooden columns. Both the Amramudala
and the inner chamber have been recently transformed into repositories
of gold ornaments, caskets, and other offerings made
to the sacred Tooth Relic.
On either side of the lower
hall
shrine are the Pallemale Vihara, a central landing with stairs
on either side leading up to the second floor. On the right hand side
of this landing as you head up is a small stupa believed to contain the
Bowl Relic (photo to the left) while on the other side is are
processional flags and ornaments from the Sri Lankan kings who have
overseen the various restorations and enhancements of the Temple of the
Tooth. On the right hand stairwell is a Buddha Shrine that has been
significantly enhanced in the restoration work that has been completed
since 2000. (photo below left). From the Pallemale Vihara the
steps lead to the upper floor, where the sacred Tooth Relic casket of
gold is enshrined in the chamber known as Gandha-Kuti
(Fragrance Chamber). The shrine chamber of the upper floor is
preceded by a passage called Handunkudama, where devotees
gather to offer flowers, while the other 
three sides of the shrine consist of service rooms.
Inside
the shrine chamber (closed to visitors) is the golden casket containing
the sacred Tooth relic, which in turn is enveloped by seven caskets of
precious material; also within the chamber is the casket used to
transport the relic by elephant in the yearly procession. The
photo to
the right shows the wooden structure that serves as the entrance to the
Gandha-Kuti; the devotee area is to the immediate right, the
service quarters are out of view to the right and far left, while the
silver doors in the center of the picture lead to the inner shrine
where the sacred Tooth Relic is kept. There is a large roof over the
entire structure, which encompasses the service rooms and offices as
well as the two primary chambers. The photo at the bottom center shows
the intricate gold-leaf floral patterns that decorate the roof's
interior side.
Behind the structure enclosing the two
chambers is
the Alut
Maligava, which houses the New Shrine Room, a very ornate room
built in the Thai style. The central focus of the room is the large
golden Buddha figure at the front of the room. It is surrounded by
gold, ivory, and numerous smaller Buddha statues. (photo to the left).
The rear of the room
contains five Buddhas (photo to the right), while the side walls
likewise contain Buddha figures along with painted panels depicting
scenes from the story of the Tooth Relic (bottom photo). The upper two
stories of this
building have recently been organized into the Sri Dalada Museum, exhibiting donations made to the
Tooth Relic by
devotees and visitors. 
Upon exiting the Temple of the Tooth visitors encounter
the
audience hall where the Kandyan kings heard petitions. The photo to the
left shows the exterior of this large hall, while the photo to the
right shows the hewn beams used in its construction, as well as the
carving found on the wooden beams.
]
from the menu at the bottom of the screen. You may view the tour in full-screen mode by clicking on the "full-screen" icon [
] on the menu at the bottom of the page. If you are using an older
computer and experiencing some "jumpiness" in the panorama, click on
the
compass icon [
]from the bottom menu to smooth things out.Here is a link to an even more elaborate virtual
tour
of the Temple of the Tooth which, unfortunately, could not be embedded.
It will open in a separate window.
