Sri Lankans throng to Kandy for rare display of Buddhist relic

Devotees rest on the pavement under a scaffold to queue overnight at Sri Lank's holiest Buddhist temple, the Temple of the Tooth, in the central pilgrim city of Kandy on April 18, 2025, ahead of an exposition of the sacred relics. The public display of what Buddhists believe to be a tooth relic of the Buddha is taking place after 16 years. [AFP]

Thousands of pilgrims camped overnight outside Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist temple in anticipation of Friday's display of a prized relic that will be shown to the public for the first time in 16 years.

Around 10,000 police have been deployed to safeguard the Temple of the Tooth as it launches a 10-day exhibition of what Sri Lankan Buddhists believe to be Buddha's left canine.