Today marks the final day of the Exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha at the Sri Dalada Maligawa, drawing to a close a historic event with extraordinary acts of piety, endurance, and interfaith compassion.
The Sacred Relic was placed on public display for the ninth consecutive day yesterday, opening at 11 a.m. to an overwhelming tide of Buddhist devotees, among them hundreds of foreigners. By midday, over 200,000 people — including families with young children — had gathered in Kandy, queuing for hours in the sweltering heat to pay homage. Among the large number of Buddhist devotees, an unexpected sight stood out: priests and nuns from the Catholic Church, distributing food parcels and bottles of water to those waiting in the long queue. They had earlier participated in special services at their churches to honour Pope Francis, whose funeral was held yesterday.
This simple but profound act of compassion by the Catholic clergy touched many a heart, offering a powerful symbol of solidarity amid sorrow and devotion. It was also reported that mosques and kovils had also opened their doors for pilgrims to sleep and rest. Many bhikkhus provided dana (alms) to weary pilgrims.
Since the Exposition began on April 18, numerous organisations — including the Maligawa administrators, the three Armed Forces, and Buddhist Dayaka Sabhas — had also stepped in to distribute refreshments and meals throughout Kandy.
Devotees were guided patiently through the great esplanade (Mahamaluwa) to the main entrance (Maha Wahalkada) of the Maligawa, and onward to the Inner Shrine where the Sacred Tooth Relic is enshrined.
However, the unprecedented turnout led to significant logistical challenges. Long queues often stretched for miles, with some pilgrims reportedly waiting for more than three days to reach the temple. Traffic congestion in Kandy, prompted the authorities to issue urgent advisories requesting the public to avoid travelling to the city unless necessary.
Although the crowds had thinned slightly, thousands are still queuing under the sun, determined to pay their respects before the Exposition ends. The authorities have already said that the period of the Exposition will not be extended.
