Relic of the tooth of the Buddha

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.

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).{{cite web |title=The Buddha's Tooth |url=http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddhistholidays/a/The-Buddhas-Tooth.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515070546/http://buddhism.about.com/od/buddhistholidays/a/The-Buddhas-Tooth.htm |archive-date=May 15, 2013 |access-date=May 12, 2013 |publisher=About.com}} At some point,{{When|date=December 2024}} the tooth relic gained the reputation for giving whoever held the relic the divine right to rule the land,{{cite news |date=April 19, 2010 |title=Top 10 Religious Relics |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1983194_1983193_1983197,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423094818/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1983194_1983193_1983197,00.html |archive-date=April 23, 2010 |access-date=May 12, 2013 |publisher=Time}} with the Dāṭhavaṃsa reporting a war between Guhasiva of Kaliṅga and the king Pandu over its possession.{{cite book |author=Dhammakitti |url=https://archive.org/details/dahvansaorhisto00coomgoog |title=The Daṭhávansa; or, The history of the tooth-relic of Gotama Buddha [by Dhammakitti] translated, with notes, by Mutu Coomára Swámy |publisher=Trübner & Company |year=1874 |page=[https://archive.org/details/dahvansaorhisto00coomgoog/page/n118 42]}}

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.

Scholar Charles Boxer, however, claimed that the tooth was "publicly pounded to smithereens with a mortar and pestle by the Archbishop of Goa"Charles R. Boxer, The Portuguese Seaborne Mission 1415-1825, London, 1969, p. 74 as one of the results of the Church's attempt to eradicate native religions, believed to be around the 1550s, due to its religious importance to Buddhists.{{Cite web |title=Customary handover of Thewawa today |date=24 July 2021 |url=https://island.lk/customary-handover-of-thewawa-today/}}

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.{{cite journal |last1=Cheng |first1=Feng-Chou |last2=Chiang |first2=Chun-Pin |title=The tooth relic of the Buddha: The viewpoint from paleodontology and modern dentistry |journal=Journal of Dental Sciences |date=January 2024 |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=729–731 |doi=10.1016/j.jds.2023.10.017 |pmid=38303805 |pmc=10829713 }}

• Lingguang Temple ({{lang|zh-hant|灵光寺}}) of the Badachu Park in Beijing, China.{{cite web|title= The Eight Great Temples in the Western Hills (Badachu)|url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/beijing/31172.htm|publisher=china.org.cn|access-date=May 12, 2013}}
• Buddha Memorial Center ({{lang|zh|佛陀紀念館}}) of the Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.{{cite web|title=History: Fo Guang Year 32|url=http://www.fgs.org.tw/english/orgainzations/history/history.html|publisher=Fo Guang Shan Monastery|access-date=May 12, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130004249/http://www.fgs.org.tw/english/orgainzations/history/history.html|archive-date=January 30, 2013}}
• Engaku Temple in Kamakura, Japan.{{cite web|url=http://zen.rinnou.net/head_temples/06engaku.html|title=Temple Name: Engaku-ji|publisher=Rinzai-Obaku Zen|access-date=May 12, 2013}}
• Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum ({{lang|zh-hant|佛牙寺龍華院}}) in Chinatown, Singapore.{{cite web|url=http://www.btrts.org.sg/history-of-btrtm|title=The History of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum|publisher=Buddha Tooth Relic Temple|access-date=May 12, 2013}}
• Lu Mountain Temple in Rosemead, California{{cite web|title=No April Fools': Followers Claim Rare Buddha's Tooth With Healing Powers Continues to Grow|date=April 2013 |url=http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Not-April-Fools-Day-Prank-Supernatural-Rare-Buddhas-Tooth-Healing-Powers-Continues-Grow-200921611.html|publisher=NBC|access-date=May 12, 2013}}{{cite web|title=The 10,000 Relics Collection|url=http://www.chanpureland.org/relics/|publisher=Bodhi Light International |access-date=May 12, 2013}}
• Nagarjunakonda, museum on the island situated in the Nagarjunasagar Lake.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090514062856/http://www.jetairtours.com/hyd.htm City information of Hyderabad, Nagarjunasagar, Nagarjunakonda, Warangal, Medak]
• Lawkananda Pagoda in Bagan, Burma

• Cetiya
• Relics associated with Buddha#Relics in Sri Lanka
• Seruwila Wilgamwehera Royal Temple
• Relics of Sariputta and Moggallana
• Śarīra
• Refuge in Buddhism
• Dathavamsa
• Diyawadana Nilame
• Kandy Esala Perahera
• Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta
• Chinese expeditions to the Sinhala Kingdom
• Velakkara revolt
• Goa Inquisition

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Category:Buddhism in Sri Lanka

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Category:Gautama Buddha

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Category:Tourist attractions in Central Province, Sri Lanka

Category:Teeth