Relic of the tooth of the Buddha

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Template:Short description Template:More sourcesTemplate:Sidebar with collapsible lists Template:Use dmy dates The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Pali danta dhātuya) is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of the Buddha and primarily refers to the purported tooth at the Temple of the Tooth.

History

According to the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, after the Buddha's passing and cremation, four teeth are explicitly noted to be in existence. Two of the relics are noted to be in mythological locations (Trāyastriṃśa and in the realm of the Nagaraja), while the other two are in earthly locations (Gandhāra and Kaliṅga). Out of these, the Nagaraja and the Kaliṅga tooth are purported to be extant.

One episode involving the relic during the Portuguese presence in Sri Lanka is described in both contemporary and later sources. According to the Portuguese chroniclers João de Barros and Diogo do Couto, the relic was seized during the 1560 expedition against the Jaffna Kingdom and taken to Goa, where it was destroyed on the orders of the Viceroy, Constantino de Bragança.<ref name="Strong2010">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Pieris1920">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Cunha1875">Template:Cite book</ref> Prior to this, the relic had been kept in the Jaffna Kingdom after the defeat of Veediye Bandara, the commander of the Kingdom of Kotte, at Nallur.<ref name="Pieris1920" />

During the Portuguese period in Sri Lanka, the tooth relic was reported to have been seized in 1560 during a Portuguese expedition against the Jaffna Kingdom and later taken to Goa. According to John S. Strong, it was destroyed by the orders of the Viceroy, Constantino de Bragança.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Paulus Edward Pieris similarly records that the relic was burnt and its remains were thrown into the sea, and that before its capture the relic had been kept in the Jaffna Kingdom after the defeat of Veediye Bandara, commander of the Kingdom of Kotte, at Nallur.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Kaliṅga tooth

According to the Mahāvaṃsa and the Dāṭhavaṃsa, during the Buddha's cremation, his left canine was retrieved by his disciple Khema, who in turn gave it to King Brahmadatte of Kaliṅga for veneration, being kept at Dantapura (modern Dantapuram).<ref name="about">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At some point,Template:When the tooth relic gained the reputation for giving whoever held the relic the divine right to rule the land,<ref name="time">Template:Cite news</ref> with the Dāṭhavaṃsa reporting a war between Guhasiva of Kaliṅga and the king Pandu over its possession.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Legend states that following a conflict in Kaliṅga, the tooth was brought to the Abhayagiri Vihāra in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. The relic would change locations as the seat of government changed on the island, whereupon it was brought to Kandy, where it currently rests at the Temple of the Tooth.<ref name="time" />

Rumored Buddha tooth relics

Aside from the two tooth relics in Sri Lanka, other tooth relics have been reported globally. A 2024 survey found that 32 museums and temples claimed to hold one or more of the tooth-relics, including.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

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See also

References

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