New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-05
11JF TOOTH OF BUDDH4.
Relic Sacred TO All Who FOilozc
tbe ReigiOn He Founded.

=, Canrlrh-c at Jerusalem is to the CnrlS-
- and what the birthplace at Mecca of the
--..,est Of Arabian prophets is to The Mahom-
=. This tooth is believed by the pilgrims
: .s shrine TO have come from the sacred
.+ of l;autaIna Buddha. the founder or their
- The shaven, barefooted priests who watch
tho relic say that it was taken from the
- ~ his funeral pyre five centuries before
-, vas born. and that it will continue to
- many more centuries after Christianity
I'll ,ba other religions OF the world have
- 1ost and forgotten AS matter of fact
~. rrofoUndly yenerated object looks sus-
..,slx- like the tooth of a wild boar a
monkey
rsa holy tooth Is enshrined in Randy, a
-,o,r+ajn town on the island Of Ceylon, and
tff,her il draws pilgrims from about one-third
ths entire population of the world. Wherever
Tn6dhisn has spread. the fame of this bit of
hone has gone. So that il is regarded as sacred
by more than four hundred and fifty million
brrran beings. in the streets Of Handy one may
meet votaries from hundred different countries
and provinces from nearby Siam and PARKWAY
Siberia. from Neual, Tibet. China, Corea and
Japan Indeed. many an aged native of Nippon
is 10 be seen there, having gone to pray that his
son will not be slain by the Russians. A few
pilgrims journey 10 Handy even from Lapland
and all come to worship an enshrined tooth
Although even the most intelligent priests OF
Buddhism assert solemnly that the tooth they
guard was once 3 part Of the body OF the
founder Of their religion. in their hearts they
must know that If Buddha ever carried this
tooth in his head and the rest of his teeth were
Of proportonate size his mouth must have been
as large and ferocious as that of gorilla. On
the other hand. if this tooth was an exception
10 the rest il must have protruded from his lips
Ike the tusk Of Wild boar. According to the
priests the sacred ce.ic is an eye tooth from the
left side # Buddha's mouth. The eye teeth OF
an adult man are about three-quarters Of All
inch long The holy tooth" is more than two
inches long
The-early records Of Buddhism tell of a tooth
Of the great teacher which figured in the state
ceremonies Of many Eastern potentates. For 4
tine it remained in India, the native country of
the prophet. and travelled in state from one
court 10 another. 1t was the marriage DOVER OF
many Processes Of the royal blood. and its pos
session was believed to insure happiness both II
this ana after existences. AS a matter of fact Il
was the cause Of endless dissensions and not
few murders With the wane Of Buddhism il
India-for India turned away from its greatest
native teacher. even as Palestine did from
ChTist-lhe holy tooth was removed to the ad-
Joining island Of Ceylon, that there it might
abide in a secure shrine. But il found no rest
Il was captured by one conqueror, TO be Wrcsted
away from him by another. At one time the
aIabars had it, at another the Portuguese, and
4 the sixteenth century, according 10 the most
authentic records, il was publicly destroyed. In
The presence Of the Viceroy Of India and his
suite it was burned in 1860 by The Catholic
Archbishop Of Goa, who thus hoped to end for
.yer a most abominable idolary," as he
:alled il
Although the holy tooth was thus reduced
70 ashes and thrown TO the winds, it did not
osase 10 exist in the minds of the faithful. Six
fears later the tooth was wanted TO conclude
an international marriage, and in order that
ne ceremony should be conducted with all due
solemnity the tooth was produced in some way.
a short time afterward this piece Of bone was
zken TO Randy. a town in the centre Of Cey-
d. situated on the top of a hill, and magnii-
ent temple, called the Dalada Malagawa, was
gilt over it. It is not exhibited save on rare
OCCASIONS, when a few high personages are per-
uitted in secret to see it. When the Duke and
Duchess Of York visited Handy they were al
lowed TO gaze for a moment on the holy tooth"
I replica q the relic and its setting are on ex-
hbition at the Museum Of Colombo the capt.
IA Of Ceylon.
Those who have seen the enshrned tooth say
is mounted 50 as to resemble the pistil Of a
golden flower The gold wire which supports
i rises from The midst Of a Iotos flower of gold.
1he pedestal Is shauad like a truncated cone