Sri Dalada Maligawa and the sacred heart of Kandy
Published on 09/11/2026 at 06:25 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Sri Dalada Maligawa, known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple within the former royal palace complex of Kandy in Sri Lanka. It enshrines a tooth relic of Gautama Buddha and has long been intertwined with the history of kingship on the island, giving this lakeside ensemble a weight that reaches far beyond its walls.Temple of the Tooth
The tooth relic and its royal setting
The temple stands within the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, on the northern shore of Kandy Lake in the central highlands of Sri Lanka.royal palace complex This positioning means that palace structures, audience halls and shrine buildings sit within one continuous compound, with the Tooth Relic temple at its spiritual centre.
The relic itself is described as the left canine tooth of the historical Buddha, brought from Kalinga in India to Sri Lanka in the fourth century CE by Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha during the reign of King Keerthi Sri Meghavarna.Princess Hemamala and Prince Dantha Over successive centuries the relic moved with royal capitals such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa before being housed in Kandy, where Sri Dalada Maligawa became the principal shrine associated with it.movement of the Tooth Relic
A temple shaped by Kandyan kings
Sri Dalada Maligawa in its Kandy setting traces its architectural story to King Vimaladharmasuriya I, who built an early shrine for the relic within the palace complex in the late sixteenth century.King Vimaladharmasuriya I Later kings rebuilt and refined this structure, so the temple visitors see today largely dates from the eighteenth century during the reigns of rulers such as King Kirti Sri Rajasinha and King Sri Rajadhi Rajasinha.eighteenth-century temple complex
One of the most recognisable elements of the ensemble is the octagonal pavilion known as Pattirippuwa, added by King Sri Vikrama Rajasinha in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as part of the Kandyan royal compound.octagonal Pattirippuwa Behind its stone walls the main temple building forms a multi-storey, timber-framed structure with tiled roofs, built in the characteristic style of the Kandyan Kingdom and surrounded by moat sections and subsidiary shrines.
Spaces, rituals and the wider sacred city
Within Sri Dalada Maligawa, the Tooth Relic itself is housed in a nested series of caskets in the inner shrine, so visitors see richly worked relic shrines and gilded containers rather than the tooth directly.Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic The approach to this inner shrine runs through halls bearing Kandyan paintings and carved wooden elements, with further shrines and spaces dedicated to different aspects of Buddhist worship.
The temple forms part of the Sacred City of Kandy, which is recognised as a World Heritage Site and encompasses the lake, palace remains and associated religious buildings.Sacred City of Kandy The relationship between the temple, the former royal palace and the water body gives the area a distinctive urban landscape: rows of tiled roofs, whitewashed walls and decorative stonework line the shore, while nearby streets form the modern city around this older sacred core.
Visiting Sri Dalada Maligawa: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Sri Dalada Maligawa stands on the north side of Kandy Lake in central Kandy, in the highland region of Sri Lanka; the city is reached by rail and road from Colombo.
- Within the complex, movement between palace courtyards and temple halls involves stairways and internal passages, and the main shrine is reached by climbing steps inside the multi-storey building.
- The temple forms part of the broader Sacred City of Kandy, so a visit can include nearby palace structures, lakeside walkways and other religious buildings within walking distance.
- The official language of Sri Lanka is Sinhala and the currency is the Sri Lankan rupee.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Sri Dalada Maligawa
Where is Sri Dalada Maligawa located?
Sri Dalada Maligawa is in Kandy in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, within the former royal palace complex beside Kandy Lake.
What can visitors expect inside the temple?
Visitors move through palace-style halls with Kandyan paintings and carved timber into the main shrine, where the Tooth Relic is kept within layered caskets.
What makes Sri Dalada Maligawa distinctive among Buddhist sites?
The combination of the Tooth Relic, its historic role in royal legitimacy and its setting within a palace complex around Kandy Lake gives the temple a particular significance.
