PM Modi visits Sri Dalada Maligawa Temple in Kandy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa or the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

It is a Buddhist temple and is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which is said to house the relic of the tooth of Lord Buddha.

Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country.

Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a world heritage site mainly due to this temple.

Bhikkhus of the two chapters of Malwatte and Asgiriya conduct daily worship in the inner chamber of the temple.

Rituals are performed thrice daily -- at dawn, at noon and in the evenings.

On Wednesdays there is a symbolic bathing of the relic with an herbal preparation made from scented water and fragrant flowers called Nanumura Mangallaya.

This holy water is believed to contain healing powers and is distributed among those present.

The temple sustained damage from bombings by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 1998 but was fully restored each time.