The heaviness of body must be weighed against the lightness of spirit

Kandy
Poor man had to lug my suitcase back up three flights of stairs. I swear it’s gotten heavier – how, I don’t know. Dropped my electric toothbrush (courtesy BIL) in the shower but I am my mother’s child so it is back-up manual for the rest of the trip.

Buffet breakfast (buffoobaabaa!) with lovely porkies and passionfruit (v. tart) with a lovely view. Off to the Temple of the Tooth Relic.

Dalada Maligawa – Temple of the Tooth. The sacred Tooth Relic is housed here. It is said that on attaining Nibbana, the Buddha was cremated but some of his mortal remains were rescued from the ashes. His left eye-tooth was taken to the Kalinga Kingdom in India, where it remained for seven centuries. However, Hindi militant resurgence forced King Guhasiva of Kalinga to conceal the Relic in the tresses of his daughter Hemamala’s hair. She was then spirited away to Lanka and after she arrived in Anuradhapura, a special temple was built to house the Relic and paraded through the streets on the back of an albino elephant (!). With invasions from South India, the Tooth Relic took on extra significance, for it is believed that whoever possessed it had the right to rule the island. It was then captured and taken to India again and King Parakramabahu had to wage war to regain it. It then moved around a lot and was then brought to Kandy in the 1500s and this temple was built to house it.

Ashan has hobbit feet; he leaves his shoes in the car. Not I who stuffs Sketchers in my purse as an orthopedic security blanket. Lauren had to be adjusted.

The Temple grounds are immense. Flanked on one side by the reservoir, palace on another and hilly outcrop with Vishnu temple on third. There’s the actual Buddhist temple, a Vishnu temple, museum and Bodhi tree with lots of little standalone rooms with assorted Hindu gods and goddesses. Did those first. A little prayer, a little reflection, some gawking. People watering the tree with brightly colored plastic matkas (offering #1).

Inside the Tooth Relic Temple through security. Terrorists tried to blow up the place in 1998. They have replaced the moonstone since. Ashan got us a guide who helpfully read out the English signs with EXTREMELY bad breath.

Moat around the place, a passage through which the annual elephant procession passes that takes the Relic… somewhere! We didn’t think to ask! And in case you can’t figure it out, there are paintings up by the ceiling showing the scene. Very Egyptian.

Inside the Temple building, four men drumming and an invisible shehnai-type fellow belting out a tune that sounds suspiciously like an aarti. Buy some lotus flowers (offering #2), up the steps being squashed by humanity. The Relic is behind closed doors of gilded wood but that doesn’t deter the devotees. Lots of people sitting underfoot and chanting. Down the stairs, large paintings of Hindu gods, into the library room which houses ancient manuscripts. Offerings include boxes of agarbattis, camphor and one very shiny very small gold tree.

Out the back door, past large cast iron bells into the “museum” that tells the story of the Relic. Beautiful marble statues of The Buddha in various hand poses underneath each painted scene. Solid. Serene. Smooth. With delicate eyes and flowing robes. In that way that statue artisans make marble robes flow.

Outside, areas where rituals take place under a large timber roof supported by finely carved wooden pillars. A glass room for lighting diyas for offering #3. Into the place where they keep a taxidermed Rajah the elephant who used to be the main tusker to carry the Relic at procession time. He’s dead now. The current elephant is kept in another area but he’s out of his mind and in heat so we decided that this combination does not suit us to gape. Out into the Vishnu temple which had many steps. Had a prayer said for me and Ashan who’s hoping we’re not married now.

Walk past Ashan’s great great great granduncle’s statue that wot did lots of good things for Buddhism – enough to warrant a statue at one of the holiest places of the religion. Ashan didn’t want his picture taken with it. But then again, he doesn’t want his picture taken with anything. He’s shy like that and thinks he’s above creating memories. But when you do take his photo, he turns into a preening peacock. Complex man him. Lots of stray (?) roosters and monkeys.

Walk by the embankment back to the car past the shops that sell offerings. Lovely smells of pretty lotus flowers. Man selling mango slices in a bag with chili powder. BIL would’ve liked that but I decided not to invite death into my colon today. Off to the last temple of the trip.