Though there is no mention either in the chronicle or in any other historical or literary source of any repairs being carried out by Kirti Sri Rajainha at the Dalada Maligawa or The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy during his reign between 1749-1780, we are fortunate to come across a valuable Ola leaf with two Slokas or stanzas in the British Library in London to confirm this incident. It says in brief that the king did attend to a renovation or rebuilding of the Temple of the Scared Tooth Relic in Kandy. The reasons for the repair are not given, but it I apparent that the temple may have been destroyed by the Dutch invasion of Kandy during their struggle in the Kandyan kingdom in 1765: This was not the first time that the temple in Kandy was destroyed by enemies, but it had happened earlier too during the colonial rules specially under the Portuguese. We will come to the Dutch involvement later. We will now deal with the document mentioned above. According to this valuable document, the temple was declared open once again after the repairs were completed by Kirti Sri Rajasinha during the month of Vesak in the year 1776 AD. This brief note on the event is based on an Ola document now found among the collection of Sinhala manuscripts in the British-Library in London and documented under serial number L.F. 52a 1-5. of or 6606 (3,5) and catalogued under vol4 of pg.67 of the Hugh Nevil Collection of Sinhala Manuscripts in the British Library complied by K.D. Somadasa for the PTS and published in 1990.
Let us now consider the history of the Tooth Relic Temple in Kandy. Konappu Bandara became king of Senkadagalapura (Kandy) in the year 1593 after a decisive battle fought at Danture with the Portuguese and was known as Vimaladarmasuriya I. With his ascending the throne the country saw the birth of the Kandyan Kingdom. The new king brought the Tooth Relic to Kandy which had been hidden till hen in Delgamuwa Raja Mahavihara in Kuruwita. For this purpose he built a two storeyed superb Relic Temple in the neighbourhood of his Royal palace. No details of this temple are recorded in the chronicle. After the death of Vimaladharmasuriya I in the 1603 his cousin brother Senerath ascended the Kandyan Throne. This was a period of constant Portuguese threat to the Kandyan Kingdom. They burned down many places of worship including the relic shrines, monasteries, Image houses and also cities. Natha Devala in Kandy was one such place. Therefore King Senarath removed the Tooth Relic to Dumbara identified as Meda Mahanuwara which was impassable because of forests, mountains and rivers. He made the people well there and entrusted them with the preservation of the Relic. The Portuguese threat to the Kandyan Kingdom did not stop until the death of King Senarath and the ascending to the throne of his son Rajasingha II in the year 1635. With the help of the Dutch he managed to out the Portuguese and bring pace to the country. This king brought the Tooth Relic back to Kandy and erected a two storeyed building on the spot where the former temple was and housed the Relic. Rajasinha II was succeeded by Vimaladharmasuriya II in 1687. He was eager for peace and harmony and made friends with the Dutch.
His son Sri Narendrasinnha ascended the throne in 1707 and ruled till 1739. Though he is described by various writers as a playful prince, the author of Culawamsa highly regarded his religious activities. The chronicle says that “When he saw that the temple which his father had erected had fallen in to decay, he grieved. The king had the beautiful temple rebuilt, two storeyed and provided it with a portal resplendent with all kinds of brilliant ornaments, made-it so that with its stucco coating it resembled a mountain of silver, provided it with a graceful roof and had thirty two Jathaka stories depicted in coloured painting on the to walls of the courtyard.”
The present two storeyed main shrine that stands amidst other buildings of the temple is considered to be the one built by King Narendrasinha. The earliest building put up by Vimaladharmasuriya I and maintained by other kings new temple stands. This is further testified by the discovery of the old foundation in a recent excavation. A plain drawn by a Dutch in 1765 shows the palace of the King of Kandy and it gives an clear idea of the ToothRelic Temple at the time. However, there is no mention in the chronicle or in other sources about the Temple of the Tooth Relic being repaired or rebuilt after King Narendrasinha. Therefore the reference found in the Ola leaf about a repair carried out by Kirti Sri is significant. The two Slokas are as follows:
Sri sake durddhatulye dinapati vrasabhe matrabhge nisendra
vare vaisakhamae yugatithiprayute mulabhe krsnapakse
kirttisrirajasimho amarapati samo karayitva suramyam
prasadam dantadhatu pravisanasumaham dharmakamissucakre
Sri Lanka-dipavasin sugataulayatin dantadhatuavesu
kratva rasim sudhiro pramuditaharadayo civaradimaharggham
danam masarddhammsam asadrisamatulam dapayantonupendro
Samyak sambuddharajyam bhuvanamahitam pratthayet
Suprasastam
The two Slokas ay in brief that King Kirti Sri Rajasinha having constructed beautiful mansion deposited the Tooth Relic therein on the second day of the dark fortnight in the Mula asterism in the lunar month of Vaisakha and in the solar month of Vrsabha of the Saka era 1689 which is 1776AD. The devoted Buddhist in Sri Lanka in this occasion having held a festival rejoiced, themselves, gave alms including robes to the monks every half a month thereby making this earth laudable with the establishment of a Buddhist Kingdom.
What really caused King Kirti Sri to built or repair a temple for the Sacred Tooth Relic at this moment is something worth inquiring into. The only reason that we can think of is the Dutch invasion of the Kandyan Kingdom at this time. There had been two invasions, one in 1764 and the other immediately following in the year 1765, the last being the most crucial. The Dutch Governor, Van Ecks’s army entered the city of Kandy in February and started to plunder. The King (Kirti Sri) with his family and kinsmen abandoned the city immediately taking with them whatever they could of the royal treasures. One of the first objects to be removed was the Sacred Tooth Relic-with the chief monks who attended on it. Following this the citizens too deserted the city. Thereafter the Governor took possession of the palace and the city. The looting Relic temple was also robbed and destroyed. It is said that a silver covering of the Relic Casket weighing about 210 pounds which was buried behind the palace was also robbed. The governor agreed to melt it down and distribute the silver among the soldiers who at this time were celebration the victory. The Culawamsa narrates this incident and says that the enemies entered the city like devils and destroyed all religious books and other sacred objects. One of the Dutch soldiers too have described this incident expressing the same sentiments. The tooth relic was sent to a place which was scarcely passable owing to mountains and forests and difficult roads. The place is now identified as Kivulgama or Kevulgama in the Meda Maahanuwara area in Dumbara. A copper plate Sannasa granting lands to maintain the daily rituals of the Kevulgama temple made by Rajadhi Rajasinha in the year 1792 also found in the Welcome Trust Library in London, and I am not certain how it came there. The above Sannasa is a proof that the Tooth Relic was taken to Kevulgama (Kivulgama) during the trouble period. The text of the grant is expertly engraved in a copper plate with silver filigree border and to royal signature Sri in gold. The text reads as follows:
Sinhala
When the troubles were over, the Tooth Relic was bought back to Kandy. The Culavamsa says that it was done after the Temple of the Tooth and other sanctuaries were specially beautifully decorated. This is no doubt a reference to a repair carried out by Kirti Sri after it was destroyed by the Dutch army. The chronicle further says that the king brought the relic into the former Tooth Relic Temple and instituted all the former festive customs in increased manner. The participation of the people in this ceremony is further seen by our Ola document when it says that the people rejoiced. It is also important to mention here that this same king was responsible for building a Badu Medura or an Image House in the temple which is now called the Palle Male”.
Thus it is seen that the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy which was robbed and destroyed by the Dutch army in 1765 was renovated by Kirti Sri Rajasinha and the Tooth Relic deposited therein again in the year 1776 after ten years, in the month of Vesak. The above is a very important document to any person interested in the history of Dalada.
