It is believed that the Buddha's Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka in the early 4th century from Kalinga in Eastern India by Prince Danta and Princess Hemamala. It was enshrined in the special temple called Dalada Maligava inside King Siri Meghavanna's court, and venerated by the King. Dalada Maligava means the Tooth Relic Temple in Sinhalese term and it was built in Anuradapura for the first time. Now the temple is in Kandy, which was reconstructed in 1815. From the 4th century, the Tooth Relic has been identified as a symbol of royal authorities for the king of Sri Lanka, so many kings of Sri Lanka protected and venerated the Tooth Relic with their whole true hearts. When the king and the capital were moved to another city, the Tooth Relic Temple was also moved together.
The Buddha's Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka is very famous as a real sacred relic to other Buddhist countries, and many Buddhist Pilgrims have visited the Tooth Relic Temple and venerated the Tooth Relic from the ancient time. The famous Buddhist pilgrim Faxian visited Sri Lanka in early 5th century and venerated the Tooth Relic during the annual festival for the Tooth Relic. He recorded very detailed scenes of the festival in his book of travels. It is very interesting that Esala Perahera, a festival for the Tooth Relic in present time, which is held in every July in lunar calender in Kandy, is very similar to the scenes in Faxion's record. After he returned to China, the fame of the Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka was known to the East Asian Buddhist. In Tang dynasty, many Buddhist pilgrims went on a pilgrimage to the Tooth Relic Temple in Sri Lanka.
The worship of the Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka was always deeply related with the King's patronage, and it means that the Tooth Relic venerations were functioned as a political propaganda for the patron King. This political feature of the real Buddha's relic worship was transmitted to the Kings of East Asia by those buddhist pilgrims and diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the South China. As well as the political importance of the relic worship, the architectural style of the relic enshrinement and the festivals for the Buddha's relic in Sri Lanka were also delivered to the East Asian Buddhist communities along with the pilgrimage routes in the South Sea. The Tooth Relic Temple in Sri Lanka has been noticed as one of the most famous and influential Buddhist Pilgrimage Centers for the East Asian Buddhist.