Temple of the Tooth - Kandy

Sri Dalada Maligawa (Sinhala: Tamil ශ්‍රී දළදා මාළිගාව: ஸ்ரீ தலதா மாளிகை) or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, Which houses the relic of the tooth of Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics Because it is believed That whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a UNESCO world heritage site partly due to the temple. Monks of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya Conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple. Rituals are performed three times daily: at dawn, at noon and in the Evenings. On Wednesdays there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and Fragrant flowers, called Nanumura Mangallaya. This holy water is believed to Contain healing powers and is distributed Among Those Present.

Associate buildings and structures

The royal palace is situated to the north of the temple.John Pybus, who was on an embassy in 1762, gives a detailed description on the royal palace.Vikramabâhu III (r. 1356-1374) and Senasammatha Vikramabâhu (r. 1469-1511) built royal palaces on this site. Vimaladharmasuriya I undertook various decorations to the palace. The Dutch orientalist Philippus Baldaeus visited the palace with General Gerard Pietersz. Hulft in 1656. The royal residence is known as "Maha Wasala" in Sinhala from the Polonnaruwa period. The royal palace is also known as "Maligawa." There were three Wahalkadas and a 8 feet (2.4 m) high wall used as main entrances. The section of the palace facing the Natha Devale is said to be the oldest. During the beginning of the British period, it was used by Government Agent Sir John D'Oyly.Successors of D'Oyly have continued to use it as their official residence. Today it is preserved as an archeological museum. Ulpen Ge and Queens Palace are the associated buildings of the palace.

Audience hall

the Audience hall or the Magul maduwa is where the Kandyan kings held their royal court. It was completed during the reign of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha.The carvings of the wooden pillars which support the wooden roof are an example of wood carving of the Kandyan period. Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha built this in the year of 1783. The hall was renovated for the reception of arrival in Kandy of Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales in 1872. Originally the hall of the size of 58*35.6 feet and after the renovation length was extended by additional 31.6 feet.Other nearby building to the halls believed to be demolished during the British rule. The audience hall was the venue where the Kandyan Convention was drawn up, it was where the convention was read out to the people and where the conference, about the convention was held on 2 March 1815.That space was later used to erect the Kandy Kachcheri and Kandy supreme court. Today it is used for state ceremonies and conserved under the department of archaeology.

Mahamaluwa

Mahamaluwa is public who came to see the annual Esala perahera.Today it contains a statue of Madduma Bandara. The memorial of which contains the skull of Keppetipola Disawe is another attraction. The statue of Princess Hemamali and Prince Dantha are also located here.