Odyssey of the 'Danta Dhatu'
The 'Danta Dhatu' (Tooth Relic of the Buddha) is one
of the most revered objects of worship by Buddhists throughout the world.
It now lies in the sanctum sanctorum of the
Dalada Maligawa
in
Kandy
enshrined
in an embellished reliquary. The relic was brought to the island by chance
during the 9th regnal year of king Keerthi Sri Meghavarna (371 AD), and
ever since it was protected by kings and laymen who paid homage to it
with unbound munificence
It also became the palladium of regal authority and no king could rule
the country without possessing it. Hence it was a treasure owned by the
kings on whose preservation the safety of the kingdom and the country
depended
An Arhant named Khema carried away this Relic form the funeral pyre of
the Buddha in 543 BC, and handed it over to king Brahmadatta, who made
his benefactions to it with faith and devotion. It came to pass that he
was attacked by the powerful king Pandu, but he being averse to warfare,
sued for peace and in the meantime, he gave the Relic to Cittayana who
was the commander of king Pandu's army to be kept safely
On seeing the miracles performed by the sacred Tooth, the king became
a convert to Buddhism
When king Pandu's city of Pataliputra (modern Patna) was attacked by
king Khiradhara, he sent his viceroy Guhasiva back to Kalinga (modern
Orissa) with the Relic, where it was kept in the custody of prince Danta,
to whom the king had given his daughter Hemamala in marriage. Soon the
king became engaged in war and he asked his daughter and prince Danta,
to carry the Relic to Sri Lanka, in the event of his being defeated in
battle
Having defeated, the Tooth Relic was secretly conveyed to Sri Lanka by
prince Danta and princess Hemamala in whose custody it was. After an adventurous
journey, they reached Anuradhapura, and handed it over to king Sri Meghavarna,
who placed the Relic in the hands of the bhikkus of Abhayagiri vihara.
(The hair ornament in which princess Hemamala brought the Relic to the
island was exhibited during the Esala festival in August 1949)
During the reign of Upatissa (426-468 AD), the Relic was taken in procession
from the Abhayagiri vihara to the Mahavihara with great pomp and ceremony
In AD 460, there was a severe drought, and the king fearing a famine,
led a procession during the Esala full moon night, through the streets
of the city carrying the Relic. In sequence, the drought ended followed
by a heavy downpour inundating the lowland country
King Dhatusena (516-526 AD) offered a golden casket for the Relic. When
the Pandyans from South India overran the country, during the reign of
Sena I (826-846 AD),the Relic was removed to a safe place, and in 1017
when the Cholians invaded the country, bhikkus fled to the South carrying
the Relic with them. Prince Kitti defeated the Cholians and ascended the
throne in the name of Vijayabahu I (1058-1114)
When Kalinga Magha (1213-1234), came into power at Polonnaruwa, the Sinhalese
were driven South and bhikku Vacissara had the Relic hidden at Pusulpitiya
in the temple called Dathakaranaramaya, which is said to stand to this
day. When Vijayabahu III (1220-1224) established his kingdom at Dambadeniya,
he brought the Relic from Pusulpitiya to the capital but fearing a further
invasion by the Cholians he had it removed to Beligala for safety
When king Bhuvanekhabahu I (1283-1286) ascended the throne at Yapahuwa,
Pandyan king Kulasekera's General Aryacakravarti invaded the island and
carried away the Relic to South India, where it remained in that country,
until it was brought back to the island by king Parakramabahu II (1266-
1293) by peaceful negotiations. His successor, king Bhuvanekhabahu III
(1293-1302), took the Relic to Kurunegala and had it secured in a three
storeyed edifice
Next we find reference to the Tooth Relic when Kotte became the capital
under king Prakramabahu IV (1410-1436) who made offerings to the Relic
The erudite poet, Ven. Sri Rahula thera in his 'Sandes kavyas' (epic
messages) Paravi and Selalihini mentions the presence of the Relic at
Kotte. The Hansasandesaya and Gira-sandesaya also have reference to it,
which were written during the Kotte period
On Nov. 15 1505, the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka, and the king of
Kotte at the time was Vira Parakramabahu VIII (1484-1509) who was in the
sunset of his life. The Portuguese who remained and ruled the maritime
settlements of the island, took a step forward and gradually introduced
their religion (Roman Catholicism) into the country by proselytising the
Buddhists by reward or by sword
Prince Dharmapala, who became the king of Kotte, proved himself an utterly
useless rules. In 1557, he embraced Catholicism and was baptised in the
name of Don Juan Dharmapala, and it led to loss of loyalty of his supporters,
because they feared that he might do harm to the Relic as the Portuguese
were averse to venerating relics
One night, the Diyawadana Nilame, Hiripitiye Divana Rala, had a dream.
He was told "Kotte kalale data meda ganna rale", which was interpreted
to mean "Leave the mat and pillow and take the Tooth to the mid country"
Fearing danger to the Relic, he at once took it to king Mayadunne of
Sitawaka (now Avissawella) for safe keeping. The king fearing a Portuguese
invasion at any moment, had it hidden at the Delgamuwa vihara
The incumbent of the vihara, sensing danger, caused to artificial replicas
to be made in ivory. Keeping one of them in the place where the original
was, gave the other to Vidiya Bandara, and the thera, concealing the
genuine one in his waist went to Palabaddala and had it secured inside
a grinding stone. By this time the Portuguese invaded Sitawaka and carried
away the artificial relic, thinking it to be the original, and sent it
to Goa to be destroyed
However, the Portuguese got the news that what they had got was a duplicate
of the Relic and the original was in the hands of Vidiya Bandara, the
son-in-law of king Mayadunne. When Dharmapala became king of Kotte, Vidiya
Bandara fled to Jaffna but he was captured on the orders of the Archbishop
of Goa in 1561. The Archbishop, having secured the artificial relic from
Vidiya Bandara place it in a mortar pulverised it, burnt the powder in
a brazier and threw the ashes into a river
When Konappu Bandara ascended the throne of Kandy in 1592, in the name
of Wimaladharmasuriya I, the incumbent of the Delgamuwa vihara, handed
over the real Relic to the king, who enshrined it inside a case cut out
of a ruby founded embedded in the banks of a river in Kuruviti Korale,
and placed it in an edifice specially erected for it, having brought
the Relic to Kandy
In 1611 a bhikku ran away with the Relic when the Portuguese invaded
Kandy. King Senarath (1605-1635), brought it back to Kandy, after driving
away the Portuguese army, and replaced it in the edifice built by king
Wimaladharmasuriya I. Fearing that the Relic would be stolen because
of this gem covering, king Kirti Sri Rajasinha, who ascended the throne
of Kandy in 1747, enclosed it with an ivory case. What we see today is
the ivory covered Relic and the genuine one is embedded therein. Hence
it looks disproportionate in size of a human tooth
The 'Vedasitina maluwa' (inner temple), which we see today, was the work
of king Narendrasinha (1707-1739), the last Sinhala king of Kandy. He
was succeeded by his brother-in-law Sri Vijaya Rajasinha, a Malabari
prince which opened the gates for Dravidian kings to rule the Kandyan
kingdom up to 1815
The octagon ('Pattirippuwa') which we see today was the work of Sri Wickrema
Rajasinha the last king of Kandy, who was taken captive by the British
forces on February 18, 1815, and deported to Vellore in South India,
where he died in 1832. The architect of the octagon was Devendra Mulachari,
reputed for his expertise in architectural design
When the British forces invaded Kandy for territorial aggrandizement,
the king carried away the Relic for safety. It was brought back to Kandy,
with the approval of the British, and replaced it in the
Dalada Maligawa
,
on April 24, 1815. John D'Oyly, the British Resident in Kandy, by being
present at the occasion, won the goodwill of the bhikkus, the chiefs
and the people
In 1818, a rebellion broke out in the Kandyan provinces against the British
administrators, and a bhikku secretly removed the Relic to Elahera in
Matale for safety. The British, however, were able to bring it back to
Kandy and placed it in the sanctum sanctorum of the
Dalada Maligawa
.
It was only after 10 years that the Tooth Relic was exhibited in Kandy
and the perahera conducted as usual, in the presence of Governor Edward
Barnes
In 1853, by statutory provisions, the custody of the Relic was passed
on to the bhikkus of Malwatte and Asgiriya temples, with the Diyawadana
Nilame as its lay custodian. During the Esala perahera in Kandy, the
casket containing the Relic is taken in procession on the back of the
caparisoned Maligawa elephant, which is a tusker. Such was the magical
aura of the Tooth Relic that the Buddhists of the country have been given
the opportunity to render it their homage with faith and devotion
By Aryadasa Ratnasinghe
Budusarana - Buddhist Era 2545 Esala Full
Moon - Tuesday, July 23, 2002
Created March 24, 2009
Updated
September 6, 2009
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