Festival of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka
This is arguably on of the largest Buddhist celebrations in the world, and over one million people attend annually (July / August) – so it will be crowded! Kandy’s Temple of the Sacred Tooth was built on the edge of Lake Kandy specifically to house the left canine of Buddha that was allegedly salvaged from his funeral pyre. It is said to be the most revered Buddhist object and in 1988 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kandy Temple
The original wooden temple was built between 1687 and 1707 but it was destroyed during the colonial wars in the 18th century. It has since been replaced by a stone temple. The tooth now rests on a gold lotus flower within jeweled caskets (so it can’t be seen) and is ‘protected’ by two elephant tusks. During the festival the tooth use to be paraded around Kandy but today it remains within the temple and a replica is paraded. The procession today still has elaborately decorated elephants, fire dancers, torchbearers, jugglers, musicians, acrobats and more.
The Parade
On the last night of the festival (10th day) millions enter the temple holding candles and circumnavigate the shrine to pay their respects making a very photogenic sight.
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