Temple of the Tooth (Sri Dalada Maligawa)
Sri Lanka’s most important Buddhist relic – a tooth taken from the Buddha after his death—resides in Kandy’s golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth.
While tourists and devotees and tourists are free to visit the heavily guarded relic room during puja (offerings or prayers), the tooth itself is kept hidden in a stupa-shaped gold casket.
Numerous other temples and museums are contained within the temple complex, including the three-storey Alut Maligawa hall displaying dozens of sitting Buddhas donated by Thai devotees.
The upper two floors contain the Sri Dalada Museum, with its stunning collection of gilded gifts.