Buddha’s tooth relic is very
unique, valuable and sacred commodity for the Buddhists. Luckily, Pakistan has
that precious worthy tooth in Dir Museum Chakdara that can attract a massive
Buddhist pilgrimage and tourists. Though some countries claim to have such
relics but also have many controversies of their claims.
In China, there is 1200 years old Lingguang Temple (Temple of divine light) at
the foot of Beijing’s Western Hills. It houses Buddha’s precious tooth relic in
stupa. Hence the temple has become one of the busiest centre of Buddhist
pilgrimage in the world.
In Singapore, there is Buddha Tooth temple which is a living cultural monument
in Chinatown. It claims to accommodate sacred Buddha Tooth relic in a stupa
composed of 320kg of gold.
In Sri Lanka, there is a legend that a single tooth remained after Buddha’s
cremation. There is myth that whoever had the tooth, had the divine right to
rule. So, it is analogous to Shade of Huma (It is a mythical bird having
reputation that whoever comes under its shadow becomes a king). There is long
tradition behind Buddha tooth currently present in Sri Lanka. It is said that
when Buddha died in 543BC, his body was cremated in a sandalwood pyre at
Kushinagara in India. His left canine tooth was recovered from the funeral pyre
and was given to King Brahmadatte, who kept it in the city of Dantapuri (now
Puri, Orissa). Here originated a legend whoever possess the tooth, had the
divine right to rule. So, many wars were fought to get the sacred tooth. In 4th
century AD, tooth came into the custody of king Guhaseeva of Kalinga who adopted
Buddhism and started worshipping sacred tooth.
One day the son of King Ksheeradara raised a huge army to snatch the tooth and
destroy it. When the forces entered the city, King Guhaseeva secretly sent away
his son in law (Prince) Danth and his daughter Hemamala with tooth. She hid the
tooth in her hair and royal couple disguised themselves as Brahmin and sailed in
Ganga and reached Lankapattana, a Sri Lankan port. Sri Lanka was chosen as new
abode for tooth as once Buddha said his religion will be safe in Sri Lanka for
5000 years. King of Sri Lanka Kirthi Sri Meghavarna became overjoyed to heard
the news of arrival of sacred tooth and warmly welcomed couple and built a
palace for tooth relic and ordered annual festival perhera in honour of sacred
tooth. Later, when Sri Lanka was threatened from foreign invaders, capital was
shifted from one city to another. Upon each shift, new palace was built to
enshrine tooth relic. Finally, it was brought to Kandy where it is now present
in Temple of Tooth which attracts a large number of visitors.
Luckily, Pakistan has Buddha tooth relic in Dir Museum. Archeologists found the
casket in 2003 during excavation of a stupa at Shalkandi area of tehsil Munda in
Lower Dir. The relic casket which can invite global attention is lying in the
store of the Dir Museum for security reasons.
Archaeologists are still grappling with the assumption that a casket relic
carrying a small bone may be Buddha’s tooth, which is said to have gone missing
in Gandhara.
“The casket had a small piece of tooth-like bone. We assume it in Buddha’s tooth
which had gone missing in Gandhara” said Dr. Wahab. The casket cover is made of
stone and has a bone like material in it. The cover doesn’t fix the box. We can
assume that the casket, more than 2000 year old, was brought here from somewhere
else”, experts say.
Experts believe that the casket may be the one among those relics which
comprised either ash or bone of Buddha which were doled out among 84,000 stupas
by Asoka in 261 BC, most probably after the War of Kalinga. Buddhists worship
ashes or bones of Buddha kept in such casket and further enclave in dome-shaped
stony stupa
“Archaeologists and historians from all around the globe are agreed that this
the missing relic casket in Gandhara which contains the tooth of Buddha”, Dr
Zainul Wahab said. He further added: “This box was taken to international
exhibition at Germany and almost all the scholars gathered there said the same
story”.
“There is need to bring such relic in the limelight for further research and
recognition but unfortunately security situation and lack of government
attention to this historical wealth has often over shadowed such success”, said
Dost Muhammad founder of Museum defense Council (MDC).
If confirmed through apposite research that the relic casket contains the tooth
of Buddha; it could bring worldwide attention, Buddhist pilgrimage and foreign
tourists. Consequently our tourist industry will boom, economic prosperity will
get fillip and it will also ameliorate our bilateral relationship especially
with Buddhist nations.