Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

The Sri Dalada Maligawa is the beating heart of Kandy and, for most Sri Lankan Buddhists, of the island itself. It shelters a tooth that tradition says was taken from the Buddha's funeral pyre and smuggled into Sri Lanka in the fourth century hidden in a princess's hair. Whoever held the relic was held to have the right to rule, which is why kings kept moving it from capital to capital until it settled here in Kandy, and why the temple sits right beside the royal palace compound. The complex is part of the Sacred City of Kandy, inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1988. You approach across a moat and a low white wall carved in a cloud pattern, pass beneath a drummers' hall, and climb into a courtyard of gilded roofs, carved timber pillars and lotus-shaped lamps. Pilgrims arrive in white carrying lotus buds and jasmine, and the air smells of incense and crushed petals.

The relic itself is never on view. It rests inside a series of nested golden caskets in an upper chamber, and visitors file past the closed door while drummers and horn players perform at the daily puja, an offering ceremony held several times a day, normally around dawn, late morning and early evening. The queue builds quickly for the evening session and on full-moon days, so arrive early if you want a place near the doorway.

Beyond the main shrine, look for the octagonal Pattirippuwa tower beside the lake, built as a royal audience hall and later used as a library, the museum rooms that explain the history of the relic, and the small temples to Natha, Vishnu and Pattini within the grounds. The Kandyan architecture is worth slowing down for, with its low tiled roofs, carved wooden eaves and painted ceilings.

Dress and conduct matter here. Cover your shoulders and knees, remove your shoes and hat before entering the grounds, and never pose with your back to a Buddha image. Photography is welcome outside but restricted around the shrine room, and staff will tell you where to stop. A guided entry helps because the story of the relic, the kings who fought over it and the layout of the upper floor are hard to read without someone explaining them.

Allow at least ninety minutes, and combine the visit with a walk around Kandy Lake, which stretches out immediately in front of the temple. Come in the cooler early hours or the late afternoon, because the flagstones heat up and the midday crowds can be heavy. Kandy's grand annual procession, the Esala Perahera, parades the relic casket on an elephant each summer, and the temple becomes the center of the whole city for those nights.

A little context makes the stop richer. The relic's story runs through the long contest between kingdoms of the island, and its safe keeping was the sign of a legitimate ruler. That is why the shrine stands inside the old palace precinct, among the royal audience hall, the queen's quarters and the lake the last king dug. If time allows, add the quiet courtyards behind the main shrine, where monks and pilgrims sit, and the small museum rooms that display gifts from Buddhist countries around Asia.