The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Palidanta dhātuya) is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiyarelic of the Buddha, who is the founder of Buddhism, the fourth largest religion worldwide.
According to Sri Lankan legends, when the Buddha died in 543 BC, his body was cremated in a sandalwood pyre at Kushinagar and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by his disciple, Khema. Khema then gave it to King Brahmadatte for veneration.[1] It became a royal possession in Brahmadatte's country and was kept in the city of Dantapuri (modern Puri, Odisha).
A belief grew that whoever possessed the tooth relic had a divine right to rule that land.[2] The Dāṭhāvaṃsa recounts the tale of a war fought over the relic 800 years later between Guhasiva of the republic of Kalinga and a king named Pandu.[3]
The relic in Sri Lanka
Atadage was the house of relic of tooth during Polonnaruwa era.
Legend states the Abhayagiri vihāra was first appointed custodianship of the relic when it was brought to the island after the conflict in Kalinga. As time went on, the land was threatened with foreign invasions; at one time, King Bayinnaung of Toungoo dynasty in Burma had offered the Portuguese invaders £50,000 as ransom to save the sacred tooth;[1] and the seat of the kingdom was moved from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa, then to Dambadeniya and other cities. Upon each change of capital, a new palace was built to enshrine the relic. Finally, it was brought to Kandy where it is at present, in the Temple of the Tooth.[2] The scholar Charles Boxer, however, claimed that the tooth was "publicly pounded to smithereens with a mortar and pestle by the Archbishop of Goa"[4] as one of the results of the Church's attempt to eradicate native religions [no date given but inferred 1550s or so].
The relic came to be regarded as a symbolic representation of the Buddha and it is on this basis that there grew up a series of offerings, rituals, and ceremonies. These are conducted under the supervision of the two Mahanayakas of Malwatte, Asgiriya chapters, and Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa. These have a hierarchy of officials and temple functionaries to perform the services and rituals.[5]
Other tooth relics
Aside from the relic in Sri Lanka, several relics in other countries are also reputed to be a tooth-relic of the Buddha.
^ ab"The Buddha's Tooth". About.com. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
^ ab. Time. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on April 23, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
^Dhammakitti (1874). The Daṭhávansa; or, The history of the tooth-relic of Gotama Buddha [by Dhammakitti]. Tr., with notes, by Mutu Coomára Swámy. Trübner & Company. p. 42.
^Charles R. Boxer, The Portuguese Seaborne Mission 1415-1825, London, 1969, p. 74
relic, tooth, buddha, relic, tooth, buddha, pali, danta, dhātuya, venerated, lanka, sacred, cetiya, relic, buddha, founder, buddhism, fourth, largest, religion, worldwide, contents, history, relic, india, relic, lanka, other, tooth, relics, also, referenceshis. The relic of the tooth of Buddha Pali danta dhatuya is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of the Buddha who is the founder of Buddhism the fourth largest religion worldwide Contents 1 History 1 1 The relic in India 1 2 The relic in Sri Lanka 2 Other tooth relics 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistory EditThe relic in India Edit According to Sri Lankan legends when the Buddha died in 543 BC his body was cremated in a sandalwood pyre at Kushinagar and his left canine tooth was retrieved from the funeral pyre by his disciple Khema Khema then gave it to King Brahmadatte for veneration 1 It became a royal possession in Brahmadatte s country and was kept in the city of Dantapuri modern Puri Odisha A belief grew that whoever possessed the tooth relic had a divine right to rule that land 2 The Daṭhavaṃsa recounts the tale of a war fought over the relic 800 years later between Guhasiva of the republic of Kalinga and a king named Pandu 3 The relic in Sri Lanka Edit Atadage was the house of relic of tooth during Polonnaruwa era Temple of the Tooth Kandy Sri Lanka The tooth sanctuary Legend states the Abhayagiri vihara was first appointed custodianship of the relic when it was brought to the island after the conflict in Kalinga As time went on the land was threatened with foreign invasions at one time King Bayinnaung of Toungoo dynasty in Burma had offered the Portuguese invaders 50 000 as ransom to save the sacred tooth 1 and the seat of the kingdom was moved from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa then to Dambadeniya and other cities Upon each change of capital a new palace was built to enshrine the relic Finally it was brought to Kandy where it is at present in the Temple of the Tooth 2 The scholar Charles Boxer however claimed that the tooth was publicly pounded to smithereens with a mortar and pestle by the Archbishop of Goa 4 as one of the results of the Church s attempt to eradicate native religions no date given but inferred 1550s or so The relic came to be regarded as a symbolic representation of the Buddha and it is on this basis that there grew up a series of offerings rituals and ceremonies These are conducted under the supervision of the two Mahanayakas of Malwatte Asgiriya chapters and Diyawadana Nilame of the Maligawa These have a hierarchy of officials and temple functionaries to perform the services and rituals 5 Other tooth relics EditAside from the relic in Sri Lanka several relics in other countries are also reputed to be a tooth relic of the Buddha Lingguang Temple 灵光寺 of the Badachu Park in Beijing China 6 Buddha Memorial Center 佛陀紀念館 of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung Taiwan 7 Engaku Temple in Kamakura Japan 8 Somawathiya Chaitya Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum 佛牙寺龍華院 in Chinatown Singapore 9 Lu Mountain Temple in Rosemead California 10 11 Nagarjunakonda museum on the island situated in the Nagarjunasagar Lake 12 Baoxiang temple buddhist temple and monastery in Wenshang county Jining city Shandong province ChinaSee also EditCetiya Relics associated with Buddha Relics in Sri Lanka Relics of Sariputta and Moggallana Sarira Refuge in Buddhism Dathavamsa Diyawadana Nilame Kandy Esala Perahera Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta Chinese expeditions to the Sinhala Kingdom Velakkara revolt Goa InquisitionReferences Edit a b The Buddha s Tooth About com Retrieved May 12 2013 a b Top 10 Religious Relics Time April 19 2010 Archived from the original on April 23 2010 Retrieved May 12 2013 Dhammakitti 1874 The Daṭhavansa or The history of the tooth relic of Gotama Buddha by Dhammakitti Tr with notes by Mutu Coomara Swamy Trubner amp Company p 42 Charles R Boxer The Portuguese Seaborne Mission 1415 1825 London 1969 p 74 Customary handover of Thewawa today The Eight Great Temples in the Western Hills Badachu china org cn Retrieved May 12 2013 History Fo Guang Year 32 Fo Guang Shan Monastery Archived from the original on January 30 2013 Retrieved May 12 2013 Temple Name Engaku ji Rinzai Obaku Zen Retrieved May 12 2013 The History of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple amp Museum Buddha Tooth Relic Temple Retrieved May 12 2013 No April Fools Followers Claim Rare Buddha s Tooth With Healing Powers Continues to Grow NBC Retrieved May 12 2013 The 10 000 Relics Collection Bodhi Light International Retrieved May 12 2013 City information of Hyderabad Nagarjunasagar Nagarjunakonda Warangal Medak Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Relic of the tooth of the Buddha amp oldid 1154113054, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
