Kandy, Central Province · 7.2936°, 80.6413°
Palladium of Sri Lankan sovereignty: for 1,500 years, whoever held the Buddha's tooth relic held the right to rule, so the shrine always adjoined the palace — last here in Kandy, the final royal capital. The Esala Perahera each August, with its ranks of drummers, dancers and tusker elephants bearing the relic casket, is Asia's grandest Buddhist pageant. Rebuilt after the 1998 LTTE bombing; UNESCO-listed with the sacred city.
Princess Hemamala smuggled the relic from Kalinga hidden in her hair, sailing with Prince Dantha as the ports were watched — the tooth that survived the Buddha's pyre, contested by kings and once, chronicles say, tested in fire and water by doubting invaders, emerging radiant.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-26 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Kandyan