Tribute For The Tooth

You might be wondering what you are looking at here? This is the Temple of the Sacred Tooth, located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. This Buddhist temple is the goal for thousands of pilgrims because it houses something very special - the left upper canine tooth of Lord Buddha himself. So what is going on here? The tooth is in a little chamber that you can discern in the in the background. It is opened very rarely and even then just for a couple of minutes. Thousands of people make their way to the temple to leave offerings or presents for the monks. Most pilgrims brought water Lilies, like the one you can see here. They would be placed on a massive table just in front of the chamber - at least those that manage to make their way through the masses. The table would fill up within a few minutes, after which a monk throws them all out to make space for new offerings. What you see here is not just a water lily. It is a pilgrimage that some people only do once in their life. It is a tradition that connects millions, brings people together, gives them hope, and was one of the most amazing things that I was caught up in during my visit. The crowds, the humming, the praying, the flowers, the drums in the background. It will be with me for a while. The man holding the Lily in the photo made it all the way to the front and placed his offering right in front of the tooths chamber.