Buddha Tooth Relic Festival

Japanese: 仏歯祭 - ぶっしさい

A festival held in Sri Lanka to honor the tooth of the Buddha, a part of the remains (shari) of the Buddha. The tooth is said to be the left canine of the Buddha, and was brought to Sri Lanka from Kalinga in India in the late 4th century. It was subsequently placed in the royal palace and was used as a symbol of succession to the throne. When it was brought to Sri Lanka, a grand memorial service was held, and it has been held annually ever since. This is recorded in the Buddhist Chronicles by Faxian, who visited Sri Lanka in the early 5th century. Although it has undergone many changes since then, the tooth is currently placed in the Temple of the Tooth Relic (Dalada Maligawa) in Kandy in the central and southern part of Sri Lanka, and even today, a grand festival is held here for 10 days every August.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

スリランカで，仏歯すなわち釈迦の遺骨(舎利（しやり）)の一部である歯を供養して行われる祭り。この仏歯は釈迦の左の犬歯といわれ，4世紀後半にインド本国のカリンガ国からスリランカにもたらされ，以後王宮内に安置され，王位継承のしるしとされた。渡来とともに盛大な供養祭が行われ，以後毎年1回行われるようになった。そのもようは，5世紀初めにスリランカを訪れた法顕（ほつけん）の《仏国記》などにも記されている。その後幾多の変遷はあったが，現在この仏歯はスリランカ中南部キャンディの仏歯寺(ダラダ･マリガーワDalada Maligawa)に安置され，これを中心に今も8月になると，10日間にわたって盛大な祭りが繰り広げられる。

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