The Buddha Tooth Shrine Photo

Photographer’s Note

A sacred relic, one of the teeth of the Buddha is the symbol at the heart of Singhalese history and culture. It is the most revered object in the country.

After the death of the Buddha his body was cremated and his ashes were distributed to eight points. The teeth, of course, survive, (I have seem this myself on retrieving the ashes of a dead person, the teeth always survive the burning) One tooth came into the possession of the Kingdom of, what is now Orissa. In the 8th century, during a war of persecution against the Buddhists, who were hated by the Brahmins, because they did not believe in gods, the relic was smuggled out of the city by a prince and princess, Dantha and Hemamala.

They disguised themselves as Brahmins and, according the legend, the princess hid the tooth in her hair. They sailed with it to a place of safety in Sri Lanka, where it remains today. The ancient temple, built to house it is seen to the right. Around this original temple a later and larger temple was built. Twice a day the temple is opened for people to see the relic. This man blows a horn before the door of the shrine room to announce that the door is about to be opened. In the foreground are baskets of jasmine flowers for the devotees to scatter before the shrine.The picture was taken in low light, the natural light of the temple, with resultant limitations.

serp2000, carper, leo61, phwall, adores, patdeph, riclopes ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

serp2000 (9583) 2009-11-04 7:21

Privet, Kevin,
Fine shot and interesting note! This TE conception is learning the world through the photography. TFS!
Serghei

carper (65106) 2009-11-04 8:43

very nice shot Kevin,
good atmosphere here, fine composition, good quality job here, a good one, have a nice day.
regard jaap

Buin (37834) 2009-11-04 9:46

Hallo Kevin!
A contribution truly in therms of TrekEarth! Both photo and comment are so informative! The photo really is fascinating - from another world ...
Greetings from autumnal cold and wet Germany!
Frank

leo61 (43438) 2009-11-04 10:29

HI Kevin!
It`s now 25 years since I`ve been there but I remember this holy place very well.
Together with your informative note a great shot,which brings back good memeries.
Regards,leo

phwall (5644) 2009-11-04 12:20

Hi Kevin,
So when I open up Grandma's ashes urn, her teeth are going to be in there, what a grizzly thought.
Interesting note/photograph presentation, very much the true spirit of TE.
The quality of the photograph is of no concern, it is more than adequate to show the interior of the temple and this fascinating ritual.
My compliments.
Cheers
Peter

Morac (20557) 2009-11-04 12:57

Hello Kevin,
Very nice shot, good atmosphere here and fine composition.
Regards
Marc

adores (15609) 2009-11-04 15:13

Hi Kevin!
That's a place I really want to visit! It's not so usual to see photos like this one, from the inside. Good light and details. I like the presence of the man here and all the details around, like the jasmine flowers in foreground.

patdeph (18020) 2009-11-04 22:33

hello Kevin
the place seems te be very nice,and thanks for your very intesting note!The man adds some very beautiful colors and this is an excellent photo,very nice to look at!
Regards
Pascale

riclopes (33033) 2009-11-06 1:35

Olá Kevin, Buddha had impressive big teeth to make such a nice gate to the shrine. Interesting how the man is dressed. There's something primitive in this space and scene that atracts me very much. Good shot considering the low light conditions.
regards,
ric
RE: We are still living in Granada since June and enjoying it very much. If everything continues to go well, we'll stay here at least 3 years. The trip to Argentina was before that, in April.

pajaran (3350) 2009-11-06 1:39

Zdravo iz Cuprije.
Ima mnogo naroda i obicaja, ovaj prostor je mnogo interesantan , pravi trenutak i dobre boje. Lepo izgleda, dobara fotografija.
Pozdrav, Paja.