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Relic of the tooth of the Buddha

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The relic of the tooth of Buddha (Pali danta dhātuya) is venerated in Sri Lanka as a sacred cetiya relic of the Buddha, who is the founder of Buddhism, the fourth largest religion worldwide.

History

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The four teeth are among the undispersed relics. There are 40 dental relics in the mouth of the Blessed One. According to the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, apart from the four teeth, the remaining 36 teeth, hair relics, and skin hair relics are numerous. Carried by the deities who came from the sacs,at the time of cremation after the offering of the Buddha. According to sources, only one relic was carried per sac.

The four teeth among the unscattered relics are called "canine". There are four teeth in a canine. These four teeth are slightly sharper than the other teeth. Therefore, some people call these teeth "hunting teeth" in common usage. The four fangs were much whiter than the others. Bright streams of light radiated from the four fangs. They are called "Datha Prabha". The four teeth can be seen clearly only when the Almighty smiles.

The Main Four Tooth relics of Gautama Buddha

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According to The Mahāparinibbāna Sutta,there are only 4 Tooth Relics in this world.They are Left Upper Canine Tooth,Left Lower Canine Tooth,Right Upper Canine Tooth,Right Lower Canine Tooth.Because,apart from the four canine teeth, the remaining 36 teeth, hair relics, and skin hair relics are numerous were carried by the deities who came from the sacs,at the time of cremation after the offering of the Buddha. According to sources,only one relic was carried per sac.

According to Mahāparinibbāna Sutta,their locations are as follows.

Tooth Relic Name Previous location Current location
Left Tooth Relic(Left Upper Canine) Gandhara-in present day north west Pakistan ana north east Afghanistan Not specifically identified
Left Tooth Relic(Left Lower Canine) Kalinga (historical region)as Kingdom of Kalinga in East India Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy,Sri Lanka
Right Tooth Relic(Right Upper Canine) Silumini Stupa in Heaven of Tawtisa (Pali Tāvatiṃsa),who rulled by God Sakra Silumini Stupa in Heaven of Tawtisa (Pali Tāvatiṃsa)
Right Tooth Relic(Right Lower Canine) Kingdom of Naga King Jayasena from World of Nāga in Buddhisum Wilgamwehera Somawathiya Stupa in Wilgamwehera Royal Temple in Seruwila,Sri Lanka.

Somawathiya Chaitya

Left Tooth Relic (Left Lower Canine)-The Tooth Relic of Kandy,Sri Lanka

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According to Mahavamsa-Great Chroniacl of Sri Lanka(as a World Heritage Book by UNESCO) and Dāṭhāvaṃsa-Great Chronical of Sacred Tooth Relics of Buddha, 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 Dantapura (modern Dantapuram). 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]

Atadage was the house of relic of tooth during the Polonnaruwa era.
Temple of the Tooth, Kandy, Sri Lanka
The tooth sanctuary

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]

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]

Left Tooth Relic (Left Upper Canine)-Tooth relic of Gandhara

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After the Buddha died, Sri Deha was cremated. It is said that the remaining relics were distributed among the kings by a Brahmin named Drona.Drona Brahmin hid the Buddha's left upper tooth between his clothes while distributing the relics. Seeing how the tooth was hidden in the garment, a resident from Gandhara who had done great merits took the tooth with a mind of merit and went to his country along with the Gandhara people. It is not possible to say exactly where the left upper tooth relic of Sarvajna, who came to Gandhara, is now, because there is not much information about it.

Right Tooth Relic (Right Upper Canine)-Tooth Relic of Silumini Stupa in Heaven of Tawtisa

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During the distribution of the relics, the Lord of the two worlds, God Sakra, did not see the Buddha's right tooth and asked, "Who took the right tooth of the Omniscient One?" When the priests saw that Drona Bamuna, who distributed the relics, had taken them and kept them hidden in the Jatava, they asked, "Is he capable of serving these relics?" It was looked at. Knowing that it was not possible there, he thought, "I will take the relic from him" and created a very delicate hand, took the relic without him noticing, placed it in a golden casket, placed it on the top of his head, took it to the heaven, buried it in Silumini Stupa and performed the ritual.

Right Tooth Relic (Right Lower Canine)-Tooth Relic of Wilgamwehera Somawathiya Stupa in Seruwila,Sri Lanka

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On hearing that the Blessed One had passed away, Naraju Jayasena of the Naga world became very sad and thought, "I will see Lord Buddha for the last time and worship him." During the distribution of relics, Jayasena Naraju saw how Drona Bamuna threw down the other right tooth and covered it with his foot. Unbeknownst to him, he took the tooth from Ridi and took it to the Naga Bhavan, built a gem in the middle of the Naga Pura, placed the right tooth there and performed great sacrifices. During the reign of King Kavantissa of Sri Lanka, Mahinda, who was a student of Mahadeva Maha Thera, went to Naga Bhava and took Buddha's right tooth and went to Sri Lanka. The local king named Giri Abhaya treasured the right tooth that Mahinda Thera had and made a stupa. It is called "Somawatiya Stupa".

Other Tooth Relics which are believed to be Buddha Tooth Relics

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Aside from the two Tooth relics in Sri Lanka, several relics in other countries are also reputed to be a tooth-relic of the Buddha. A 2024 survey found that 32 museums and temples claimed to hold one or more of the tooth-relics.[6]

But the important thing is that the relics in Kandy, Sri Lanka, have been requested to be given to them by various countries.Especially many Southeast Asian countries and West Asian countries such as China.Then the kings of Sri Lanka sent the created Tooth relics(Made of material like ivory, wood) to those countries instead of the real Tooth relic of Kandy.This is done to prevent those countries from getting angry with the kings of Sri Lanka and causing wars.According to the Mahavamsa -Great Chronicle of Sri Lanka and Datavamsa-Great Chronicle of Tooth Relics;The Tooth relics created by Sri Lankan Kings in this way have been sent to those countries more than five times.But the kings of Sri Lanka never gave the real Tooth Relic to those countries.This Tooth Relic is currently in Temple of the Tooth,Kandy.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "The Buddha's Tooth". About.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Top 10 Religious Relics". Time. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 April 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  3. ^ Dhammakitti (1874). The Daṭhávansa; or, The history of the tooth-relic of Gotama Buddha [by Dhammakitti] translated, with notes, by Mutu Coomára Swámy. Trübner & Company. p. 42.
  4. ^ Charles R. Boxer, The Portuguese Seaborne Mission 1415-1825, London, 1969, p. 74
  5. ^ "Customary handover of Thewawa today".
  6. ^ Cheng, Feng-Chou; Chiang, Chun-Pin (January 2024). "The tooth relic of the Buddha: The viewpoint from paleodontology and modern dentistry". Journal of Dental Sciences. 19 (1): 729–731. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2023.10.017. PMC 10829713. PMID 38303805.
  7. ^ "The Eight Great Temples in the Western Hills (Badachu)". china.org.cn. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  8. ^ "History: Fo Guang Year 32". Fo Guang Shan Monastery. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  9. ^ "Temple Name: Engaku-ji". Rinzai-Obaku Zen. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  10. ^ "The History of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum". Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  11. ^ "No April Fools': Followers Claim Rare Buddha's Tooth With Healing Powers Continues to Grow". NBC. April 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  12. ^ "The 10,000 Relics Collection". Bodhi Light International. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  13. ^ City information of Hyderabad, Nagarjunasagar, Nagarjunakonda, Warangal, Medak
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