Use the links above to see more photos.

The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic - Kandy

No one seems to agree on the exact dates, but let's say the Buddha was born about 480 BC and 80 years after that he died and was cremated. Legend has it that someone absconded with one of the Buddha's teeth - actually snatched it out of the flames of his funeral pyre in 400 BC. Centuries later it was smuggled into Sri Lanka and it was soon believed that whoever had possession of this tooth had the right to rule the island - so you can imagine the intrigue surrounding this incisor. It's been hidden, and stolen and relocated time and time again. Some claim it was destroyed by Portuguese Christians and that what is now venerated here is a fake - or should I say a false - tooth.