COLOMBO, Apr 18:  A rare exposition of the sacred tooth relic of Lord Buddha began on Friday in Sri Lanka’s central town of Kandy after a gap of 16 years, according to an official statement.

  The event will continue for 10 days until April 27, and the relics will be available to the public for viewing from noon till 5 pm local time, said a statement by the office of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Ambassadors from 17 nations including India were arranged to travel by train to Kandy to view the exposition, according to the statement.

Tens of thousands of Buddhist devotees are expected to venerate the relic, Mahawela Rathanapala, a senior monk in the holy shrine of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, told reporters.

The tooth relic holds special spiritual, historical and cultural significance for the 74 per cent Sinhala Buddhist majority in the island nation of 21 million people.

“Thousand have been lining up since two days ago at all three access roads to the temple,” Rathanapala said.

According to historical records, the tooth relic which came to Kandy in 1590, came to symbolise Buddhist holiness, becoming Sri Lanka’s most treasured possession and the seal of sovereignty.

It is said that no one was ever allowed to view the actual tooth relic. What could be seen behind a gilt railing and a silver table at the Temple of the Tooth is a gold-plated reliquary- the outermost of seven caskets.

For most of its history, the inner sanctum housing the caskets was only accessible to the King and certain powerful Buddhist monks. In the modern day, visitors are allowed to view the reliquary from a distance.

“The initiative aims to convey a message to Sri Lanka’s friendly nations that the country is recovering economically overcoming previous challenges and fostering national harmony. The event also seeks to strengthen international support for Sri Lanka,” a statement said. (PTI)