Having settled into our hotel and had lunch, Tissa took us to the centre of the city to see the lake, the outside of the Temple of the Tooth (of Buddha) and a cultural dance.
The Queens hotel, the lake and 'cannon ball tree'.
Close to the Temple of the Tooth,
Bottom row: Wariyapola Sri Sumangala, Madduma Bandara
Legend says that the temple of the tooth in Kandy houses a tooth of Buddha which was rescued from his ashes when he was cremated in 543BC. The tooth arrived in Sri Lanka in the 4th century BC for safe keeping. It returned to India briefly before another tour of the area in the 16th century. It returned to Sri Lanka in 1592 and has remained there since. The temple in which ot is housed was built in the late 16th century. An explosion in 1998 damaged the temple which has since been restored.
Below: the temple of the tooth and ?
A turtle, stork, black legged egret and land monitor
The cultural dance included fire walking
Inside the temple of the tooth.
From the outer room, close to the resting place of the tooth.
- Pat and John on tour
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