Sri Dalada Maligawa at kandy is the final location of the sacred tooth of the lord.
It became the palladium of srilankan kings and was preciously guarded in a special shrine built within precincts of royal palace where the capital was located. The Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, it is in the centre of the city, the highest venerated religious place with steeped in cultural heritage attracting the highest respect of the Buddhists as well as the other religions all over the world.
The beautiful magnificent temple was built by late king Vimaladharmasooriya 1st in 1592 AD. The Relic Shrine is approached by a large draw-bridge over the moat and through a beautifully decorated frontispiece. A tunnel"ambarawa", leads to the main shrine complex, having a central courtyard surrounded by storied structures. The two-storied open pillared hall in front constitutes the area where visitors and devotees gather.
The recognition of the sacred temple it has been declared kandy as a world heritage city by UNESCO.
On Wednesdays, there is a symbolic bathing of the sacred relic with an herbal preparation from scented water and fragrant flowers called “Nanumura Mangalya”. This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and it is distributed among those present.
