Temple of the Sacred Tooth (Dalada Maligawa)

Located in Kandy, an ancient religious centre for Buddhism, the octagonal, golden-roofed Temple of the Sacred Tooth, built between 1687 and 1707, is a stunning sacred temple, which is believed to house the left upper canine of the Lord Buddha himself. According to legend, the tooth was taken from the Buddha as he lay on his funeral pyre and smuggled to Sri Lanka hidden in Princess Hemamali’s hair, where it survived numerous attempts to capture and destroy it. Today, this famous religious relic attracts white-clad pilgrims, bearing lotus blossoms and frangipani, every day. The temple is joined to the Pattiripuwa (Octagon), built in 1803, which was originally used as a prison, but now houses a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts. There are many other attractions in this ancient city, including Natha Devale, a stone sanctuary and the oldest building in Kandy, and Mahavishnu Devale, a temple which is dedicated to Vishnu, the protector of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.