The Sacred Tooth Relic Temple (Sri Dalada Maligawa) responds to questions about why viewing hours of the Sacred Tooth Relic cannot be extended.
Here is the detailed explanation provided by the Dalada Maligawa:
Even Kings Were Denied Entry: Why Can’t the Sacred Tooth Relic Be Shown All Day?
Many people ask why the Sacred Tooth Relic is only displayed from 12:00 to 5:30 PM. “Why can’t it be shown all day? Can’t it be shown at night too?” some argue.
This is not possible. This is the tradition of the Sacred Tooth Relic that has been maintained with great reverence since royal times until today. These traditions cannot be changed arbitrarily.
The Sacred Tooth Relic is regarded as the living Buddha himself. Therefore, it is attended to with the same reverence.
There are three ritual services (Thewawa) for the Sacred Tooth Relic:
- Dawn Service – 5:30 AM to 7:00 AM
- Morning Offering – 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
- Evening Service – 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM
From 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, there is meal time for the monks.
Between these services, the longest continuous period available for worship is from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. That is why this time is specifically allocated for public veneration of the Sacred Tooth Relic.
This tradition was not changed even for the kings during royal times. Once the service was completed and doors were closed, they were not reopened even for the king of the country.
After the evening service when the doors to the inner chamber were closed, they were not reopened even for King Keerthi Sri Rajasinha.
In the past, there was only one evening service. Because of King Keerthi Sri Rajasinha, a second service was established.
The king would visit daily to worship the Sacred Tooth Relic. One day, the king arrived late for worship. A messenger was sent to inform the chief monk responsible for the service about the king’s delay, but by then all ritual services had been completed, the inner palace had been purified, incense had been burned, fragrant water had been sprinkled, and the doors had been closed.
The chief monk stated that once the service was completed and the doors of the inner palace were closed, they should not be reopened under any circumstance.
The king arrived but was not angered by this. Instead, he requested permission from the chief monk to conduct a second offering of medicinal porridge (Gilanpasa) going forward. This was approved, and from that day until today, this tradition continues with an additional Gilanpasa offering.
This incident shows that after the evening service of the Sacred Tooth Relic, the doors to the chamber were not opened even for the king of the country.
The service of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a tradition that has been carried out with great reverence by our Buddhist clergy. These cannot be changed for any reason now. Therefore, there is no use in arguing about the viewing hours of the Sacred Tooth Relic. We must respect and submit to these traditions.
No one is forced to visit the Sacred Tooth Relic. If standing in long lines is difficult, one may stay home without blaming anyone.
Rather than standing in line for days and developing negative feelings while worshipping the Sacred Tooth Relic, it would be better to worship the Tooth Relic as best as you can without looking for faults. That merit will be yours.
If you misuse words and suffer throughout samsara, that suffering will also be yours.
Therefore, do not look for faults. Worship the Sacred Tooth Relic during the available viewing hours as best as you can.
Read about the traditional details of the ritual services. Reading them will help you understand what kind of reverence and offerings are made to the Sacred Tooth Relic.
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