Sri Dalada Maligawa
The Sri Dalada Maligavia is one of the most sacred Buddhist shrines
in Sri Lanka as it houses the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha.
Rulers of Sri Lanka were guardians of the Tooth Relic and whoever
had the custody of the Sacred Relic was acclaimed the ruler. The
last capital of the kingdom of Sri Lanka was Kandy. King
Vimaladharmasuriya built the Dalada Maligawa in 1603 CE.
The annual Esala Perahera, a colourful procession/festival is held
in July / August when after an exposition, the casket containing the
Sacred Relic is taken round the city of Kandy on ten nights with a
grand finale on the eleventh day when the day Perahera is held.
Temple of Tooth
Located in Kandy, long a center of the Buddhist faith, the stunning
17th-century Temple of the Tooth is believed to house the left upper
canine tooth of the Lord Buddha himself. This precious religious
relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and
frangipani, every day.
When the capital was moved to Kandy, the tooth was taken to the new
city and placed in temples built to honor it. The temple was
originally built under Kandyan kings between 1687 and 1707, but
later severely damaged during the 18th-century colonial wars against
the Portugese and Dutch. After the wars, the original wooden
structures were restored in stone.
Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara
The Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara or Kelaniya Temple is a Buddhist
temple in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, seven miles from Colombo.
The temple flourished during the Kotte era but much of its land was
confiscated during the Portuguese empire. Under the Dutch empire,
however, there were new gifts of land and under the patronage of
King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha the temple was rebuilt. It was
refurbished in the first half of the twentieth century with the help
of Helena Wijewardana.
The temple is also famous for its image of the reclining Buddha and
paintings which depict important events in the life of the Buddha,
in the history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, also incidents from the
Jataka tales. It is the venue for the Duruthu Maha Perehera
procession each January. An 18-foot stone statue of the Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara has been erected at the temple.
Buddhist Maha Vihara
Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields is a Buddhist site founded by the
Sinhalese community based in the areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur to
provide a place of worship in the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist
tradition. It is also commonly known as the Brickfields Buddhist
Temple. The Buddhist Maha Vihara’s growth and flourish over the
past 50 years is attributed to the guidance and efforts of Ven. Dr.
K. Sri Dhammanda whose vision is to enable a Malaysian Buddhist
community to practice their beliefs in a caring and sufficient
environment.
Kataragama Temple
Kataragama is a multi-religious sacred city as it contains an
Islamic Mosque within its temple complex as well.
In spite of the differences of caste and creed, all Sri Lankans show
great reverence to God Kataragama. They honor him as a very powerful
deity and beg divine help to overcome their personal problems or for
success in business enterprises etc., with the fervent hope that
their requests would be granted. They believe that God Kataragama
actually exists and is vested with extraordinary power to assist
those who ever appeal to him with faith and devotion in times of
their distress or calamity.
Tiruketeeswaram
Tiruketeeswaram, near Mannar, is the sthalam where thousands gather
on Shivaratri night for veneration of Lord Shiva. They perform their
sin dispelling ablutionary teertham baths in the sacred waters of
Pal Teertham, the following morning.
The location became hallowed from the mythological era for it was
here that Ketu Bhagavan performed tapas and obtained the benign
vision of Lord Parameswara and Ambal Devi; hence the site became
known as "Tiru-Ketu-Ishwaram".
It is said that the Sage Agasthiya Maha Munivar, in his pilgrimage
to Shiva sthalams in the South, paid homage at Tiruketeeswaram also
before proceeding to Dakshina Kailash (Koneshwaram).
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