Case file · Sacred site
The Tooth Relic of the Buddha
Sri Lankan chronicles say a princess smuggled the Buddha's left canine tooth to Anuradhapura in her hair in the early 4th century; whoever held it held the right to rule.
310 CE · 8.35, 80.39 · status: legend
The account
The relic followed the capital to Kandy, where the Temple of the Tooth was built. The Portuguese claimed to have burned it in 1560; Sri Lankans hold that the true tooth was hidden. The year is approximate.